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Yep. I think the point that Graeber made in his "Debt" book was that non-monetary debt came first, before money or even barter. The Inca system of communal lab
by richmarr 9y ago
Yep. I think the point that Graeber made in his "Debt" book was that non-monetary debt came first, before money or even barter.
The Inca system of communal labour could be seen as being based on a debt of work owed to the community.
- opportune 9y agoIn that case, could one not also argue that the pope shitting in the woods is simply the pope repaying the food debt he took on by nature? Not everything is debt. I mean, debt may be the cornerstone of our current financial system, but that doesn't mean it always was so. This just seems like grasping at straws to fit the argument.
- richmarr 9y ago> In that case, could one not also argue that the pope shitting in the woods is simply the pope repaying the food debt he took on by nature? Well the validity of that comparison would be whether the woods would be annoyed if the pope shat somewhere else.
- saltcured 9y agoLots of social animals demonstrate some form of credit/debt accounting in their relationships. I think this is an almost inseparable part of our mind-body systems (a sort of limbic balance sheet) and does not depend on abstract concepts nor symbolic tools like money to still apply an economy to social groups.