The field of “economics” is growing more and more popular according to bestseller lists (Freakonomics), heavily-followed blogs (Tyler Cowen) and must-read columnists (Paul Krugman). Lotsa interesting and thoughtful stuff happening among these thinkers (plus an entertaining dose of snippy in-fighting to keep things lively). I like reading all these guys (and yes they are pretty [...]
Tags:capitalism·Freakonomics·gift economy·Paul Krugman·Tyler Cowan
Being a capitalist society, we’re far more likely to run into the discombobulating experience where something we think should be proprietary is given away instead. But of course it happens in the other direction, too. Here’s Lewis Hyde’s telling of white Europeans turning the gifts of the Native America Indians into capital: Imagine a scene. [...]
There’s two ways for us to think about our stuff. One way is to think that we own it. Right now, you’re thinking: Um. Duh. Ownership is so obvious, so prevalent, so common in a society like ours that we frequently don’t even recognize that there is another way of considering our stuff. Everything I [...]
Tags:capitalism·economics·Thanks again to Lewis Hyde for this post
