What are the foundations of human economic systems?

Question from the Internet:

“Why is economic structure important in social life?”

It is not that economic structure is important; it has no merit in itself.

Economy and trade are simply the external expressions of human interactions, how we relate to each other.

On our own, we simply cannot survive. Even the most powerful and richest need to rely on others to obtain their necessities. I would say that the most powerful and richest even more so than simple people.

So naturally, economy and trade developed so we could exchange products and provide ourselves and others with our and their necessities.

How this economy and trade looks evolved also depends on different cultures and what foundations and values people interact with.

Since our inherent nature is egocentric, self-serving, self-justifying and exploitative — as we want to survive and succeed at each other’s expense — all economic and trade structures deform sooner or later to become exploitative, serving a small, more powerful and more ruthless minority at the expense of the majority.

As with everything else in history and life, as soon as we start to recognize and study our inherent nature, we will understand all the cause-and-effect processes that govern our lives.

Moreover, when we already recognize our inherent nature and also understand how inevitably destructive it is, we can start to make the necessary adjustments in ourselves to develop a better life in a better society.