Work and the Transcendental Free Coexistence

Abstract

The growth of the human person can occur as an indirect effect of actions that result in perfecting its essence and nature as instrumental causes of the principal cause that is the person. A characteristic of the transcendental Coexistence is its dialogical opening to others that results in the perfecting of man’s essence and nature through interactions and dialogue. Work requires interactions with others, to cooperate actively to achieve collective goals, to open individuals to be receptive to the ideas of others that help them to learn and improve. This dialogical characteristic of work can result in perfecting the human es- sence and nature which as instruments of the person can contribute to its growth. Freedom is another personal transcendental: it is the activity of the spirit searching for who it is. In work, the person finds a means for this search. A theory of the charac- teristics of work proposes autonomy as one of its core features the degree to which it provides significant freedom, independence, and discretion to plan out and determine its procedures. An outcome is that individuals experience greater personal respon- sibility for their own successes and failures at work. This feature of work fosters the development of the essence and nature of human beings improving their instrumental value to the person and contributing to its growth.