Getting Rid of Currency= Utopia?

[adammartin45]

i love those thing

[Nekura Shimo]

I've thought about this alot prior to seeing this topic.. Nothing in the world is free and without earning money, no one would want to make products or give services without getting paid. In order for us to have no currency we'd have to undo everything we've accomplished and go back to being simple animals- hunting our food and living in what shelter we can find... hm... doesn't sound fun...

[Ayita]

Nekura Shimo

I've thought about this alot prior to seeing this topic.. Nothing in the world is free and without earning money, no one would want to make products or give services without getting paid. In order for us to have no currency we'd have to undo everything we've accomplished and go back to being simple animals- hunting our food and living in what shelter we can find... hm... doesn't sound fun...

It sounds invigorating. Also, it'd be better for the earth itself, or did we forget where we live?

There was also something known as the 'Barter System,' however, I've been told that it only works in small communities. I've yet to look more into this theory.

The problem is that there are too many people on this planet.

[Scarele]

The Sakagami-man

Sorry, but what is deemed of value to you may not be of value to others.

I could draw a picture that I put my heart into and it was my best work ever and I had to use it to trade. But if someone has something I want but places no value on art or anything else I have, then it won't work.

Having no currency in today's world would create chaos. There are too many people who want recognition and want to be rewarded for what they do. Sure I like drawing and will willingly draw for people for free, but eventually I'm going to want payment for my services.

Wether you like it or not, money makes the world go 'round.

I totally agree. I mean, the whole idea of money anymore is to help with services. Would you give a chicken to someone who did your nails? It'd be very hard to go back to the days when paper and metal was considered a valued item. It would be much better if we didn't have money, but then, everything would be dominated by religion, I think.
It'd cause more trouble to get rid of money than it would to keep it. Think of all the looting in Iraq after Saddam fell.

[Dilly the Pirate]

I always thought that if the world was devoid of currency, eventually, everyone would learn to take what they need and only what they need.

Then I remembered the greedy people...

[Zephleek]

Horrible idea. Others have basically already explained why.

dictionary.com

Economy: the system of production and distribution and consumption

dictionary.com

A medium that can be exchanged for goods and services and is used as a measure of their values on the market

Without money, in a system of barter: Tom wants Apples, but Tom currently grows Oranges. Phil grows Apples, but Phil wants Carrots. How can Tom acquire Phil's Apples, if he has no Carrots, and only has Oranges? Should Tom search out an extra individual that has Carrots, then HOPE that that individual will accept Tom's Oranges, in trade? No. This plan is silly. Tom would be running ALL over freaking town, just to get a few Carrots.

With money: Tom wants Apples, but currently grows Oranges. Phil grows Apples, but currently wants Carrots. What does Tom do? Tom sells his Oranges to whoever wants them for $$, brings the $$ to Phil in trade for Apples, & Phil can go get his own danged Carrots, with the $$ which he just recieved from Tom, from whoever sells Carrots.

See how much easier the system is?

[G.Maria.S]

I think life would be much easier without money...HOWEVER, you'd still have to work, for you're food and such, unless you'd trade with someone I guess.

[Nekura Shimo]

Quote:

It sounds invigorating. Also, it'd be better for the earth itself, or did we forget where we live?

There was also something known as the 'Barter System,' however, I've been told that it only works in small communities. I've yet to look more into this theory.

The problem is that there are too many people on this planet.

True, it would.. although if that was the case then some guy would come up behind me, bash me on the head, and then rape me.. No one would do anything about it because there would be no police..it'd be everyone for themselves, and besides that there'd be nothing to pay police with anyway...

CONCLUSION: Better for environment, but bad for me.

[Chaos_Dude]

If everything is free then no one will work and we wont have any goods and we'll all die. The entire utopian ideal is destroyed by the idle.

[Maesh]

Utopia? Sounds more like Communism, a negative utopia

[Crazy_pixels]

The actual literal meaning of utopia is a place that can never be, not a perfect place like everyone associates utopia with today. I think people are way to corrupted and greedy to live in a "perfect" society, ever. It will never happen. It's a nice idea that maybe we could live happily together with no currency, no stealing, no greed, everybody being equal, etc., but that could never happen. It just goes against our human nature to try and be number 1. No one would work without being paid with something because they themselves are not gaining anything from it, even if it was for the better of humanity. People look out for themselves, and try to eliminate their competition.

[Lawrence Festin]

Huitzilopili

Lawrence Festin

totally. because carrots are equal in value to diamonds if you dont see it with a capitalists viewpoint

Well, not really. Capitalist or not, worth is placed on rarity (not to mention effort, which is also a factor in determining rarity). Supply and demand comes into play no matter what, and this is why some form of currency is absolutely necessary.

Side-note: this is why "collector's edition" things are worth more than their "non-collectoer's-edition" equivalents.

Edit: Nevermind, Sakagami-man beat me to it. Also in a much more intelligent way. I salute you, Sakagami, and "Bah" to you!

remember with a marxist standpoint that there is also no such thing as rarity. in a communist society all that is neededthere is plenty and all that is wanted is shared.

[Dread Pirate Chiizukeki]

Zephleek

Horrible idea. Others have basically already explained why.

dictionary.com

Economy: the system of production and distribution and consumption

dictionary.com

A medium that can be exchanged for goods and services and is used as a measure of their values on the market

Without money, in a system of barter: Tom wants Apples, but Tom currently grows Oranges. Phil grows Apples, but Phil wants Carrots. How can Tom acquire Phil's Apples, if he has no Carrots, and only has Oranges? Should Tom search out an extra individual that has Carrots, then HOPE that that individual will accept Tom's Oranges, in trade? No. This plan is silly. Tom would be running ALL over freaking town, just to get a few Carrots.

With money: Tom wants Apples, but currently grows Oranges. Phil grows Apples, but currently wants Carrots. What does Tom do? Tom sells his Oranges to whoever wants them for $$, brings the $$ to Phil in trade for Apples, & Phil can go get his own danged Carrots, with the $$ which he just recieved from Tom, from whoever sells Carrots.

See how much easier the system is?

It's true. People would only want certain things for what they produced, and they would want stuff because of the time and effort they put in.

[Lawrence Festin]

The Sakagami-man

Alexandrea Zenne

The Sakagami-man

Synplicity

I think this is what Communism tried to accomplish. It's impossible to create a utopia with society as it is today, people are all just too ******** up. People are greedy, evil, vile creatures by nature, there isn't much of anything that can change that. If you put one person from today's society into a utopia they would ******** the entire thing up.

A utopia wouldn't work even from the beginning. By human logic, period, value is determined by how much time, work, and effort must be put into something.

And the end quality of the aforementioned something.

Ah yes, that too, how could I forget? heart

i very much agree that communism tried to create a nearly perfect society but as it karl marx also argued that thoughts greed and private property are the result of a capitalist society. remember that communism cannot work until there is a proletariate revolution and the ways of capitalism have died along with its supporters. and this isnt just in a single state but it has to sweep the whole world. things can be argued but really we'd never know until it happens. how do we know what worth is? and how do you know that your conceptions are a result of brainwashing by the current society. we'll never know until it happens. until then im happy i have a good paying job.