The road to leisure

Abstract

This dissertation accepts the judgement that underlies all intellectual effort; this is the judgement that 'human life is worth living, or rather can be and ought to be made worth living' (Marcuse, 1964 : x). Having stated this, this dissertation is an attempt to sketch a general theoretical argument, drawing on a wide range of sources and approaches. It cannot necessarily examine them in great detail, and although this means that it is not specific or empirical in nature, it is a dissertation with clear empirical and practical applications. It seeks to explore the concept of leisure and its relationship to the way in which we live our lives. It is based on the premise that quality of life and leisure are worthy goals of humanity.