Kaiho Seiryō on ‘What it is to be a Human Being’

‘Commodification of everything’ arguments in the social sciences: Variants, specification, evaluation, critique

“…The earliest V4a statement I have found was made in the unlikely context of Tokugawa Japan. Kaiho Seiryō (1755–1817)'s claim that ‘Between heaven and earth there is nothing but merchandise’ ( Oyoso tenchi no aidi ni aru mono ha mina shiromono nari ) sounds like V1, but Olivier Ansart's analysis suggests that Seiryō understood all social relations as market-like even in the absence of sales (2006: 79). Margaret Jane Radin's conception of ‘universal commodification’ as an analytical and normative stance includes the ideas ‘that everything people need or desire, either individually or in groups, is conceived of as a commodity’ and that ‘all things of value to the person – including personal attributes, relationships, and philosophical commitments – are described in monetary terms and are in principle alienable’ (1987: 1860; see also 1996: Chapter 1).…”