Educação e trabalho: bases para debater a educação profissional emancipadora

Abstract

This text deals, at first, with the differences between two possible ways of understanding the nature of labor: as a specific category of social being – the ontological approach – and the historical forms of labor, in slavery, in servitude, and in labor as merchandise, as labor force – work/employment, wage earning labor in capitalism. The paper argues that this distinction is basic in order not to mix up the crisis of wage earning labor and the outright end of labor itself. Based on this first aspect, the article analyzes the meaning of contemporary labor’s crisis in the context of capital’s new sociability and that of neo liberal ideology, which proposes the market as the absolute god for social relations. Finally, the paper points out that the crisis of wage earning labor is double faced – it is dangerous, risky, and violent but it opens also possibilities and alternatives. As never before in human history socialism shows itself as the most suitable alternative.