159. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Manifesto for a Gift Economy

She’s a botanist, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, and the author of the bestselling Braiding Sweetgrass. In her new book she criticizes the market economy — but she and Steve find a surprising amount of common ground. SOURCES:Robin Wall Kimmerer, botanist and founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. RESOURCES:The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2024).Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2015).Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2003)."The Deadweight Loss of Christmas," by Joel Waldfogel (The American Economic Review, 1993)."Reproductive Ecology of Tetraphis pellucida. I. Population Density and Reproductive Mode," by Robin Wall Kimmerer (The Bryologist, 1991). EXTRAS:"The Deadliest Disease in Human History," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2025)."How Smart Is a Forest?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023)."Jane Goodall Changed the Way We See Animals. She’s Not Done." by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.