trust – faith; fides; the will to relate to others
reciprocity – correspondence; mutual exchanges between individuals
society – a benevolent reciprocal relationship
Society – a network of mutually beneficial relationships
liberty – absence of coercion and deceit
property – general consensus about what is our own; what one possesses for being; what one has acquired without coercion and deceit
commerce – exchanges of property
market – space where commerce takes place; the network of reciprocity that exchanges quantifiable goods and services
cooperation – the planned or spontaneous organization among people to achieve compatible or common goals
economy – the dynamics of the market that can be studied through the quantification of the goods and services exchanged in it
CONTEXT FOR THE TERMS
A Society is a network of relationships for mutual benefit; it is benevolent reciprocity, the custom of giving what is ours to receive what is not. This behaviour cultivates commerce, cooperation, and more affective relationships. But, benevolent reciprocity is impossible without some crucial initial conditions.
One of those is the absence of coercion and deceit, the definition of liberty or freedom. It makes it possible to be able to exchange what is ours for what we want, with minimal conflict. Coercion and deceit destroy trust; they impede relationships of mutual benefit.
The other pre-requisite for benevolent reciprocity is a general consensus about what is ours to give, property. It is what we can exchange without conflict because it is generally agreed upon that it is ours to give; it is what we possess because we exist and because we acquired it without violating other people’s liberty or property.
When there is more trust, we risk getting involved in projects with others that require more time and risk to bear fruit; we cooperate. We make deals or contracts; we obligate ourselves to give before receiving for a share in what can be produced or to give in the future from what we have produced thanks to another’s help.
When liberty or freedom is at its peak, we can have friendships and other relationships that require optimal trust.
Relationships at all levels of trust, reciprocity, and well-being; that is society and that is how functional Societies come to be. Something most of us aspire to, but do not always achieve.
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