David Graeber, author of Debt: The First 5000 Years, in conversation with Jonathan Conning, Associate Professor of Economics at Hunter College at the Graduate Center, CUNY. About the book: Every economics textbook says the same thing: Money was invented to replace onerous and complicated barter system-to relieve ancient people from having to haul their goods to market. The problem with this version of history? There's not a shred of evidence to support it.Here anthropologist David Graeber presents a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom. He shows that 5000 years ago, during the beginning of the agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems. It is in this era, Graeber shows, that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors. With the passage of time, however, virtual credit money was replaced by gold and silver coins-and the system as a whole began to decline. Interest rates spiked and the indebted became slaves. And the system perpetuated itself with tremendously violent consequences, with only the rare intervention of kings and churches keeping the system from spiraling out of control. Debt: The First 5000 Years is a fascinating chronicle of this little known history-as well as how it has defined human history, and what it means for the credit crisis of the present day and the future of our economy. About the speakers: David Graeber is an anthropologist and activist based in New York, and London, where he holds the position of ...
Showing posts with label Jonathan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jonathan. Show all posts
Saturday, December 15, 2012
David Graeber in conversation with Jonathan Conning
David Graeber in conversation with Jonathan Conning Video Clips. Duration : 85.32 Mins.
David Graeber, author of Debt: The First 5000 Years, in conversation with Jonathan Conning, Associate Professor of Economics at Hunter College at the Graduate Center, CUNY. About the book: Every economics textbook says the same thing: Money was invented to replace onerous and complicated barter system-to relieve ancient people from having to haul their goods to market. The problem with this version of history? There's not a shred of evidence to support it.Here anthropologist David Graeber presents a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom. He shows that 5000 years ago, during the beginning of the agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems. It is in this era, Graeber shows, that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors. With the passage of time, however, virtual credit money was replaced by gold and silver coins-and the system as a whole began to decline. Interest rates spiked and the indebted became slaves. And the system perpetuated itself with tremendously violent consequences, with only the rare intervention of kings and churches keeping the system from spiraling out of control. Debt: The First 5000 Years is a fascinating chronicle of this little known history-as well as how it has defined human history, and what it means for the credit crisis of the present day and the future of our economy. About the speakers: David Graeber is an anthropologist and activist based in New York, and London, where he holds the position of ...
David Graeber, author of Debt: The First 5000 Years, in conversation with Jonathan Conning, Associate Professor of Economics at Hunter College at the Graduate Center, CUNY. About the book: Every economics textbook says the same thing: Money was invented to replace onerous and complicated barter system-to relieve ancient people from having to haul their goods to market. The problem with this version of history? There's not a shred of evidence to support it.Here anthropologist David Graeber presents a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom. He shows that 5000 years ago, during the beginning of the agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems. It is in this era, Graeber shows, that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors. With the passage of time, however, virtual credit money was replaced by gold and silver coins-and the system as a whole began to decline. Interest rates spiked and the indebted became slaves. And the system perpetuated itself with tremendously violent consequences, with only the rare intervention of kings and churches keeping the system from spiraling out of control. Debt: The First 5000 Years is a fascinating chronicle of this little known history-as well as how it has defined human history, and what it means for the credit crisis of the present day and the future of our economy. About the speakers: David Graeber is an anthropologist and activist based in New York, and London, where he holds the position of ...
Friday, November 16, 2012
TEDxSanJoseCA - Jonathan Trent, PhD - Can We Cultivate Energy?
TEDxSanJoseCA - Jonathan Trent, PhD - Can We Cultivate Energy? Video Clips. Duration : 17.53 Mins.
NASA Nanotechnology Scientist To provide practical answers to critical questions regarding sustainable energy, Jonathan Trent initiated a project called "Global Research into Energy and the Environment at NASA (GREEN)." This project, supported by Google, led him to investigate biofuels that do not compete with agriculture. With a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Jonathan turned his attention to the oceans as the energy frontier for biofuels and he developed a system called "OMEGA" (Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae). OMEGA emerged from his knowledge of the ocean, his years of training in microbiology in prestigious labs in Germany, Denmark, and France, and his knowledge of engineering from his research at Argonne National Lab in Chicago and, for the last 12 years, at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View. The OMEGA project is supported by the California Energy Commission and NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/OMEGA/index.html About TEDx, x=independently organize event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the ...
NASA Nanotechnology Scientist To provide practical answers to critical questions regarding sustainable energy, Jonathan Trent initiated a project called "Global Research into Energy and the Environment at NASA (GREEN)." This project, supported by Google, led him to investigate biofuels that do not compete with agriculture. With a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Jonathan turned his attention to the oceans as the energy frontier for biofuels and he developed a system called "OMEGA" (Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae). OMEGA emerged from his knowledge of the ocean, his years of training in microbiology in prestigious labs in Germany, Denmark, and France, and his knowledge of engineering from his research at Argonne National Lab in Chicago and, for the last 12 years, at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View. The OMEGA project is supported by the California Energy Commission and NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/OMEGA/index.html About TEDx, x=independently organize event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the ...
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