{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","title":"Rune Østgård wrote","author_name":"Rune Østgård (npub1sv…tsrw4)","author_url":"https://yabu.me/npub1sv4zk080fvt4f3982u5kffzdkex3nm0kylky29um2xws5h4wsxvswtsrw4","provider_name":"njump","provider_url":"https://yabu.me","html":"I'll try to add some thoughts to a previous statement, when I wrote that our belief system is the foundation, layer zero, of civilization, while money is its cornerstone, layer one. \n\nThe viewpoint I use here is anthropologist in its nature. I choose to use this as a starting point, since understanding money as a concept IMO should be based on a much broader analysis than for instance engineering or economics.\n\nThe reason why I think money is so important for civilization is because money makes it possible \n\n- to transfer economic value quickly and over long distance\n- to preserve economic value over long periods of time\n- to give more options to participants in the game called \"the generous tit for tat\"\n- to have voluntary exchange with strangers because it takes trust out of the equation. \n- to quantify and calculate costs and interest\n- to make exponentially better use of our individual and differing talents on the basis of specialization\n- to make exponentially better use of those traits that separates us from other species, and most notably our appreciation of time preference\n- to incentivize peaceful cooperation and disincentivize coercion, violence and war\n- to capitalize on and unleash the value of private property\n- to give gifts to those who need them, without having to identify what they need most\n- to punish criminals in a humane way that focuses on compensating the victim\n- to let people build on their exchange in trade to alson include exchange of values, knowledge and culture\n\nIn fact, I'm not able to wrap my mind around how a society can build something like a city without some form of efficient money.\n\nAm I missing something in my list above?\n\nDid this post trigger any ideas? \n\nFeel free to let us know your thoughts, they are important to us. "}