Work and Theology

While one main theme of Genesis:2-3 is Sexuality, another is Work, with the two intersecting in the usage of the term 'labor' to describe the birthing pains of a mother.  The common interpretation of Work qua fallen condition of humanity has had a multifaceted legacy, entailing an importation of an incorporeal meaning to it--toil as punishment for disobedience; 'work ethic'; 'work will set you free'; and theological justification of class distinction, in general, and of slavery, in particular.  In contrast, by interpreting the human species as part of the animal kingdom, 'knowledge of good and evil' can be understood as a symbol of superior human technological ingenuity, the eating of the fruit of which constitutes an ascent, as Darwin proposes, not a fall.  Possibly, the ongoing contemporary ambivalence towards technology, e.g . Frankenstein, Luddism, 'natural' foods, etc., expresses the tension between these competing interpretations of the origin of the species.  In any case, the entrenched influence of the theological version presents an obstacle to the goal of uniting Work and Play, as proposed by Marx, Dewey, and others.