Servile arts - Philosophical Concept | Alexandria
The servile arts, a term steeped in history and philosophical debate, refer to occupations traditionally deemed manual, mechanical, or otherwise requiring primarily physical labor, setting them apart from the liberal arts considered intellectual pursuits worthy of free citizens – or are they? What insidious social underpinnings might such a distinction conceal, and how has this division shaped our understanding of work, society, and human potential?
The earliest known formal articulation of this dichotomy emerges in classical Greco-Roman thought, finding expression in texts by philosophers such as Aristotle (384-322 BCE). Within his Politics, Aristotle posits a hierarchy privileging intellectual activity as befitting a "citizen," while manual labor is relegated to slaves or those lacking civic standing. Cicero (106-43 BCE), the celebrated Roman orator and statesman, echoed these sentiments, articulating reservations concerning certain vocational pursuits in his De Officiis ("On Duties"), during the twilight years of the Roman Republic. Such early delineations occurred against the backdrop of societies reliant on enslaved labor, a reality that inflected their perspective on work and its relationship to social status, giving rise to biases in decision making regarding social roles and equity vs. equality.
Over the centuries, the interpretation of the servile arts underwent significant evolution, particularly during the medieval period. While the classical world largely associated these arts with subjugation, the rise of monastic orders and the guild system brought a nuanced perspective. Benedictine monks, for instance, embraced manual labor as a form of piety, thus challenging the outright denigration of physical work. Similarly, guilds, as associations of craftspeople, fostered a sense of dignity and expertise within specific trades. Nevertheless, the fundamental distinction between intellectual and manual labor persisted, influencing education, social mobility, and the hierarchical structure of society. Figures like St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), while incorporating Aristotelian thought into Christian theology, contributed to the ongoing debate about ethics and the ethical implications of various forms of work while laying down moral principles. This historical trajectory reveals recurring ethical dilemmas in leadership, related to the allocation of resources and dignity afforded to different forms of labor. However, did Aristotelian ethics truly account for the existentialist morality that labor can provide, or did it lead to the virtue signaling of the elite?
The legacy of the servile arts classification continues to resonate, subtly shaping perceptions of vocational education, career prestige, and the value assigned to physical labor in contemporary society. Although overt classifications have diminished, the historical association of certain occupations with lower social status and limited opportunities lingers. Today, as debates surrounding automation ethics and the future of work intensify, revisiting the philosophical underpinnings of the servile arts offers a valuable lens through which to examine issues of economic justice, distributive justice, equality vs. equity, the philosophy of justice, ethical frameworks, ethical dilemmas, consequentialism, and the ethical obligations in business in an era where intelligence, both artificial and human, is constantly redefining the landscape of labor and innovation. How do we ensure that the technologies of tomorrow serve to uplift all forms of human endeavor, rather than perpetuating or exacerbating historical inequalities?