Examining the ideas and representations of work between the Renaissance and the Enlightenment means focusing on a variety of different aspects and perspectives, in which the elements of continuity and discontinuity with regard to previous centuries are equally relevant. Although the transformations of work in the period considered here may appear less striking than those in the era of the Industrial Revolution, there is no doubt that they opened up new scenarios. The introduction to this section uses some of the insights contained in the various contributions to highlight the epistemological, political and anthropological implications of the new (and sometimes conflicting) visions of work that emerged between the 16th and 18th centuries. Visions that opened perspectives and discussions destined to develop to the present day.