Here's a TED talk / write-up I viewed last year that actually made a lasting impression on me. Currently I'm using this as an anchor to my most (personally) important longpost. It may prove to be one of the most controversial writes that I've ever done. But hopefully interesting. I'll leave my own points in that article instead of cluttering this simple curation post.
Anyway, here's an excerpt of the TED talk that gave part of the inspiration:-
It is the same with economic networks of cooperation. Take a dollar bill, for example. It has no value in itself. You cannot eat it, drink it or wear it. But now come along some master storytellers like the Chair of the Federal Reserve and the President of the United States, and convince us to believe that this green piece of paper is worth five bananas. As long as millions of people believe this story, that green piece of paper really is worth five bananas. I can now go to the supermarket, hand a worthless piece of paper to a complete stranger whom I have never met before, and get real bananas in return. Try doing that with a chimpanzee.
Indeed, money is probably the most successful fiction ever invented by humans. Not all people believe in God, or in human rights, or in the United States of America. But everybody believes in money, and everybody believes in the dollar bill. Even Osama bin Laden. He hated American religion, American politics and American culture — but he was quite fond of American dollars. He had no objection to that story.
It's definitely worth a read and a bookmark. For more head on to -
http://ideas.ted.com/why-humans-run-the-world/
I prefer watching, so here's the video -
1$ bill is not worth 5 bananas not because the President of USA is telling so, he never does.
1$ bill is worth something because he's telling you can pay your taxes with this bill ( and you can not do it with bananas ) , the rest is just the consequense.
I'm sure the author meant what he said symbolically, and not in the literal sense of those words he was using.. so point made, still.
Author just fails to see elephant in the room.
Nobody is telling you any stories.
You have a choise : ether you pay your taxes, and you pay $, no bananas ( and no Bitcoins) will be accepted
Or, you go to jail - believe it or not
It remains that we tell ourselves stories, which is why governments are strong - there are enough believers and doers to make that system work. Order followers don't have to comply with order givers.
"Environment inspires imagination"
Yes, that are "we" who are "telling ourselves stories" and don't like to face the truth.
That's why this bananas talk is remaining so popular ;)
I see, I get what you mean :)
Can't say I agree with you there fully. Stories are being told. On a large scale even. Just think about the story of the value of the family construction. The fundament of our American/Western society. That's a well thought and fabricated story based on a way we we're already sort of living but needed to be emphasised to keep the economy running. (Besides that it also created a moral consensus which turned out to be great food for the "us and them" constructions which we face today.) This family story has been tweaked, upgraded and manipulated for those who benefit the most from it. Those who are in power such as big corporations.
Now I 'm not advocating conspiracy theory here. But to deny that there are stories been told to the public in order to gain specific goals is a hard pill to swallow. imho.
Hi! I am a content-detection robot. I found similar content that readers might be interested in:
http://ideas.ted.com/why-humans-run-the-world/
Sorry @cheetah. This is my first time getting your notice. I guess it's the huge excerpt I've used. Anyway, I've used proper formatting to quote the excerpt - hope that's okay here!
One of the best TED talks I have seen in a while, thanks for sharing. I look forward to your further writing on the subject!
It's proving to be a difficult topic to write about.. although I've felt like it since joining steemit months ago lol :) it's a little nutty though hah!
Sounds interesting. I'll give it a watch. Thanks.
I thought you might've watched it xD
As to animals not having imagination, not sure I buy that completely. Here's a good read: Do animals have imagination? Have you seen the documentary on Koko? That one rocked me as I was re-understanding what humans are (evolved emergent properties) and shedding my religious upbringing.
Not sure if I buy that too, its just difficult to prove that point anyway :). Gonna have a read, thanks!
Good talk. Reminded me of this one by Suzana Herculano-Houzel which I've linked to before and really enjoyed: What is so special about the human brain?
So... drugs and computer games is our future, eh? I guess that sounds about right.
I tweeted this about a week ago. You might like it.
Disclaimer: I am just a bot trying to be helpful.
The value of a currency or any other asset is based simply on its perceived value to the society that uses it. Bitcoin isn't even worth the value of the paper its printed on, but look at the value it is perceived to have. The Venezuelan Peso, is worth less than the value of the paper its printed on. Something as value, because someone is prepared to trade it for something else. Value is often scarcity related, hence, rare difficult to extract metals such as gold are more valued than iron. Though if you need to cut down a tree you would probably be happier with an iron axe than a gold one.
To a high degree our confidence in a currency is mediated in our confidence in a central bank's ability, to maintain the value of the circulating currency in the face of economic and political pressure. As Venezuela's population have found out, and the Venezuelan government fails to understand, just saying something as a certain value just does not work.
ColdMonkey mines Gridcoin through generating BOINC computations for science...
If you believe in something it becomes your reality hence fiat money has value. Looking forward to the post:)