Scholar and policy advocate Guy Standing argues that the modern tendency to use "labor" and "work" interchangeably obscures a crucial historical and conceptual distinction.

The ancient Greek concept of labor (associated with ponos, meaning pain and toil) referred to activity performed out of necessity for survival and done by slaves; it was seen as an obstacle to developing the virtues required for citizenship.

In contrast, work (ergon) encompassed freely chosen, fulfilling activities done within a community — such as caregiving, education, creative pursuits, and civic participation — that allowed individuals to control their time and cultivate excellence.

For Standing, the rise of industrial capitalism and neoliberalism has progressively blurred the two. Our world today is one that actively reduces our lives to "labor" (subordinated, commodified, time-controlled activity) while denying us access to genuine "work" as an occupation of choice.

The world we should strive for requires no labor. It requires no masters.