Time to reevaluate the machine society: Post-industrial ethics from an occupational perspective

This paper discusses the ethics underlying the occupational repertoire of the post-industrial citizen, giving attention to lifestyle phenomena such as increased tempo and quantity of occupations; manipulation of time, organisms and environments; decreases in sleep, rest and play etc. In trying to understand human behavior in the 21st century, an ethical perspective is delineated and some starting points for a discussion of ethics from an everyday occupational perspective are investigated. Using examples from contemporary Western society, human occupational behavior is described as imprinted by machine-ethical values. It is argued that since behavior arising from such values has been little formulated or observed, it constitutes a substantial risk factor for ill health and stress. An alternative eco-ethical perspective of occupation, inspired by Skolimowski the Polish professor of eco-philosophy, is proposed. The concept of “ecopation” is introduced as an optional choice denoting occupations that are performed with concern for the ecological context at a pace that gives room for reflection and experience of meaning. The questions raised in this paper may be important for occupational scientists to more fully understand the implicit guidelines of contemporary and future occupation and for occupational therapists taking an active part in future healthcare.