Muße in relation to idleness
If Muße isn’t translated as leisure then it is mostly like referred to as idleness. But while leisure has the positive connotation of being free of work commitments for short period of time, idleness implies a laziness and, to a certain degree, a refusal of work overall. This means as soon as someone is translating the word Muße into English they have to make the decision where they want to position the text that deals with Muße. This positioning happens during the translation and not necessarily by the original author.
Interestingly this becomes also an issue the other way around. Bertrand Russell’s essay ‘In Praise of Idleness’ is translated as ‘Lob des Müßiggangs’. It positions his writing within the concept of Muße rather than laziness. Yet while Russell refers to idleness in his essay title, within his essay he jumps around between idleness, laziness and leisure depending on the context he argues from. The following quote is a good example of the different areas that are in relation to Muße:
The wise use of leisure, it must be conceded, is a product of civilization and education. A man who has worked long hours all his life will become bored if he becomes suddenly idle. But without a considerable amount of leisure a man is cut off from many of the best things.[1]
He references leisure, education, boredom and idleness and the connections of it all; a structure this website is trying to mirror. Every time I read his essay I want to shout: ‘Muße! Muße is the word you are looking for.’ But instead he has to skirt around and try to define this way of being that exists outside of work, that is not in relation to work, that can flourish when people aren’t too tired from work and have enough time and energy to allow Muße to occur.
[1] Bertrand Russell with Bradley Trevor Greive, In Praise of Idleness, (New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2017) 3rd. ed., p.52