Frank Adloff proposes a radical alternative to neoliberal financial capitalism. This framework argues that the current global crises; social inequality, environmental destruction, and the erosion of democracy; stem from two primary causes: the primacy of utilitarian, self-interested behavior and a persistent belief in the necessity of economic growth.

Adloff outlines a transition toward a "convivial society" (from Latin con-vivere: living together), shifting the focus from "having" to "being" and from material accumulation to the quality of social relationships. Central to this transition is the paradigm of the gift—the cycle of giving, receiving, and reciprocating—which serves as the foundational logic for human cooperation. By replacing the fictional homo oeconomicus (the rational, selfish actor) with the homo donator (the social, giving human), society can move toward a solidarity economy that prioritizes the "commons," degrowth, and a re-embedded relationship with nature.

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I. The Anthropological Foundation: From Homo Oeconomicus to Homo Donator

The document challenges the dominant economic assumption that humans are inherently selfish utility maximizers. Instead, it posits a pragmatist and evolutionary anthropology based on "ultra-sociality."

The Critique of Utilitarianism

Mainstream economic theory suggests that human rationality is limited to optimizing personal gain. However, the text argues that this is a "self-fulfilling prophecy" created by neoliberal education and institutions rather than a natural state.

The Homo Donator Model

Evidence from developmental psychology and primatology suggests that humans are "hard-wired for solidarity."

Feature

Homo Oeconomicus (Utilitarian)

Homo Donator (Pragmatist/Gift)

Primary Driver

Rational self-interest; cost-benefit calculation.

Inborn tendency to give and share; empathy.

Social View

Individuals as isolated, autonomous subjects.

Interdependence; bonds prior to separation.

Action Logic

Instrumental; strategic use of others.

Communicative; cooperation as an end in itself.

View of Debt

A burden to be settled via exchange.

A symbol of attachment and mutual obligation.

Key Evidence for Prosociality

• Primary Intersubjectivity: Infants engage in affective synchronization with caregivers (giving looks, sounds, and attention) before developing language.
• Shared Intentionality: Unlike other primates, humans operate in a "we-mode," pursuing collective goals and adhering to norms of fairness.
• The Interdependence Hypothesis: Michael Tomasello’s research indicates that "interdependence breeds altruism." Evolutionary survival depended on cooperative rearing and foraging.

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II. The Sociology of the Gift: Mauss and the Triple Obligation

The "Politics of the Gift" is deeply rooted in the work of Marcel Mauss, who rejected the idea that contracts or markets form the basis of society.

The Maussian Cycle

Mauss identified a universal phenomenon where institutions are based on the triple obligation: to give, to receive, and to reciprocate. This cycle synthesizes freedom and obligation, and self-interest and solidarity.

Varieties of the Gift

1. Agonistic Gifts: Characterized by rivalry and competition for status (e.g., the potlatch). These gifts are "challenges" meant to establish hierarchy or alliances between strangers or foes.
2. Non-Agonistic Gifts: Found in "communistic" everyday morality, such as families or friendships, where people give according to ability and take according to need without keeping accounts.
3. Ordinary vs. Extraordinary Gifts: Ordinary gifts (social niceties, favors) stay in the background of routines. Extraordinary gifts occur in crises or intercultural encounters to re-create a "shared world" and restore trust.

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III. Society’s Gifts and the Interaction Order

The document argues that the logic of the gift is not confined to the "micro" level of personal relationships but is a "background mechanism" for all social cooperation.

• Flat Ontology: Macro-phenomena like "the state" or "capitalism" are composed of micro-situations. Even formal organizations depend on the "informal gift-based relations" of their members’ goodwill and creativity to function.
• Trust as a Gift: Trust is a "leap of faith" that performatively calls cooperation into being. In intercultural settings, gifts bridge "foreignness" when shared norms or language are absent.
• Symbolic Communication: The gift acts as a medium that compensates for the lack of binding force in language. It carries affective judgment and an "invitation to act," providing a transcendent character to interactions.

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IV. Alternatives to Capitalism: The Solidarity Economy

A convivial society requires an economic transformation that moves away from "growthism" and the commodification of life.

The Solidarity Economy and Commons

The document highlights neo-cooperativism and the "commons" as viable paths:

• Cooperatives: Focus on the satisfaction of member needs rather than profit maximization.
• Digital Commons: Platforms like Wikipedia utilize voluntary, unpaid contributions and free access, representing "non-agonistic gift giving" on a global scale.
• Fictitious Commodities: Following Karl Polanyi, the text argues that labor, land, and money are not produced for sale and should be protected from market instrumentalization.

Degrowth (Décroissance)

A convivial society must decouple the "good life" from material wealth. The "Imperial Mode of Living" in the Global North—which externalizes social and ecological costs to the Global South—is unsustainable. The text calls for:

• A reduction in working hours and the introduction of a universal basic income.
• A "frugal abundance" where social stability is not dependent on GDP growth.
• The "civilizing" of capitalism through social experiments and qualitative economic parameters.

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V. Redefining Money and Value

Money is re-envisioned not as an anonymous, cold medium, but as a "social relation" and "collective memory."

• Socially Embedded Money: The text suggests that money is fundamentally a matter of faith and trust. Modern banks "create money from nothing" based on society's collective trust, yet privatize the profits.
• Pluralism of Currencies: Proposals include regional currencies, time banks, and LETS (Local Exchange Trading Systems) to re-personalize exchange and integrate marginalized groups.
• Equality of Income: Drawing on Cornelius Castoriadis, the document argues that because all production is the result of collective synergy, economic inequality is an "arbitrary" social construct.

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VI. Nature and Conviviality

The current ecological crisis is attributed to the "Western naturalist tradition," which treats nature as a passive, mechanical resource to be mastered.

• Beyond Dualism: The text advocates for an ontology that moves past the nature/culture divide. Borrowing from "animism" or "new materialism," it suggests recognizing non-human lifeforms as "quasi-subjects" or interactants.
• Gifts of Nature: In the Anthropocene, humans must realize they are embedded in a network of life. Alliances with "Gaia" and the recognition of nature's gifts (life-giving resources) are necessary for survival.
• Convivial Technology: Technology should be shaped to serve human needs without taking on a "life of its own" or destroying livelihoods.

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Conclusion: The Strategic Path Forward

The "Politics of the Gift" is not a call for a violent revolution but for a cultural and political transformation. This involves:

1. Establishing "Real Utopias": Creating niches and social experiments (like the Economy for the Common Good) that prefigure a convivial world.
2. Horizontal Recognition: Acknowledging all people—including those in the Global South and those performing reproductive labor—as "givers."
3. The Convivialist Manifesto: A commitment to the "Declaration of Interdependence," realizing that human and non-human lifeforms are interconnected.

As the text concludes: "No gifts, no cooperation." The radical power of the convivialist project lies in its "naivety"—the insistence that a world based on solidarity and the logic of the gift is not only possible but an urgent necessity.