Would the world function without currency?

Question

I believe it would if it never existed, money is known as the root of all evil, which if we were to exclude this from society and everyone worked for free and for survival, the world would be in a better state, if people put the focus on distribution and organization, currency would be obsolete, everyone would work for the improvement of society and not for selfish purposes, the reason our survival relies on currency makes people selfish but if all farmers grew and distributed food for free, all construction workers build for free, all miners mined for free, all scientist studied for free, all fishers and hunters fished and hunted for free, all the people that filter our water and distribute water did it for free and etc with everything, currency would be worthless, no taxes, paying to exist or to live on a planet we were born on, the decreases on crime would also be huge I believe, not all crime would stop existing but a lot of it, it just seems that when the people put value on items and started exchanging it for other things, it led to the downfall of society when it comes to the value of life and other people, it basically planted a seed of selfishness that only gets worse as society supposedly "thrives", I'm sure many reasons wars against other countries exist is revolving around money as well.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

As much as you’d like a utopia that’ll never work out. What you’re talking of sounds like communism. I don’t think money is the root of all evil as you say. If you’re a good person you’re going to do good things w money should you come into it. The same if you’re an evil person. If money is the root of all evil than churches are full of it because they’re always asking for money. As a matter of fact more people have died in the name of religion collectively compared to pretty much everything. To me that’s what’s evil. But back to your thought. Who would determine how much work is equal? I work like 24-36 hours OT, so yes I get compensated more. Even in an 80 hour work shift just cause someone is at work for 80 hours doesn’t mean they actually work as hard as others. I work in medical. We have so many lazy people who seem to disappear forever or take all these extra breaks. But you’re saying they should still get the same amount? W that type of mentality people are just going to work less because at the end of the day they know they’re still going to get their equal cut regardless of how much or how little they actually worked. Nothing is free. No matter what people will always be selfish. We’re all raised different so we all have different morals, values, etc. People who have a lot of kids will always want more. Even if a man doesn’t have kids should he get less even if he worked harder than the person who has all these kids? What if the government decides we’re all going to start getting less rations the following year? Then year after year it lessens. I don’t know where you live but there in the states pretty much you can do whatever you want to better your life. You just have to put in the work. Stop trying to live off of others.

RebelinSteel · Accepted Answer

It sounds great in purpose, however let’s say the farm is giving out things for free. At some point they needed to start that farm, that means they need a horse, they need a plough. They approach the horse breeder and say can we have a horse, horse breeder gives him a horse, however how did the horse breeder feed his horses and his family.

What motivates a person (s) to deliver all the farms produce to various markets? They might want to be fishing to feed their family or hunting, who gets the food to feed their family?
This would likely work for smaller communities but would you want to work 12 hours a day making clothes for others, not able to go out but stuck inside all day, while others just ride around on a cart outside?
Then there is human invention and natural progression, a guy has been making bronze stuff for everyone, now someone else has started making this iron stuff, far better than bronze and the Bronze guy does not have any other skills to add to the community, what does he do, who tells him what to do?
Then someone visits the town and tells them about this bloke on a cross, oh and to get his blessing which you really need, they will need 25% of everything, well because you need to save yourself.

i do like the idea of contributing to a common cause, doing a decent days work that contributes to everyone, however as I’ve been out hunting and covering 100 miles or so I really need more meat, beer and food than John there who sat on his arse making jackets.

Account · Accepted Answer

I like it as an idea. Actually, I have always liked it. It reminds me a discussion I had many years ago with one of my best friends. It is utopic because people are... (damn I am trying to think of a word that is not insulting) ... well... it is difficult to remove something within us that it is fully ingrained. Then our discussion turned into this:   in which time could be used as a currency, which is also pretty interesting, that could possibly work within a small community.

SugarSugarplum · Accepted Answer

"Money" is not the root of all evil, "The Love of Money" is.

If there was no money, you'd have to go work for the grocer to get food, and work for the gas station to get gas, and donate your time to charities.

All money does is encapsulate your skill, talent, and energy into a form of exchange so you can get a cheeseburger without having to barter your time for it.

Maybe_Maybe_not · Answer

Okay, now for a  very complicated question,  the typical topic of late nights with friends trying to find THE solution to fix the world. You are... Actually featuring "Ideal Communism" in this speech, so I will call Joseph McCarthy ! Let's burn some witches LOL Seriously, there is a lot to say about your speculations, but I'll stick to this: there are  some real world economic theories that might interest you , such as   dealing with the idea of  money in relation to labour  you present ;)

Anonymous · Answer

Do you mean "hard currency"? Or just currency in general. Because most transactions now no longer contain hard currency. But yes, this is one of the reason even though I enjoy Star Trek I cannot buy Gene Roddenberry's vision. Because a society where there is not profit motive is simply NOT possible with the human species. As a whole we are simply too selfish for that ever to be possible. We like to think of ourselves as evolved. But in many ways we've never, will never leave the caves.

BetaBucks · Answer

Yes, but way less efficiently, so way more poverty and starvation. Barter is fine, but its an alternative and not a primary means for trade. Abolitioning trade between individuals really only can work in small communities (communes, essentially) as it can't scale to the modern population levels.

paledreams · Answer

Not sure. I for one am a leftie socialist monarchist. If I was redrafting this particular reality, my government policies would basically be self sufficiency, national building, (relying far less on imports if at all and basically socialism with capitalist elements (, only because the rest of the world would still require money lol so for trading and travel and the like, my citizenry lol would be like the hybrid sort of that seems to exist in some countries they say are socialist yet technically they're mixed lol) lol 😆

OtterMan68 · Answer

No. For example. Let's say you're a teacher. What do you have to barter with? Do you tell the butcher "I'll teach your child in exchange for weekly fresh cuts of meat"? What if your a carpenter? How do you exchange your labor for food if the grocer, butcher, or baker does not need you labor?

CalmUntilAbused · Answer

Sure, the world would function without currency. There's always that good old practice of barter. However, a barter-based economy would slow down significantly and exclude those who have nothing to offer. Or maybe companies would just issue their workers "economy input" tokens that would be accepted by other companies... Even a non debt-based, currency-based economy would slow down... Though that would be a sacrifice I'd be willing to make.

Twalli · Answer

That's not possible. While individuals and groups can function as you described, we don't have only good people on this world. All it takes is a single bad person to upset this utopia you describe. While great times don't need great people (all we need is one great person and others willing to follow), this requires 100% effort from all.

AviatorTom · Answer

Many years ago, people bartered, until they learned there was a better way... currency. It wasn't like the currency today though. History shows that, in addition to gold and silver, nuts, seeds, animal skins, and even tulips were used as forms of currency in ancient times.

If today's currency were banned, we'd start bartering again, until someone comes up with a better idea... some form of currency.

Guacamole409 · Answer

Chico, you left out 2 important elements.

1. This will happen, but nowhere close to our lifetimes. It will happen in the 24th century.

2. And humans won't be expected to do shitty jobs. In 300 years, there will be nothing that machines can't do, that people can.

strateguy632 · Answer

Obviously society can't! that is how we ended up with paper money, in the first place, all these generations.

Then look at places vietnam venezuala and china the people had no motivation to work.

many starved to death after the land redivision, year after year in china.

Similarly in russia some farmers refused to farm when they can't sell it , so got sent to siberia.

You call those Utopia no evil money?

KostasKouvalis · Answer

There are small scale societies that function on a bardering and favor for a favor system. I do think it could be implemented on a global scale, but I feel it would be more difficult because eventually certain people would run out of things to trade

exitseven · Answer

if currency was eliminated people would soon devise some sort of barter system that would eventually evolve into some form of currency.

jshm2 · Answer

You are not very bright. Currency exists for as long as business and exchanges have a need to exist.

abc3643 · Answer

The concept of currency was created very shortly after civilization started about 12000 years ago. It HAD to be created. If currency was to be eliminated, it would come into existence again.

SunnyGirly · Answer

I don't think so unless we go back to trading or doing favours for each other in return for other things

thearchjoker · Answer

The modern world cannot function without currency. Unless you want us too revert to stone age there is no way advanced civilisation can exist without currency.

Anpu23 · Answer

The issue is goods rot, cattle dies, so without currency of some sort there's no way to store long term wealth. So saving up for an item becomes more difficult as you have to account for entropy.

DrPepper12 · Answer

This is utopian silliness. Currency performs numerous functions that barter simply cannot. Why would EVERY society, separated by thousands of miles and years, ALL develop some form of currency?

FreyaRed · Answer

No. Barter won't work in societies more complex than a prehistoric tribe.

MicahRaine · Answer

Yeah, the world would still function of money never existed. I've done plenty of work for free lol, more than I can remember.

Static_In_The_Attic · Answer

If you want to function without currency you always have trade & if the trade is good who needs currency.

LiamS95 · Answer

Money itself is not the root of all evil, what it actually says in the Bible is that the love of money is the root of all evil.

Brady · Answer

In a poll 13 peopl took 15% thought it would n 85% thought it wouldn't. Unfortunately it may not hav workd.

CubaPirate · Answer

Cash is definitely on its way out. Cyber currency will be the only way to pay in the near future.

dragoblack · Answer

It would just go back to trade and the gold method.

RedInnocent69 · Answer

No, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be US dollars.

Richarding · Answer

I don't know, but is there an economic depression from year to year like in 1939 ? 🤔

Anonymous · Answer

According to utopian communism, it would. But most humans have not yet evolved enough for such a society.

Anonymous · Answer

Everyone, and animal and species, use sex as a currency

jorfan3 · Answer

Animals do it. Why couldn't we?

Anonymous · Answer

You should maybe read up on how successful communist countries have been at creating utopias.

jahaims · Answer

The world would function without humans

TurboAnon · Answer

We would simply return to a barter system.

onedarkcloud · Answer

I want what you are smoking

Inthelines · Answer

Yes, all that is needed is faith.

Would the world function without currency?

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