Understanding the nature and consequences of work is a core conceptual project in the social sciences. The three founding figures in sociology, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber, provided path-breaking ideas on the nature of work that set the stage for modern theories of society. Each theorist conceptualized industrialization as entailing profound challenges to human dignity and to a fair and just society. For Marx, the central challenge was the control of labor by capitalists and their exploitation of workers, resulting in alienation from meaningful work. For Durkheim, the focal point was the breakdown of social norms governing workplace relations due to the drive toward endless expansion generated by modern industry. For Weber, the key issue was the imposition of bureaucratic rationality in the world of work and the resulting stifling of human creativity.