Debt, Updated and Expanded The First 5,000 Years
Now in paperback, the updated and expanded edition: David Graeber’s “fresh . . . fascinating . . . thought-provoking . . . and exceedingly timely” (Financial Times) history of debt Here anthropologist David Graeber presents a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom: he shows that before there was money, there was debt. For more than 5,000 years, since the beginnings of the first agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems to buy and sell goods—that is, long before the invention of coins or cash. It is in this era, Graeber argues, that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors. Graeber shows that arguments about debt and debt forgiveness have been at the center of political debates from Italy to China, as well as sparking innumerable insurrections. He also brilliantly demonstrates that the language of the ancient works of law and religion (words like “guilt,” “sin,” and “redemption”) derive in large part from ancient debates about debt, and shape even our most basic ideas of right and wrong. We are still fighting these battles today without knowing it.
Reviews
Jim Hagan@aranyalma
iamazoo@iamazoo
Heiki Riesenkampf@hrk
Gavin@gl
Bouke van der Bijl@bouk
Matthew Royal@masyukun
Félix@felyxorez
Nelson Zagalo@nzagalo
Rjyan C Kidwell@secswell
Tara King@sparklingrobots
Ilia Markov@ilia
Vlad Kyshkan@vladkyshkan
Martin Heuer@maddin
Navya R@navyarav
Leland Foster@snacks
Udit Desai@uydesai
Nick Simson@nsmsn
Nick Truden@youngdust
Tony@mm263
Nathan Knowler@knowler
0xADADA@0xadada
Emre Tekisalp@etekis
Alvaro@alvaroaleman
Cody Degen@codydegen