04-01-2015, 12:34 PM
Personally, I tend to see money as just being another expression of energy, more or less. It's a common medium of exchange that allows us to *somewhat* abstract energy inputs vs energy outputs on very large scales. And since entropy IS a problem, at least on this plane, this is a highly useful feature. It allows us to work towards optimizing our energy usage, and makes it easier to find balance points where -in theory- everyone can live with at least some level of comfort.
Without money -or an equivalent energy-tracking system- such a proposition would be nearly impossible. A social security system of any real sort, for example, couldn't exist in a barter economy. The oversight and control of energy\money flow just isn't there. AFAIK, the best anyone ever managed before the 20th Century was the Roman bread-and-circuses system, which is hardly a better alternative.
That's, of course, the very "high level" way of looking at it. On a more practical level, I think it's important to remember that e-currencies are going to take off sooner or later. I'm not a Bitcoin cheerleader, but I think something LIKE it will eventually take root. Our economy is globalizing, and that's going to make a single standardized currency start looking really attractive to everyday people/businesses, even if governments aren't keen on the idea.
And once we have a global e-money system, that suddenly makes it possible to shift energy-as-money around on entirely bigger and better scales. That's the point that the entire world could -to spin a fantasy- crowdsource a spaceport if it really wanted. That's the point global social security nets start becoming a possibility. And those are the sorts of features I'd personally think a 4D+ society would want - wide-scale systems to ensure as many people as possible are at least seeing their basic needs met, and where people anywhere on the planet can theoretically collaborate on projects.
So, yeah, cash money was a useful tool just as gold money was useful in eras before that. But money is going to evolve, and very likely for the better, if things keep going as they are.
Without money -or an equivalent energy-tracking system- such a proposition would be nearly impossible. A social security system of any real sort, for example, couldn't exist in a barter economy. The oversight and control of energy\money flow just isn't there. AFAIK, the best anyone ever managed before the 20th Century was the Roman bread-and-circuses system, which is hardly a better alternative.
That's, of course, the very "high level" way of looking at it. On a more practical level, I think it's important to remember that e-currencies are going to take off sooner or later. I'm not a Bitcoin cheerleader, but I think something LIKE it will eventually take root. Our economy is globalizing, and that's going to make a single standardized currency start looking really attractive to everyday people/businesses, even if governments aren't keen on the idea.
And once we have a global e-money system, that suddenly makes it possible to shift energy-as-money around on entirely bigger and better scales. That's the point that the entire world could -to spin a fantasy- crowdsource a spaceport if it really wanted. That's the point global social security nets start becoming a possibility. And those are the sorts of features I'd personally think a 4D+ society would want - wide-scale systems to ensure as many people as possible are at least seeing their basic needs met, and where people anywhere on the planet can theoretically collaborate on projects.
So, yeah, cash money was a useful tool just as gold money was useful in eras before that. But money is going to evolve, and very likely for the better, if things keep going as they are.