Before all of you really get into the 'how to develop new forms of payment' thing, i think theres some basic stuff you have to understand about money.
the following is a quote from
moneymuseum.com:
a) Money is used as trade or monetary unit: In a
pure trade
society farmer Fred will trade shoemaker Paul 20 eggs for a pair
of shoes.
This functions if Paul needs the eggs. However, if he needs
vegetables
then it gets a little complicated. [what if the vegetable-vendor already has ten pairs of shoes - edit by jan] It would be easier if Fred
had money
to give Paul. Paul could then buy what he needs. Money is
therefore a
comparative object, a tertium comparationis ("a third
comparative
unit").
b) Money
as a value storage unit: Money represents a certain value
that one
can trade at any time into wares or services. [while many objects in trading societies go bad - think milk or meat]
c) Money functions as calculation unit: A
characteristic
of the monetary economy is that the market value of a ware is
measured
by a standard value. This simplifies the comparison of the value
of two
products or services.
/Unquote.
id like to add
d) Money is the standard form of debt-settling: ignoring inflation, a loan or any other form of debt is the easiest way to measure that debt and to make sure the amount does not change over time - while the value of 'you owe me three tigers' does change over time.
also, the bartering system is plagued by inefficiencies - its called the
coincidence of wants.
Id just like everyone to consider exactly this when dreaming about some new currency - it basically has to fulfill A-D in order to work precisely.
And if there was an easy solution to this, please... dont you think someone would have come up with it?
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