As we suffer through yet another week without work, that divine gift of capitalist modernity, we long for the return to normalcy, for the end of this boredom. But what is boredom, and why is it so painful?
Linguistically speaking, the word “bore” as a noun that described someone or something that was tiresome or dull first appeared in the 18th century, a reference to the slow process of boring a hole into some piece of material. By the mid 19th century, the modern definition of “boredom” as the state of being bored was established, and has since been something that must be avoided at all costs. But why? To answer that, we must investigate the opposite of boredom, productivity,[1] and see how that concept has been historically constituted.
In capitalism, productivity, defined as the tendency of people towards activity, reigns supreme as the highest goal any person can strive for, a natural characteristic of all human beings who ever lived. But productivity is not natural at all, and has instead arisen out of modern philosophy, which subsumed all human desire for activity under this one concept. According to the capitalist labor ontology, ancient farmers were “productive” when they tended their crops, medieval monks were “productive” when they copied the bible and other manuscripts by hand day after day, and the modern first grader is productive when they do their homework as soon as they get home from school. This conception of productivity is closely related to the abstraction of “labor” as a natural form of human activity present in all human societies (See Robert Kurz, Substance of Capital), and productivity can be seen, in this light, as the drive to engage in the only form of activity socially valid in capitalist society: labor. And so, according to modern philosophy, humans are naturally productive creatures that will feel utterly disparaged if they are deprived of the opportunity to do work.
But this is all a farce, an ideological construction of capitalist modernity created for the purpose of its own self-justification. Productivity as a positive concept did not exist before capitalism, and neither did its negative, “boredom.” While one can point to analogues of boredom, such as idleness or leisure, and say that they existed before capitalism, figures such as Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas viewed these as sources of happiness and fulfillment, not existential dread. Only after the Enlightenment, and the rise of capitalist modernity, were these things demonized, for being “bored” or “idle” meant not contributing to capitalist valorization, and therefore not contributing to society.
What effect does this all have on the modern commodity-subject? The answer to that can be derived from the drastic increase in alcohol sales that has taken place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Absent any form of structured productive activities, the commodity-subject is thrown into despair, completely unaware of what they ought to do with themselves. In response, they engage in a sort of “anti-productivity,” escaping boredom by drinking all day and staring at their screens. “Anything but boredom,” they reassure themselves, as they continue from episode to episode, season to season.
This “anti-productivity” is not productive in the capitalist sense,[2] nor does it substantially contribute to the development of any sort of meaningful or enjoyable life. It is mere distraction, escapism in all its pitiful glory. To be sure, what is happening during this outbreak is simply a reproduction of the daily life of the average worker, but on a longer timescale. The few hours after work and before bed that were previously devoted to this sort of “anti-productivity” now extend for weeks on end with the country on lockdown.
So to answer our question: no, boredom is not transhistorical. It is a historically specific conception of non-activity that has taken on a negative connotation because it is the opposite of the fetish category of productivity. Upon realizing this, we may feel a bit better about lounging around the house, sitting on the porch and watching the sun go by, ignoring our petty distractions as we observe and reflect on ourselves and the world around us. Boredom is not something to escape, but something to cherish, for it is in boredom that we are able to confront our most pressing thoughts in their most unadulterated form, and develop more satisfying lives as a result.
[1] Here I refer to a more personal notion of productivity, not to be confused with technological productivity, which has an entirely different meaning and is related to the production process.
[2] Strictly speaking, although it is important to note that most people spend their free time engaging in consumption, thus contributing to the cycle of capital accumulation. As my friend David Flechtner puts it: “We are always working.”
Oliver Blackwell 