L’« économie générale » et le don solaire Réflexion sur la pensée économique de Georges Bataille

The economic study by Bataille leads him to find the basis for his economic theory in the “expenditure for the sake of expenditure,” which puts the emphasis on the importance of sacrifice or donation. His theory runs counter to Hegelian philosophy of negativity based on the work and the act. Bataille’s “general economy” develops the concept of unproductive expenditure and this results in a sheer criticism against product-oriented economic theories rooted in the metaphysical vein of thoughts. The theory of Bataille appears to presuppose an “origin”, namely “solar gift,” and, therefore, to fall into the traditional metaphysical thought.