Revolts of the Debtors: From Socrates to Ibn Khaldun

Revolts of the Debtors: From Socrates to Ibn Khaldun

Last week I attended a wonderful conference in the university town of Tübingen, Germany, on “Debt: The First 3500 Years,” to bring ancient historians together to discuss David Graeber’s book Debt: The First 5000 Years. I was enlightened by two papers in particular. Doctoral fellow Moritz Hinsch from Berlin collected what Socrates (470-399 BC) and…

The Logic of Paper Money, Debt, and Gold

The Logic of Paper Money, Debt, and Gold

Two red-shouldered hawks are nesting in our backyard along with several squirrels. Hawks hunt squirrels – death from above via flying predators. Conclusion: We will soon have fewer squirrels. Politicians get elected by telling people what they want to hear. Politicians are (usually) funded by large corporate interests, particularly the banking industry and military contractors….