77 lines
4.1 KiB
HTML
77 lines
4.1 KiB
HTML
<!-- prettier-ignore -->
|
|
{% extends "base.html" %}
|
|
|
|
{% block content %}
|
|
<h1>Money</h1>
|
|
<h2>Money is just a tool not a god</h2>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Humanity is a tool making and using species.
|
|
It is one of if not the main thing that defines us.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Tools are amazing, and for me one of the main things that define my life.
|
|
I love tools, I collect tools, they allow me to do so much.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
The tool is never the point though.
|
|
Tools are by definition a means to an end and not an end in and of themselves,
|
|
and it is pointless to grab a tool without having a final goal in mind.
|
|
The goal can change over time, but there must always be something.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
I bought my desktop originally to play games.
|
|
Now I use it to program, write, learn.
|
|
But at no point was it the goal to have a computer, it was something that it would let me do.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Which brings me to money.
|
|
We as a society, and I think because of capitalism and the focus on creating more "value", we have made money the goal.
|
|
In "Less is More" by Jason Hickel (a book on the philosophy of degrowth), he points out that "value" is too general.
|
|
That we actually need to clarify 2 different types of value.
|
|
"Use value", the value of what something allows us to do.
|
|
"Exchange value", the monetary value that we could get in exchange for something.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Exchange value, by virtue of only valuing what money you can get for something makes money the final goal.
|
|
There is no other goal explicit or implicit when this type of value is being used.
|
|
This puts money up on a pedestal.
|
|
An idol, and ideal, a god.
|
|
Everything and anything is to be sacrificed in pursuit of this.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Which when I think about it makes no sense.
|
|
Exchange value was supposed to represent something.
|
|
It was supposed to just be a layer of abstraction on use value to make it easier to trade stuff.
|
|
Money was supposed to be a tool to make trading useful things easier.
|
|
That is all the use value that it can actually provide.
|
|
I can't eat it, maybe if in Canada we still had paper bills I could burn it to cook with or stay warm.
|
|
It is one step removed at least from any actual utility other than making trading easier.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
However our markets have in so many cases completely decoupled exchange value from use value.
|
|
Complicated financial instruments traded back and forth, not actually doing anything for anyone other than to make the number go up.
|
|
Actively making things like social media or search less useful (reducing use value) to make more money (increase exchange value).
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
A lathe is a fantastic tool, good for making all sorts of things.
|
|
Having money with the only goal to make more money is the same as having a lathe only to make more lathes.
|
|
Not actually making anything that is directly used like a chair or a bannister, maybe a piece of art.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<p>
|
|
With money our end goal is more money, same thing.
|
|
Number go up, GDP must grow.
|
|
When we ask what we should be doing with this money (if we ever get around to that) there seems to be no clear answer other than "make more!!".
|
|
We are doing it backwards.
|
|
Sit down, have a chat, and decide what we want the outcome to be first, then figure out how much money we need to do it.
|
|
Make sure that we are making that money and we don't need to keep going after that point.
|
|
Often pursuing these goals will actually provide a nice chunk what we need for them anyway, either in money or in directly usable things.
|
|
As we add some more goals, as we are certainly wont to do as needs are satisfied, then we can up the amount that we need then.
|
|
Once we are making enough to meet our needs, live well, then we truly have freedome to choose.
|
|
Do we want something else? Do we need more money to make that happen? Then up productivity.
|
|
Or if all the bases are covered we can just take more time.
|
|
Spend time with loved ones, read books, learn something new, go for a hike.
|
|
Whatever.
|
|
If we actually treated it like we do our other tools, we would have the freedom to make that choice.
|
|
</p>
|
|
{% endblock %}
|