Debt: The First 5,000 Years

[PC LOAD LETTER]

http://www.amazon.com/Debt-First-5-000-Years/dp/1933633867

Has anybody read this? Any endorsement/criticism? I'm on the fence about buying this book, but I find the subject intriguing.

[Камо́ Зэд]

[David Graeber] 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.

I apologize that I don't have much to contribute to this discussion, as I hadn't even heard of the book before this post. However, it sounds intriguing, and I wonder whether the author may have any background in historical materialism.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I like David Graeber, he seems like a cool individual, even though all posts about him on anarchistnews.org are always subject to massive troll-a-thons, or so it seems. LOL. Must be because he's an academic or something. Anyway, I've heard pretty much universally good things about that book, even though I haven't read it.

[hatzel]

I'm somewhat of a Graeber fanboy, which probably makes my opinion terribly unreliable. With that in mind, I heartily recommend it, it's a pretty marvellous book. There are pdf versions in such places as the internet and my computer, if you want to give it a quick skim to see if it's for you. Just remember to buy it afterwards, of course!

Actually come to think of it...there's a lot of Graeber stuff online (and on my computer), articles and interviews, many of which touch on the ideas in this text. You could check them out if you aren't familiar with his stuff at all...

[robbo203]

There is quite a good critique of Graeber's ideas here

http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2010s/2012/no-1296-august-2012/debt-money-and-marx

[Ethics Gradient, Traitor For All Ages]

Graeber has some weird politics which is why people are trolling him so often. I still thought his book was ok, there are PDFs available for it all over the place. Jacobin has a review of it in their new issue as well http://jacobinmag.com/2012/08/debt-the-first-500-pages/

[ckaihatsu]

There are pdf versions in such places as [...] my computer




You could check them out if you aren't familiar with his stuff at all...


So you got beers over there -- ?


= D

[Teacher]

I saw an interview with this author on Charlie Rose and thought he was a poor spokesman for anarchism honestly. It was pretty awkward.

[PC LOAD LETTER]

I saw an interview with this author on Charlie Rose and thought he was a poor spokesman for anarchism honestly. It was pretty awkward.
I wasn't interested in his political views, just the anthropological perspective. I'm sympathetic to anarchism, but don't identify as an anarchist.

Thanks for the replies everyone, and thanks robbo203 and Ethics Gradient for the articles. I went ahead and ordered it today because I'm a curious bastard, and because there doesn't seem to be a consensus on the quality - I've seen positive reviews, negative reviews, and in between here and on other sites. I'll just have to read it myself.