Humanity at Work: Revolutionizing the meaning of work through the implementation and recognition of Kant’s Humanity Principle

Work is something all adults are necessarily involved with to yield the income needed to support themselves and fulfil some of their goals in life. Work, however, is not merely a contractual matter. Many studies show that the way we work can have a significant negative effects on our ability to be autonomous and independent, both on and off the job. The central question of this thesis is how we ought to shape jobs to make them more ‘meaningful’, with a particular focus on the role that Kant’s notion of humanity can play in responding to this question. It will be argued that ‘humanity’ can be used for justifying a new way of working that is focussed on the employees’ ability to direct his own life. To argue that ‘humanity’ can serve this purpose, the meaning of ‘humanity’ will be explored within the context of Kant’s humanity formula. The outcomes of this exploration will then be used to form demandable requirements for corporations to live up to in order to respect their employees. Examples of feasible business practises will be given for support and to explain what is meant by the requirements. The last hurdle is to show what remains of these requirements in terms of enforceable demands justified by Kant’s political philosophy, focusing on his right to freedom. The consistent use of Kant’s humanity formula will lead us to conclude that requirements for meaningful work can justifiably be demanded, both ethically and politically