Alternative View on Money- I
What is the purpose of money or economic activity? I am suggesting that their true purpose is to prevent people from killing each other. The benefits of money and economic activity such as as trade, “progress” and wealth creation are infact secondary.
However many economists and financial types believe that money is real. Though many of them profess to believing that money is merely a medium of exchange and storage of commercial activity, their actions suggest otherwise. It is curious that kids stop believing in santa claus and the easter bunny as they grow up but start believing in the “realness” of money. Money whether gold based or fiat based is not real. Neither is debt, your favorite economic model or theory. Money is worthless if it cannot create new wealth or keep people from killing each other.
The concept of money, as most people understand it, was created in a feudal and mercantile age when the majority had a subsistence level existence. It is therefore not surprising that it evolved mainly to keep people from killing each other and simultaneously control people (we are just smart apes who seek short term dominance over long term gains).
However the full fruits of industrialization, various historical events and widespread multi-generational acceptance of concepts like fiat currency have made the consumption of the average person the only dominant driver of the economy (consumer economy). While some people express moral misgivings about such a transformation, the reality is that people who advocate a move away from materialism, towards conservatism, fiscal discipline, frugality are the merely the priests of a new religion. They seek to control and dominate the lives of other people just like the ‘priests’ of every religion from catholicism to environmentalism and “capitalism”.
Please read my other posts on this topic, including:
Nicely observed. Ironically Ayn Rand of all people had a similar view on money. That people desired the accumulation of wealth as a form of vying for social dominance instead of resorting to violence or other methods. I think there is a lot of merit to that view; but it also one that is basically justifying an accidental system. ‘Capitalism’ wasn’t something that was designed for what its ‘Priests’ as you have dubbed them claim it does. It wasn’t made to keep a society whole and peaceful.
Money only has value so long as people believe it has value. Heinlein had Lazarus Long burn some paper money to prove this point in his book ‘Time Enough for Love.’