David Graeber The History of Debt - KeynesYouDigIt/Knowledge GitHub Wiki

Debt, historically and anthropologically, is a key tool in relationships. In some nigerian cultures, buying someone a gift of equal value means you want them OUT of your life, because otherwise, you would maintain a small amount of debt between you and your friend.

many religions use debt as a metaphor for morality and purpose, and just as many tend to find the metaphor falls short of making complete logical sense. (you didnt chose to be born, but you owe God something? for example)

Money emerge as a form of measuring debt, especially in moral terms (punching someone is worth this many gold nuggets... etc. In the absence of conflict, communal gift giving is often sufficient to maintain economic relations).

In uneven social relations, usually colonizee/er (starting with Rome/Greece?) debt could be used to create a sense of ineptitude and inadequacy over the conqured/colonized. This tends to blow up (there is an implication of equality) Graeber argues well that currency as we know it is largely tied to conquering forces and keeping an army paid. "everyone owes me coins at the end of this year, and I've given them to soldiers" -> now everyone wants to get the soldiers stuff they need.

Thus governments actually create markets, that may take on a life of their own

Religions were a reaction to currency, physical oppresion, slavery of sorts...

DEBTORS, not just lenders, NEED PROTECTION. history is clear on this says Graeber.