This chapter explores the concept of the knowledge economy and how it has transformed work. It discusses the divide between knowledge economy jobs and non-knowledge economy jobs, and challenges the perception of blue-collar jobs as dull and unfulfilling.
Author Alain de Botton talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his latest book, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. How has the nature of work changed with the increase in specialization? Why is the search for meaningful work a modern phenomenon? Has the change in the workplace changed parenting? Why does technology become invisible? These are some of the questions discussed by de Botton in a wide-ranging discussion of the modern workplace and the modern worker.