It Could Happen Here Weekly 166

In this book, David Graeber argues that debt has a much longer history than money and that it has played a central role in shaping human societies. He debunks the myth of barter as the precursor to money, instead proposing that credit systems and debt were the primary means of trade. Graeber examines how debt has been used as a tool for social control, influenced law, religion, and politics, and has led to periodic crises and debtor revolts throughout history. The book also discusses the moral and social implications of debt, suggesting that the concept of debt is more complex than a simple economic transaction.

Published in 1967, 'The Society of the Spectacle' is a seminal work of Marxist critical theory by Guy Debord. The book critiques contemporary consumer culture and the effects of mass media, arguing that modern society has replaced authentic social life with its representation. Debord introduces the concept of the 'spectacle', which he defines as the social relation among people that is mediated by images. He contends that this spectacle is a result of the capitalist mode of production, where relations between commodities have supplanted relations between people, leading to alienation, commodity fetishism, and the degradation of human life. The book consists of 221 theses and is considered a key text of the Situationist movement, offering insights that remain relevant in the age of social media and digital culture.

This book offers a dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging fundamental assumptions about social evolution, the development of agriculture, cities, the state, democracy, and inequality. Graeber and Wengrow argue that traditional theories of human history, such as those posited by Hobbes and Rousseau, are not supported by anthropological or archaeological evidence. Instead, they show that humans have lived in large, complex, but decentralized societies for millennia, often without ruling elites or hierarchical systems. The authors draw on extensive research in archaeology and anthropology to reveal a history that is more varied and hopeful than previously assumed, emphasizing human experimentation with different social arrangements and the potential for new forms of freedom and societal organization.