reciprocity (Greece)
reciprocity (Greece)The idea that giving goods or rendering services imposed upon the recipient a moral obligation to respond pervaded Greek thought from its earliest documented history. Linguistically, the idea is most commonly signalled by the preposition anti, either by itself or attached to a noun or verb.
Reciprocity was one of the central issues around which the moral existence of the Homeric heroes revolved; see Homer. In the poems, it is consistently implied and sometimes plainly stated that a gift or service should be repaid with a counter-gift or a counter-service. This need not be forthcoming immediately, and may not be in the same category as the original gift or service. In the long run, however, allowing for slight temporary imbalances, the gifts and services exchanged must be equal in value and bestow equal benefits upon both parties. In making this assumption the Homeric world differs significantly from that...
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