Midweek Reset: The Gift Economy

Life Examined

Midweek Reset: The Gift Economy

Clean

Published on Apr 2, 2025, 2:01:41 AM
Total time: 00:03:36

Episode Description

This week, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Indigenous ecologist and author of “The Serviceberry: An Economy of Gifts and Abundance,” talks about the virtues of the ‘gift economy,” and explains that gifting is instinctive in the natural world and has been the way of life with Indigenous cultures who have found that relying on each other is mutually beneficial. When one group or person shares their resources, they have the shared understanding that there is always reciprocity down the road.

More about Life Examined

KCRW's Life Examined is a one-hour weekly show exploring science, philosophy, faith — and finding meaning in the modern world. The show is hosted by Jonathan Bastian. Please tune in Sundays at 9 a.m., or find it as a podcast.