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Sure, but the definition of "transactional" must be expanded to such a degree for the statement "human relationships are transactional" to be true, that the wor
by deciplex 3y ago
Sure, but the definition of "transactional" must be expanded to such a degree for the statement "human relationships are transactional" to be true, that the word ceases to have any real linguistic function. You might as well say "human relationships are defined by how people relate to one another."
And indeed, this is usually how such discussions about this topic proceed, with someone opening with the narrow definition of "transaction" - not necessarily monetary, of course, but at least two well-defined sets of things that two people intend to trade (and where a withholding from one party would result in a cancellation of the deal) - and then as you point out more and more human behaviors that don't work like this, they retreat to the point where, for example, a parent taking their child out for ice cream is a "transaction" because the child wanted ice cream and the parent wanted to do something nice for their child.
If that's your working definition of "transaction" then fine for you, but you can't then make some argument that it's neoliberal economics that best reflect human nature and fulfill human needs because of its insistence that all economic activity be mediated by a free market (i.e. a forum supposedly for the free and open proposal and settlement of transactions). The "transaction" of one, is not the "transaction" of the other: neoliberalism and indeed capitalism itself would not work even by their own internal logic if they assumed the same notion of "transaction" as that required of the statement "all human relationships are transactional."
- paulryanrogers 3y agoFair point, and in hindsight my comment failed to frame things as precisely as I'd hoped. I'll agree that transactional can become overly broad, to the point of losing its meaning. Though I do think the lense of economics can offer a unique way of evaluating about relationships. And not in a strictly financial sense. Which isn't to say it's the only way, or even the most important.