He who does not work, neither shall he eat

He who does not work, neither shall he eat is a Biblical aphorism derived from II Thessalonians 3:10, which became a slogan for new colonies and socialist societies.

New Testament

This concept is derived directly from the Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle (with Silvanus and Timothy) to the Thessalonians, in which Paul writes to the Thessalonians:

εἴ τις οὐ θέλει ἐργάζεσθαι μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω

that is,

If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

The Greek phrase οὐ θέλει ἐργάζεσθαι means “is not willing to work”. Other English translations render this as “would” or “will not work”, which may confuse readers unaccustomed to this use of the verb "will" in the archaic sense of “want to, desire to”.

Jamestown

The slogan is said to have been used by John Smith when establishing the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia after an experiment with a common store system was abandoned (1607-1609).^{[citation needed]}

Soviet Union

According to Lenin, “He who does not work shall not eat” is a necessary principle under socialism, the preliminary phase of the evolution towards communist society. The phrase appears in his 1917 work, The State and Revolution. Through this slogan Lenin explains that in socialist states only productive individuals could be allowed access to the articles of consumption.

The socialist principle, "He who does not work shall not eat", is already realized; the other socialist principle, "An equal amount of products for an equal amount of labor", is also already realized. But this is not yet communism, and it does not yet abolish "bourgeois law", which gives unequal individuals, in return for unequal (really unequal) amounts of labor, equal amounts of products.
This is a “defect”, says Marx, but it is unavoidable in the first phase of communism; for if we are not to indulge in utopianism, we must not think that having overthrown capitalism people will at once learn to work for society without any rules of law. (Chapter 5, Section 3, “The First Phase of Communist Society”)

In accordance with Lenin’s understanding of the socialist state, article twelve of the 1936 Soviet Constitution states:

In the USSR work is a duty and a matter of honor for every able-bodied citizen, in accordance with the principle: “He who does not work, neither shall he eat.”

In Lenin’s writing, this was not so much directed at lazy or unproductive workers, but rather the bourgeoisie. (Marxist theory defines the bourgeoisie as the group of those who buy the labor-power of workers and engage it in the process of production, deriving profits from the surplus value thus expropriated. Once communism was realised, that is, after the abolition of property and the law of value, no-one would live off the labor of others.)

Neither did the principle apply to those rendered incapable of work by old age or disability. These groups would have a right to society's products because they were not at fault for their condition. The elderly, in particular, had worked during their youth, and so could not be denied life’s basic necessities. The Soviet state accordingly provided a basic level of social security.

See also

II Thessalonians 3:10 From each according to his ability, to each according to his need Socialism

To each according to his contribution Welfare State Workfare

External links

• s:Bible (American Standard)/2 Thessalonians For the full Thessalonian text (chapter3, verse 10) showing the real origins of the quote.
• The Critique of the Gotha Programme The pamphlet from which Lenin draws much of his arguments for the State and Revolution.
• The State and Revolution the complete text of Lenin's main philosophical work.