Unconditional Surrender. On the Latest Proposals to Give Europe's Poor and Marginalized a "Meaningful Life" Even Without Work

This article is a response to Ulrich Beck's piece where he described Europe as a "capitalistic culture fixated on work" where millions of people have become useless. According to Beck, poverty in Europe is a "consequence of all the efforts to end it." The author of this article agrees that the necessary working hours continue to sink but contends that capitalism focuses on maximizing profit & not on work itself. The author considers Beck's suggestion to provide all citizens an unconditional salary of about 700 euros per month as nothing more than a political reinterpretation of the concept of unemployment. In conclusion, the author asks whether it is possible for a human being to be a confident citizen without paid employment. A. Kallioinen