The Emergence Machine

Gift Economy

abstract · Anthropology · Level 13 · E9

E9Cultures

Each concept here is mapped to its prerequisites — the ideas you'd need first to understand it — all the way down to four foundations: Space, Time, Energy, Pattern. Click any prerequisite to drill down, or scroll for the chain graph.

Trace. Question. Emerge.

Emergence definition

A gift economy is a system in which goods and services are exchanged without expectation of direct reciprocity, often relying on social relationships and trust.

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Wiktionary senses

External reference — all senses of the word “gift economy” on Wiktionary. This atlas concept maps to only the slice of meaning relevant to the prerequisite graph.

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Source: Wiktionary — “gift economy”. Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Historical origin

Origin word
gift economy
Origin language
English

Prerequisite chain

Possible path of this concept down to the fundamental substrate.

thisfoundationsL13L12L11L10L9L8L6L2L1L0Gift EconomyExchangeProductionPrincipalCultureEconomySocietyCommunicationCooperationGroup… intermediate l…FormInformationLifeStructureActionChangeCollectionMatterEnergyPatternSpaceTimeE1 concrete → E14 abstract

Neighborhood

Direct prerequisites above, concepts that depend on this one below.

thisprerequisitesGift EconomyL13GroupL6SocietyL8CultureL9ExchangeL12E1 concrete → E14 abstract

In other languages

Prerequisites

What you need to understand first.

  • Group L6 (requires) polysemous
    Understanding group is foundational to the social concept of gift-economy
  • Society L8 (foundational)
    Society provides the foundational basis for understanding gift economy.
  • Culture L9 (requires) mutual
    gift-economy is a concept studied in anthropology.
  • Exchange L12 (requires)
    The concept of gift economy relies on the understanding of exchange as a fundamental process, which is necessary to comprehend the reciprocal nature of gift-giving.