You know, I have to admit that I don't read everything you write, but I do try to skim through it!

YES YES YES YES YES YES FUCK YES FUCK YE S FUCK YES.

On the topic of gift economy vs. greed economy:

I can't wrap my mind around it. The current economy has greed, sure. I seriously doubt any economy could be without it, even a gift economy. (Haven't you ever seen people who are generous out of greed for adoration or social standing?) But I don't think that greed is the primary feature of capitalism, or even of the twisted state capitalism that we currently exist in. 

Where anti-capitalists see greed, I see entrepreneurs and business owners who have a desire to serve people, and who do so with greater success and efficiency than almost any philanthropist. Where anti-capitalists see exploitation, I see the world's rising standards of living--faster and more exponential during the age of capitalism than in any other previous age. 

And capitalism already includes gifting and generosity. Profit motive isn't the only thing operating behind the scenes in the capitalist society. The market is a blending of all human needs, desires, and aspirations. So of course you'll get some greed. But you also get innovation, generosity, beauty, and brotherhood. It's a mixed bag. I think it's not the profit motive itself which incentivizes greed and disincentivizes generosity in our present economy, but rigged systems. The profit motive is inseparable from the human condition. Everything we do is in some way to benefit ourselves, even if it also benefits others. All biological entities are the same way--it's one of the laws of nature.

The piece of the gift economy puzzle that really baffles me is that it seems as if most of the people promoting it have fear-based personal mythologies  about money and profit--beliefs that are either not true, or do not represent the whole picture. Consider these portions of the quotes you included in your post:

>When the qualitative is matched with the quantitative, the infinite to the finite, then the former is debased. The exchange of beauty for money, intimacy for money, attention for money — all smell of prostitution. The distaste of the artist for the world of commerce is not just an egotism that says he is above it all. When money tries to buy beauty, love, knowledge, connection, and so forth, either the buyer receives a counterfeit, or the seller, having sold the infinitely precious for a finite sum, is exploited.

>The gift is transitive, other-oriented, mainly qualitative and it implies the value of the other, while exchange is ego oriented, self reflecting, quantitative and gives value to the objects exchanged and to the self. 

To me, both of these quotes speak of a person who has deep-held, almost religious, feelings of sin and dirtiness and fear surrounding money and profit. This, to me, is just as incorrect and unfortunate as a person whose relationship with money is a never-ending chase after prestige and power, or even just self-worth. To put it in another perspective, these are the people who are telling us that *lack is a lie* and *we must not live lives based in fear*, and yet they think of money in a fearful, disdainful way, as if it were *money itself* that creates greed and all those other human qualities they don't like, and not the individual using the money. Take a closer look at this "trading the infinite for the finite is exploitative" line of thinking. It treats money--in its capacity as a tool of account--as spiritual anathema. It's a bit silly, to me. That the soul would recoil from bits of green paper or metal coins or batches of compressed data on a computer.

>The problem is much less economic model, and much more cultural & social norms

I agree with this statement, but then reading through the paragraphs below it, I find myself shaking my head a bit. Let me ask you: Do you think that many the anarcho-capitalists you personally know (and I know you know a lot of us) are hoarders, people who cheapen the quality of our work, who value profit over life, or who pathologically put material gains over their own mental and emotional health? And if so, *why do you even hang out with those people*?

To me, yes. It's more a matter of cultural and social norms, and in the ancap movement I see the evolution of capitalist culture, and it's beautiful.

Well said! Once our mind is open to other possibilities I don't doubt even more creative and thoughtful ideas will appear. When we simply cordon ourselves into one or two ideologies... we should already know something needs some investigation. So glad you have already done the work!

A detailed and insightful post there @kennyskitchen! Wonderfully treated.

The problem with any ideology, (cap or soc) has always been the ends.

Honestly, it's just business to them all. It's a game and the the resulting abyss is for the weaker links.

Someone once said "...It's a, fuck fest, but make sure you are always the one doing the fucking –not getting fucked".

Partly I agreed with the statement but lately I have seen that the problem with human isn't the right market or model. It's the greed and quest to simply control others for selfish gains. 

Thanks again Kenny!

Thanks a lot this was very complete :)