Tag: Gift
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On the sorry state of gift giving
In modern culture, the ethos of gift giving has come to resemble the genre of the apologia. The defendant–guarded, vigilant–is made to choose between pre-emption, exculpation, and exoneration. These are her weapons. “But I wasn’t sure what to get you.” A reminder of how tenuous our acquaintance, how limited our imaginations. “I know, I know, I…
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Friday meditation: On gift giving, potlatches, and the modern world
The Gift Exchange I think it was last week when I had a conversation with John Mitchinson of Unbound books. I write “I think it was last week” because I’m starting to run all my conversations together, and my days have started to lose their hard edges. Near the end of my conversation with John,…
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An invitation to the reader to join me in a philosophical conversation
A Cordial Invitation I’d like to invite you to have a philosophical conversation with me. If you’re living outside of New York City, then the conversation would take place over Skype. If you’re in the City, then we’d take a stroll through Central Park. The economy we’d be engaged in would be a gift economy.…
Andrew Taggart, Ph.D. 