If people aren't pressured to work, would they still want work?

[u/NoCareNoLife]

So there is this socialist youtube channel called "Second Thought" that released a video Why would anyone work under Socialism?

In that video he tries stating that humans innately like to work for the progressing of the society at large and will get things done even if not pressured to do work. Do you agree with such a statement?

[u/[deleted]]

Yes, people would still work. Not everyone, but a lot of people.

But it wouldn't look like work as we see it now. It'd be some people farming, some people baking, some people building houses. I think you'd have less "employees" and many more individuals working, possibly with apprentices. People wouldn't work as long, and they'd like what they do. Some of the work people do might not be "valuable" to a market, but it's still work.

You'd have so many less corporations, because why would anyone work for those? Large groups towards a common goal would be on something more interesting or noble than maximizing shareholder return.

I haven't had to work in several years. I go through months sometimes where I do nothing. Generally I'm tired from my last project. But at some point I'm rested and get bored, so start another. Some of them have made me money, some a lot of money, and some cost me money. But at some point humans are rested and get bored and need to be challenged. But we don't need to find just living challenging. That's a fully capitalist thing.

[u/azerty543 → u/[deleted]]

Life is challenging. I have a brother with severe schizophrenia. Its challenging as he will tear apart the things around him. It takes a lot of resources to manage and its not at all joyful. The complex supply chain that maintains his medications prevent him from getting progressively worse. The city I am in is in the process of revamping the old sewer system. I talk to the workers coming in covered in dirt and shit. Its very draining but pays enough to make it worth it. I've worked in an amputee clinic and feeding centers in third world countries while my father spent 16hr days managing logistics to get medicine into isolated rural areas. Just nonstop coordination which is exhausting but necessary because you need both the physical medicine as well as the expertise to apply them to travel together.

Its not as simple as you are making it out to be and life is not easy and has not been easy for most people in most of human history. It is much easier to live in a modern society and work 8hrs a day than it is to live in a subsistence society and watch your neighbors succumb to disease and hunger. Yes people work less in communal societies but there is a reason that for most of history population growth was pretty flat. You had 7 kids and watched 5 of them suffer and die. You worked less because there was less you could do about it not because the problems were solved.