UDC 316.334.22

ON THE NOTION OF «LABOUR»

Khoroshevich Natalia Gennadievna
Ural Federal University
Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Techniques of Control, Candidate of Sociological Sciences

Abstract
The paper studies representations of the notion of “labour.” The interpretations are analyzed based primarily on dictionary sources as such sources usually contain this notion. Explanatory dictionaries and dictionaries of various branches (of both liberal arts and sciences), which provide definitions of this notion, are used.
Labor is mostly defined in explanatory, philosophical, economic and sociological dictionaries. The paper describes specifics of the subject’s definitions in each of the branches where the definition of "labor" is given.
During the research, characteristics of labour are marked out as specified in the literature used for the analysis, specifically: labor is one of the main activities, the basis of origin and existence of the society; depends on the state of social-relations development; depends on the state of the society’s technical development; reasonable activity performed with the purpose of creating objects; labor is the process of creating material and spiritual values; objects are created in order to satisfy needs; objects are created using tools; a person develops; this is a process of interaction with objects.
The paper describes two approaches used for interpretation of the subject at hand. The first group of "labor" definitions does not take into account its historical aspect, whereas the second one demonstrates the evolution of labor during the society’s development. The author proposes two treatments of the notion of “labour” in accordance with both approaches.

Keywords: human, labor characteristics, labor notion, labour object, needs, reasonable activity, social development, technical development, values

Category: Sociology

Article reference:
On the notion of «labour» // Psychology, sociology and pedagogy. 2014. № 10 [Electronic journal]. URL: https://psychology.snauka.ru/en/2014/10/3734