A profound standard work on gift theory and Marcel Mauss' socialism – a gift-theoretical perspective on all currently relevant social debates. Must human coexistence always be based on a cost-benefit ratio? Is humanity truly driven by self-interest, making capitalism the final word in history? Or are we not much more fundamentally beings that share and give? Frank Adloff argues, building on the writings of anthropologist and sociologist Marcel Mauss, for alternative forms of coexistence. The modern capitalist society produces unprecedented levels of injustice and exploitation, depleting our natural foundations of life. Understanding alternative forms of togetherness requires a different anthropology and social theory. Adloff convincingly demonstrates that humans are inherently giving beings.