Shopping cart
Your cart empty!
Debt
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.
More Books from David Graeber
Reviews
This book is cringe and not very scholarly. The first third is a philosophy of debt and morality, no history. Plus, too many stories and analogies (and opinions), not enough logic, facts, and analysis. Frankly sloppily written too—like reading a garbage disposal.
By experiencedfan000
Can't change book font. Very difficult to read a non-typescript if you enjoy reading. This book needs to be formatted with Appl's normal font options.
By Higmail
This book is that rare combination of radical enough to be hair raising, but disciplined enough to leave no room for you to escape its message after reading.
By Avec La Tempete