ABSTRACT
The classical political economy of Ricardo, Bentham and J. S. Mill presented paid employment as the primary means through which the individual develops the self, morally and economically, and contributes to the wealth and well-being of the commons. Leisure was acknowledged to be the necessary complement to work since, in the voluntary chosen activities of non-work time, individuals replenish themselves and freely develop their faculties and interests. Nonetheless, classical political economy seldom departed from the postulate that the a priori of leisure is paid employment.
