There are few people who don’t have interest of some level in money. Whether you want more, need more, or just don’t know how to manage what you do have, money can cause many strong emotions. Where does it come from? Why it is that certain physical tokens can function as money and others cannot? What is money made from? An interesting article that raises these and other questions appeared in the Humanity Plus online magazine in their article, “Bitcoin and the Ontology of Money.”
These questions apply even more with the appearance of Bitcoin. There are many misconceptions or misunderstandings, and I admit I am not fully convinced of its use. However, I do believe if you broke down the ontology of money, its historical development would be parallel with the social evolution of humans. How can it be understood apart from the social function of money – therein the human factor?
This particular article does a stand-up job classifying the origins and building a solid ontology. It is well worth the read.
Melody K. Smith
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