鑑於現代社會之工作榮譽僅為少數人所獨享，本文試圖以工作精神為典範，以西方中古時期的行會制度為主軸，探討它隨著時代不斷演變的歷程，及至今日社會之工作意義的可能面貌。行會的經濟活動其實鑲嵌於整個中古城市各方面的活動之中，工作的意義不只在於技藝本身，而更來自於技術形式與共同體之間的密切關係；這樣的結構性關係，充分表現出行會制度的工作精神。但如此的結構性關係也隨時代的變遷而逐漸瓦解，其中涉及的因素包括資本主義生產方式的興起、工會逐漸取代行會乃至工會本身的式微、自動化與全球化的衝擊等。至於今日，組織人不只轉變為經濟人，而且工作者與共同體之間的關聯日漸切斷，工作者認同基礎轉向私領域，個別工作只能是一種孤寂的個人化現象，從而在主流詮釋上刻意忽略了某些自然共同體的不滅意義，而此基礎仍為技術、社會價值與個人生命價值的連結。

In modern societies, work honor have been monopolized by successful few. This paper tries to find out the path through which the paradigm of the spirit of work transformed from medieval guild system to present configuration. The ‘economic’ activities of guilds were embedded into multiple medieval cities daily lives. The significance of work was not derived from craft only, but also permeated the whole community life. Such a structural relationship showed up the unique spirit of work of medieval guild. This structural relationship has gradually collapsed since the coming of modern age. The rise of capitalist production, rise of labor unions and its being undermined, the impact of automation and globalization cut off the connection between workers and their communities. Without such organic ties with their communities, individual craftsman only enjoy a kind of solitary glory. Since organizational man have transformed into economic man, the development keeps on changing. By now, the identity of individual seems to be on the basis of private life, rather than work experience. Personal skill and personal life come to be a phenomenon, or fate of individualization. In contemporary worldview, natural communities are seriously explained away; however, they may be the sustaining linkage of working technology, social value and individual life vision.