Friday 16 November 2012

Is money wealth?

What is "money"?

What is "wealth"?

What do you think of the idea that "real wealth" is the embodiment of durable goods already produced?

Consumables are... consumed... so they are really "present production".

Debt is a representation of production that is promised in the future.

"Money" (credit, the counterpart to debt) is the presently-intangible representation of current and future production. As long as that promised production materialises, the money will turn out to have been good.

If you happen to agree so far, then by saving "money" you are hoarding an intangible claim on either:
On the other hand, if you hoard "real wealth", you are simply raising the value of past durable production. Your claims are therefore only against other past hoarders, who give up their durable good to you in exchange for your earned "money", for some reason that happens to suit both their purposes and yours at the time.

No slaves.

The huddled masses can consume what they need.

You are not impeding the liquidity of trade by extracting the very lifeblood of the system: money. The purpose of money is simply to lubricate trade. Money is not meant to be hoarded. Durable wealth is.

Don't be a jerk! Only hoard assets that may prove of interest to other hoarders in future, when you might find yourself in need of "money" for some as-yet-unknown reason.

Of course, some assets are likely to continue enjoying more 'moneyness' than others, and some durable assets might be better used in the production of higher order consumer goods. Use your own imagination about what assets are best to choose.

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