ENGLISH

The Gift of European Thought and the Cost of Living

By Vassos Argyrou

Book information

Publisher
Berghahn Books
Year
2013
ISBN
9781782380184
DOI
10.1515/9781782380184
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
509 kB (520727 bytes)
Pages
146\146
Library
degruyter.com
Time added
2023-08-20 03:49:10

Description

European thought is often said to be a gift to the rest of the world, but what if there is no gift as such? What if there is only an economy where every giving is also a taking, and every taking is also a giving? This book extends the question of economies by making a case for an “economy of thought” and a “political economy.” It argues that all thinking and doing presupposes taking, and therefore giving, as the price to pay for taking; or that there exists a “cost of living,” which renders the idea of free thinking and living untenable. The argument is developed against the Enlightenment directive to think for oneself as the means of becoming autonomous and shows that this “light,” given to the rest of the world as a gift, turns out to be nothing.

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