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3/19/2013 7:33:16 PM
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How did currency begin and why do we need it?

Looking at the world I realize there is an economy for each country and we all have currency. Of course, being a normal human being who has grown up knowing this is the way the world works, I never questioned it... Until now. I have always acknowledged the fact that I use money to buy commodities but never asked "Why?" So why did the economy start, how did it start, and is it even necessary?

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  • Edited by HurtfulTurkey: 3/21/2013 4:56:18 AM
    Currency is just an efficient representation of the value of our work. It used to be represented by goods produced, via bartering, but now in a service and labor oriented economy where individual workers usually don't produce much by themselves, it just doesn't make sense to barter. Even if you removed currency, people would still find a way to represent their labor; money itself is arbitrary.

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  • The economy would be there even if we didn't use currency, it'd just be incredibly crippled.

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  • I think money was started in the middle east along with most things.

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    • Using cotton sucks.

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    • Without money as an intermediate between goods modern commerce could not exist. Could you imagine trying to trade chickens for a car? and if they did trade chickens for a car what are the employees who made the car paid with? eggs? Now they need to either raise a chicken and sell that or try to find someone to purchase their eggs.

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      • Because people want gratification. People want money. Or in the old old days, people want something better than what they are giving up. People want to feel like they gained something.

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      • Money just makes trade easier. That's really all there is to it.

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      • It's an evolution of the bartering system. I can fix your fence for two chickens, but what if I don't need two chickens? What are two chickens worth in milk? And what do I do the next time I go to fix a fence for someone and they don't have chickens or milk?

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