Abstract

This paper presents a philosophical analysis of the phenomenon of the gift within postmodern philosophy, revealing its multiple meanings and transformations in contemporary thought. In the article, the authors conduct a comparative analysis of the concepts of Derrida and Henaff regarding the problem of the gift. The article devotes particular attention to Jacques Derrida's aporetic approach, which questions the possibility of a pure gift within institutionalized economic exchange and elevates the gift to the level of an unprecedented ethical event, manifested in acts of "unforgivable forgiveness" and the sacrificial "gift of death." The article also highlights the significance of Marcel Henaff's theory, which emphasizes the gift as a ritual procedure that ensures mutual recognition and strengthens social and ethical bonds.
This paper employs comparative philosophical and analytical-conceptual methods to systematically compare concepts and reconstruct their semantic structures. The authors use hermeneutic and comparative methods to determine the conditions, foundations, and role of the subject. The results highlight the methodological significance of gift exchange for analyzing social and symbolic relations, critiquing economic reductionism, and understanding the space of subjective freedom, making the paper relevant to philosophers, sociologists, and cultural researchers. Methodologically, the paper draws on comparative philosophical and analytical-conceptual approaches, allowing for a systematic comparison of key concepts and the reconstruction of their internal semantic structures. The study reveals the critical potential of gift exchange for rethinking social and cultural interactions, exposes the limitations of economic reductionism, and expands our understanding of the space of subjective freedom.