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I'm ashamed to admit I've never actually read any of Graeber's books, even though I'm fairly anarchist-leaning. I really need to change that. I didn't even know

I'm ashamed to admit I've never actually read any of Graeber's books, even though I'm fairly anarchist-leaning. I really need to change that. I didn't even know that he finished another one before he died, so I guess I'll have to add that to my list as well.

bob229 5y ago
Don’t waste your time with his nonsense
TaylorAlexander 5y ago
He’s got a lot of great talks and other appearances on YouTube. I don’t read much but I listen to stuff like this on Bluetooth headphones while I clean the house and do other physical work. Often instead of reading an authors book I will listen to them give the same book talk at three different venues. I don’t claim it’s as good as reading the book but compared to buying the book and watching it collect dust on my shelf it’s a winner.
- andrepd 5y ago
  Aha, I see I'm not the only one who listens to talks while doing housework or working out. I've been on a Varoufakis binge for a while, perhaps I'll check Graber now ;)
  - TaylorAlexander 5y ago
    Yah and if you like those two also check out Jason Hickel and Vijay Prashad[1]. [1] For example this one is great: https://youtu.be/M-frUMXKcEw https://youtu.be/M-frUMXKcEw
JasonCannon 5y ago
I recommend Debt the first 5000 years as well as The Democracy Project. Both of which were absolutely fascinating to me. Solidarity forever and rest in power Graeber.
- 0xBABAD00C 5y ago
  I've seen quite a bit of criticism of the Debt book of basically being a giant exercise in cherry-picking and sort of a politically motivated narrative. However, history and economics are topics where neutrality and objectivity of authors are hardly the norm.
  - d3nj4l 5y ago
    It's an interesting read despite that IMO. When I first read it as a teen it blew my mind, and over time I read a bunch of critiques that corrected beliefes I'd had based on it, but I still think it was a good read, because even a cherry picked tour through history and philosophy is a tour through history and philosophy. For those looking for a left-wing critique, I like Aufheben's: https://libcom.org/library/5000-years-or-debt https://libcom.org/library/5000-years-or-debt
  - socialdemocrat 5y ago
    Sure, but it is like that with a lot of stuff you read. I read the economist weekly and they constantly cherry pick whatever makes capitalism and deregulation look great. Still the economist is high quality journalism and has many insights worth reading. Graeber also obviously has an angle but three are still many interesting insights and angles. I don’t think anyone is ever going to give e complete unbiased version of anything. Better to read different perspectives with an open mind and a healthy does of scepticism.
    - pydry 5y ago
      The Economist has plenty of elite respectability but its journalism is pretty bad. The breathless article about copilot replacing programming labour is fairly indicative of both their accuracy and attitude on most things.
socialdemocrat 5y ago
I am not an anarchist at all but I think he has some very good criticisms of a lot of fundamental beliefs among modern day economists. Economics as a profession is built upon a set of axioms or premises about human nature and society. Graeber cannot go toe to toe with modern economists with their equations but he does a brilliant job of tearing apart the assumptions of economists within the classical school of though. I lived “Debt: first 5000 years” and “Bullshit jobs” Both challenge a lot of truthisms about our modern capitalist world. I am surprised the ideas in these books have not become more widely known on the political left.
- bluecheese33 5y ago
  I think modern economists have been acknowledging and quantifying the flaws in simplifying assumptions in economic models for decades [1]. That being said, I do think there is a serious problem in the way economics is often taught, and things like debt (and more broadly, anthropology) is part of the cure [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_economics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_economics [2] https://ravik.substack.com/p/does-learning-economics-make-you https://ravik.substack.com/p/does-learning-economics-make-yo...
  - rsj_hn 5y ago
    Economics is hard. Behavioral economics is having a hard time right now with many of the core hypothesis (loss aversion) and key interventions (priming) turning out to be experimentally not-reproducible. See https://www.thebehavioralscientist.com/articles/the-death-of-behavioral-economics https://www.thebehavioralscientist.com/articles/the-death-of... - for an overview.
  - disgruntledphd2 5y ago
    > modern economists have been acknowledging and quantifying the flaws in simplifying assumptions in economic models for decades Just FYI, both Kahneman and Tversky were psychologists, not economists.
    - bluecheese33 5y ago
docmechanic 5y ago
Bakunin-reading anarchist here admits to the same ignorance. Fascinated to learn that he was an early supporter of the Kurdish struggle in northern Syria.
pxc 5y ago
Some of them were popular enough to get audiobook versions, which can help you get started if sitting down to read big tomes is something you find difficult

bob229 5y ago

Don’t waste your time with his nonsense

TaylorAlexander 5y ago

He’s got a lot of great talks and other appearances on YouTube. I don’t read much but I listen to stuff like this on Bluetooth headphones while I clean the house and do other physical work. Often instead of reading an authors book I will listen to them give the same book talk at three different venues. I don’t claim it’s as good as reading the book but compared to buying the book and watching it collect dust on my shelf it’s a winner.

andrepd 5y ago
Aha, I see I'm not the only one who listens to talks while doing housework or working out. I've been on a Varoufakis binge for a while, perhaps I'll check Graber now ;)
- TaylorAlexander 5y ago
  Yah and if you like those two also check out Jason Hickel and Vijay Prashad[1]. [1] For example this one is great: https://youtu.be/M-frUMXKcEw https://youtu.be/M-frUMXKcEw

JasonCannon 5y ago

I recommend Debt the first 5000 years as well as The Democracy Project. Both of which were absolutely fascinating to me. Solidarity forever and rest in power Graeber.

0xBABAD00C 5y ago
I've seen quite a bit of criticism of the Debt book of basically being a giant exercise in cherry-picking and sort of a politically motivated narrative. However, history and economics are topics where neutrality and objectivity of authors are hardly the norm.
- d3nj4l 5y ago
  It's an interesting read despite that IMO. When I first read it as a teen it blew my mind, and over time I read a bunch of critiques that corrected beliefes I'd had based on it, but I still think it was a good read, because even a cherry picked tour through history and philosophy is a tour through history and philosophy. For those looking for a left-wing critique, I like Aufheben's: https://libcom.org/library/5000-years-or-debt https://libcom.org/library/5000-years-or-debt
- socialdemocrat 5y ago
  Sure, but it is like that with a lot of stuff you read. I read the economist weekly and they constantly cherry pick whatever makes capitalism and deregulation look great. Still the economist is high quality journalism and has many insights worth reading. Graeber also obviously has an angle but three are still many interesting insights and angles. I don’t think anyone is ever going to give e complete unbiased version of anything. Better to read different perspectives with an open mind and a healthy does of scepticism.
  - pydry 5y ago
    The Economist has plenty of elite respectability but its journalism is pretty bad. The breathless article about copilot replacing programming labour is fairly indicative of both their accuracy and attitude on most things.

socialdemocrat 5y ago

I am not an anarchist at all but I think he has some very good criticisms of a lot of fundamental beliefs among modern day economists. Economics as a profession is built upon a set of axioms or premises about human nature and society. Graeber cannot go toe to toe with modern economists with their equations but he does a brilliant job of tearing apart the assumptions of economists within the classical school of though. I lived “Debt: first 5000 years” and “Bullshit jobs” Both challenge a lot of truthisms about our modern capitalist world. I am surprised the ideas in these books have not become more widely known on the political left.

bluecheese33 5y ago
I think modern economists have been acknowledging and quantifying the flaws in simplifying assumptions in economic models for decades [1]. That being said, I do think there is a serious problem in the way economics is often taught, and things like debt (and more broadly, anthropology) is part of the cure [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_economics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_economics [2] https://ravik.substack.com/p/does-learning-economics-make-you https://ravik.substack.com/p/does-learning-economics-make-yo...
- rsj_hn 5y ago
  Economics is hard. Behavioral economics is having a hard time right now with many of the core hypothesis (loss aversion) and key interventions (priming) turning out to be experimentally not-reproducible. See https://www.thebehavioralscientist.com/articles/the-death-of-behavioral-economics https://www.thebehavioralscientist.com/articles/the-death-of... - for an overview.
- disgruntledphd2 5y ago
  > modern economists have been acknowledging and quantifying the flaws in simplifying assumptions in economic models for decades Just FYI, both Kahneman and Tversky were psychologists, not economists.
  - bluecheese33 5y ago

docmechanic 5y ago

Bakunin-reading anarchist here admits to the same ignorance. Fascinated to learn that he was an early supporter of the Kurdish struggle in northern Syria.

pxc 5y ago

Some of them were popular enough to get audiobook versions, which can help you get started if sitting down to read big tomes is something you find difficult