The Myth of the Barter Economy (2016)

  • The most salient aspect of this article for me was this:

    "Graeber asserts that the barter myth implies humans have always had a sort of quid pro quo, exchange-based mentality, since barter is just a less efficient version of money. But if you consider that other, completely different systems existed, then money starts to look like less of a natural outgrowth of human nature, and more of a choice."

    It also is fascinating how deeply rooted in story telling, not historical accuracy, these ideas are.