In an effort to enhance interdisciplinary dialogue between anthropology and economics, this article (introducing the collection) probes the philosophical underpinnings of each discipline. In so doing, the article proposes that there exists an enduring epistemic divide that has stymied our conversation with economics and that this divide must first be named to be productively transcended. Although it is well known that economics is organized around an axiomatic belief in scarcity, it is here argued that anthropology has a similar grounding belief in abundance. These differences in axiomatic principles have deep consequences for our divergent methods, objects of study, and outreach. Having identified this epistemic divide, the article offers definitions for a specific set of terms that proved fruitful in building bridges across the scarcity-abundance chasm. Hopeful in its nature, the article believes that these sorts of appraisals and definitions can then allow anthropologists to contribute more robustly to crucial policy debates that have hitherto been dominated by economists.