L'esprit du don

by Jacques T. Godbout, Alain Caillé (Contributor)

In an age dominated by consumerism and government agencies, many people believe that self-interest is the dominant motive in society. Gifts are seen as, at best, irrelevant frills. In The World of the Gift Jacques Godbout and Alain Caille show that, in fact, the gifts is all-pervasive in our society. The authors describe the gift not as an object but as a social connection, perhaps the most important social connection because it creates a sense of obligation to respond in kind. They examine how the gift works today in a broad range of cases such as blood and organ donation; volunteer work; the bonds between friends, couples, and family; Santa Claus; the interaction between performers and their audience; and the relation of the artist to society.

321 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Jonna Higgins-Freese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite quotes:

au rapport parent-enfant: meme si l'enfant recoit objectivement plus, les parents diront facilement qu'ils en recoivent encore plus. 'Je lui dois tellement.' -- l'economie de gratitude (50)

"l'enfant est la seule personne a qui la societe moderne permette de donner sans compter. C'est le dieu de la modernite -- celui pour qui on peut tout sacrificier." (61)

22, 25, 31, 43, 50, 73, 83

[Catherine Oughtibridge]

"A couple that 'functions' well lives in a state of constant reciprocal indebtedness that it considers normal and inexhaustible and where there is no sense of egalitarian accounting."