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In the prevailing macroeconomic narrative of efficiency, total monetization and the hyper-specialization of the division of labor are celebrated as the ultimate engines of prosperity. However, when the means of basic survival become fully commodified, modern societies display unprecedented systemic fragility. Grounded in economic anthropology's empirical account of "inter-sphere trade" and the framework of ergodic economics, this paper deconstructs and reconstructs the micro-foundations, historical trajectory, and ultimate boundaries of fully monetized societies. The study reveals: Micro-Foundations and Alienation: Classical trade originated from the exchange of marginal surpluses between distinct communities/economic spheres, predicated on the existence of non-market physical survival safety nets within those communities. Modern total monetization dismantles these historical safety nets, fully commodifying life-sustaining resources and forcing isolated individuals into an unescapable market. This embeds an irreversible, non-ergodic "absorbing barrier" into micro-level games, degrading free contracts into forced "hostage games" where physical life itself is wagered. The Ceiling of Behavioral Monetization and Division of Labor Reversal: This paper redefines "behavioral monetization" as the proportion of human life activities priced and settled by markets. It demonstrates that the ultimate ceiling of behavioral monetization is constrained by the physical limits of human time and the biological limits of social reproduction (manifested in collapsing fertility rates and caregiving crises). When transaction costs explode to exceed self-provisioning costs (CtransactionCself-provision), the dividends of labor division are exhausted, triggering an inevitable micro-level reversal toward do-it-yourself (DIY) self-reliance, shadow economies, and the re-internalization of household functions. Macro-Historical Validation: U.S. domestic behavioral monetization and service-sector division of labor reached their physical ceiling around 2000, marked by a peak labor force participation rate of 67.3% and a boom in DIY home improvement culture. Between 2000 and 2020, the US dollar system applied a "spatial extension patch" by incorporating cheap overseas labor through globalization, artificially suppressing Ctransaction with cheap global physical goods. Current deglobalization and supply chain fragmentation signal that global division of labor monetization has reached its absolute limit. Institutional Breakthrough: To overcome the vulnerability of traditional welfare systems—which are tied to market mechanisms and susceptible to being "suspended" by inflation and fiscal depletion—this paper proposes the "Absolute Survival Floor (ASF)" construct, independent of market logic. The ASF decouples basic survival rights from currency, providing standardized raw dry ingredients (flour, yeast, vitamins) and modular housing free of charge under a de-complexified model of "self-reliance (individual baking/processing)." In extreme crises where "Hoovervilles" re-emerge as a reality, this framework serves as the ultimate firewall to break absorbing barriers, neutralize violence at minimal cost, and salvage institutional and neighborhood orders.
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xuezhi cheng (2026) studied this question.
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