Why isn't our economy based on energy rather than gold?

Page 1 of 2 [ 30 posts ] Go to page 1, 2 Next

Joined: 21 Feb 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 233
Location: Canada

18 Aug 2011, 8:39 pm

I'm not an economics specialist, but it just appeared more logical to me to use energy rather than gold as a currency...

Blasty
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 21 Apr 2008
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,205
Location: At my workbench

18 Aug 2011, 11:35 pm

We're not on any metals standard any more, hence the government's ability to print dollars into oblivion.

Backing our currency with anything would be an improvement.

sterfry
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 28 Nov 2010
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,048
Location: Western NY

18 Aug 2011, 11:50 pm

I believe we use the fiat system which means our money is backed by Italian cars.

johnsmcjohn
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 1 Jun 2011
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,279
Location: Las Vegas

19 Aug 2011, 12:23 am

Our economy isn't based on anything besides people's faith in it. That nice green dollar in your wallet? Totally worthless by itself. The only reason our money has any value at all is because people are willing to accept it in exchange for stuff.

SammichEater
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 6 Mar 2011
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,903

19 Aug 2011, 1:35 am

It's not a bad idea.

_________________
Remember, all atrocities begin in a sensible place.

Artros
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 6 Jul 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 646
Location: The Netherlands

19 Aug 2011, 2:14 am

johnsmcjohn wrote:

This.

Gold is nice because gold always has value because people like shiny stuff. Energy's value changes from situation to situation. It's also pretty difficult to pay someone in energy. You can't expect people to carry around batteries in their pockets.

_________________
"Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant. " -Socrates
AQ: 40/50
EQ: 17/50
SQ: 72/80 (Extreme Synthesiser)
Aspie test: about 150/200 Aspie, about 40/200 NT

sErgEantaEgis
Sea Gull

Joined: 21 Feb 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 233
Location: Canada

19 Aug 2011, 2:59 am

Artros wrote:

johnsmcjohn wrote:

When I was talking about energy I referred to the ability to do work. Energy is universal. Evety nation, every person can do something productive, but not every country has access to gold. Beside the universe itself use energy to wodrk!

_jake
Hummingbird

Joined: 15 Aug 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 23

19 Aug 2011, 3:19 am

sErgEantaEgis wrote:

Artros wrote:

johnsmcjohn wrote:

So...a barter system?

Ancalagon
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,302

19 Aug 2011, 8:16 am

SammichEater wrote:

It's not a bad idea.

Actually, it is a bad idea.

Would you like to pay for your groceries with a gallon of gasoline? A car battery? A sackful of AAs?

_________________
"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it." --G. K. Chesterton

MasterJedi
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 22 Oct 2010
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,160
Location: in an open field west of a white house

19 Aug 2011, 8:35 am

oil, hullo???

_________________
That is my spot, in an ever changing world, it is a single point of consistency. If my life were expressed as a function on a four dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, that spot, from the moment I first sat on it, would be 0-0-0-0.

hale_bopp
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 2 Nov 2004
Gender: Female
Posts: 17,054
Location: None

19 Aug 2011, 8:44 am

1. Because Gold is rare. Our sun apparently has something about it which makes it possible in our solar system. It will never be worth nothing.
2. Because energy is free. You can't claim dibs on the likes of the sun, water and wind. Hell, you can even create it pedalling a bike.

Also the economy is fluid does it physically exist? Not really. Maybe some of it is influenced by gold but not a lot.

Good idea? Logical? Not really thought out.

Last edited by hale_bopp on 19 Aug 2011, 8:50 am, edited 2 times in total.

Moog
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 25 Feb 2010
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 17,671
Location: Untied Kingdom

19 Aug 2011, 8:47 am

Artros wrote:

johnsmcjohn wrote:

Work is effectively paying someone in energy. Typically, you are paying for money with your energy. Which you can then exchange for goods and services.

_________________
Not currently a moderator

Moog
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 25 Feb 2010
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 17,671
Location: Untied Kingdom

19 Aug 2011, 8:53 am

sterfry wrote:

I believe we use the fiat system which means our money is backed by Italian cars.

_________________
Not currently a moderator

swbluto
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 26 Feb 2011
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,899
Location: In the Andes, counting the stars and wondering if one of them is home to another civilization

19 Aug 2011, 10:29 am

Artros wrote:

Gold is nice because gold always has value because people like shiny stuff.

Establishing value for "liking shiny stuff" is like drawing lines in the sand.

URtheALIEN
Sea Gull

Joined: 9 Aug 2011
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Posts: 211
Location: SW PA USA

19 Aug 2011, 10:38 am

swbluto wrote:

Artros wrote:

Gold is nice because gold always has value because people like shiny stuff.

Establishing value for "liking shiny stuff" is like drawing lines in the sand.

Perhaps true but it worked fairly well for most of the world for thousands of years. The current Fiat (car based) system is broken. Gold, oil, and potatoes whatever something needs to be selected and I think there are several contenders.

Gold or another precious metal works because of scarcity, and can't be "consumed".
Oil is not a good commodity, its value is in its use, once used it is no longer available for use as currency.
Work will not work in of itself because not all work is equivalent and that is obvious. An hour digging a ditch gets you a ditch, an hour studying gets you (maybe) a little knowledge and an hour voting in congress can get you a war, billions of dollars redirected or a president impeached.

Any suggestions other than a metal or other limited resource?

_________________
I'm not angry, this is just my face.

Ancalagon
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,302

19 Aug 2011, 11:52 am

Money is just a number. It isn't tied to any one commodity. It doesn't need to be.

The only property money needs is to be believed to be valuable by people. If people think it's worth something, then it is.

_________________
"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it." --G. K. Chesterton

Page 1 of 2 [ 30 posts ] Go to page 1, 2 Next

Jump to:

Similar Topics
AI-based Minecraft in Computers, Math, Science, and Technology	24 Nov 2024, 7:22 am belijojo
Waste of time, money, and energy in General Autism Discussion	Yesterday, 6:10 am Texasmoneyman300
Texas Greenlights Bible-Based Curriculum For Public Schools in News and Current Events	26 Nov 2024, 1:09 am Texasmoneyman300
Nervous energy but today was "As Good as it Gets" in General Autism Discussion	08 Nov 2024, 10:09 pm shortfatbalduglyman

Why isn't our economy based on energy rather than gold? Post Reply New Topic

Why isn't our economy based on energy rather than gold?