THE FUTURE OF MONEY Bernard A. Lietaer - library.uniteddiversity ...

two families formally join to create a single larger community - are
still marked by the exchanges of gifts.
Japan is the one developed country which has been bucking the
trends i8~ community breakdown. This is usually attributed to a
mysterious peculiarity in the Japanese social structure or psyche.
However, here too our universal key of gift exchanges is applicable.
The Japanese tradition of Butsu Butsu Kokan refers to the reciprocal
nature of gift exchanges, which explicitly exclude monetary
exchanges. The name itself reflects that point, its literal translation
being 'Object-Object-Exchange'. These gifts are a key ritual in
practically all aspects of the Japanese culture. Gifts are constantly
exchanged: not only within the extended family, but between coworkers,
esteemed individuals, social and work superiors and elders.
It takes often the form of sharing one's talents in art, calligraphy,
culture or other social graces. It is not the monetary value of the gift
that matters; what counts is the intention, the quality of the personal
touch.
Even the most 'modern' of all communities - the world-wide
scientific community is nurtured by the same unwritten rule. Indeed,
scientists give their ideas to the community receive recognition and
status. In contrast, those who do it for the money or who write only
textbooks (a commercial activity) have no recognition, or may even
be scorned. 'One reason why the publication of textbooks tends to be
a despised form of scientific communication [is that] the textbook
author appropriates community property for his personal profit. In
short, to the extent you want to belong to the scientific community,
you can get credit for your ideas, on the express condition you
present them as gifts to the community; i.e., do not get monetary fees
for them.
A contemporary German scientist, Almut Kowalski, has developed
a complete alternative theory based on gifts to explain how physical