How does work make us more or less free? In this episode, host Jason Canon speaks with philosopher Elizabeth Anderson about her book Hijacked, tracing how a classical liberalism rooted in the Protestant work ethic — one that once promised both freedom and equality — became an ideology of worker discipline and precarity. They discuss what historical liberals actually believed about markets, why "just quit" isn't a real answer for most workers, and what co-determination, cooperatives, and a revived labor movement could mean for the future of work. Anderson also shares her concerns about democratic backsliding and toxic discourse, and why she still finds inspiration in Adam Smith.

Elizabeth Anderson is is John Dewey Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy and Women’s Studies, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, and Max Shaye Professor of Public Philosophy at the University of Michigan. She received her PhD in philosophy from Harvard University. A MacArthur Fellow, her research spans moral and political philosophy, democratic theory, the ethical limits of markets, and questions of equality. Her books include The Imperative of Integration, Private Government, and Hijacked: How Neoliberalism Turned the Work Ethic against Workers and How Workers Can Take It Back.

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Elizabeth Anderson on work

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