Debt : The First 5,000 Years (CD-Audio)

from HadriantheBlind

Excellent book. A long-term, anthropological study of the history and the phenomenon of debt itself, and future implications. There's a lot going on here, and I'm too muddle to organize my thoughts and reactions into sentences yet, just transcribing my mental notes.Debt as a social phenomenon pre...

from jcbrunner

I very much enjoyed reading this book. The author takes one along on a fascinating journey into the history of debt. One of the key findings of the book is that anthropology shows that the barter narrative found in most economics textbooks is wrong. Societies everywhere run on a tally system and ...

from rivkat

I got this book because of reviews which emphasize that Graeber starts with a fundamental challenge to the idea that you have to pay your debts. Why? How were those debts acquired and why are they "yours"? What are the alternatives to paying your debts? Especially when the real claim is "countrie...

from Daniel.Estes

David Graeber's Debt: The First 5,000 Years is a broad and sometimes tedious stroll through human history with a focus on personal economic relationships, exchange and indebtedness. Basically, it's less about currency and more about anthropology. Graeber's premise is a startling one: Contrary to ...

from steve02476

Very educational and thought-provoking. Anthropological and historical examination of the invention and evolution of debt, touching on money, commerce, slavery, religion, morality, politics, ... Well pretty much everything. Not a perfect book but very readable and the author is certainly honest a...