In Adam Gopnik's "Paris to the Moon," the author reflects on the complex nature of business, suggesting it's driven by more than mere profit and loss calculations. He points out that transactions involve a deeper human instinct and appetite that shapes our motivations. Buying, for example, is an act of self-assertion, while selling can be seen as a surrendering of one's agency.

Gopnik implies that our engagement in commerce is tied to fundamental aspects of identity and existence. This notion challenges the conventional perception of business, revealing it as a dichotomy of power and vulnerability in our interactions within the marketplace.