"Anthropology has captivated me because it opens windows to other possible forms of social existence. It constantly reminds us that what we take for granted regarding our perceptions and way of life has been arranged in different ways in other places and times."

David Graeber

The anthropologist David Graeber reflects in this book on five terms that have been used in political and economic theory and have sparked numerous debates, even regarding their very meaning.

Utilizing the rich ethnographic archive available to us today, he provides answers to old questions and raises inquiries about past and contemporary answers, highlighting issues that challenge many of the things we consider given today regarding the causes and factors that have led modern human civilization, certainly not towards progress and happiness, but into a deadlock where every alternative possibility for social relations seems artfully unachievable.