The Gift and the Common Good

What do we live and work for? What holds us together? In the Western tradition, the answer to these questions has always relied on the concept of the common good. But is it also suitable for a globalised world? In this volume, the concept of the gift as the meaning of all social exchange is discussed by thinkers from China, America and Europe in terms of its suitability for this purpose. Two perspectives emerge: the gift as a service rendered, or even the dedication of the individual to the whole, and the gift as a point of departure, owed to the whole, of the individual search for meaning. Also reflected in this volume is an economy of the gift, which has become institutionalised today and which, from the perspective of economic philosophy, can serve as a guide for global interaction.