work

Work is the transformation of free >energy into bounded energy. In EE, work is a special kind of action which imports energy into the >production of an economic system to create states of lower >entropy based on a particular knowledge of actors. More generally, work is the intentional creation of >order.

The exact determination of work is dependent on the definition of the system/actor interfaces. For example, a farmer labouring the field is working, if the interface is set at the farmer/soil interface. The farmer who eats is not regarded to be working because there is a unit of actor and system. But this is not necessarily the case, as is obvious if somebody is exercising her body. The Sumo fighter who consciously devores huge quantities of food is working in the sense of our definition.

Therefore it is important to note that the EE concept of work is independent from social definitions of work and exclusively related to the thermodynamic view of production. There is no "work/leisure" dichotomy. "Leisure" activities are one way to fulfil human >needs and are analyzed as a part of the entire production of the economic system.

Semantic Field
entropy
energy   work