Meaningful Money: Innovation at the Intersection of Money, Meaning and Markets

By John F. Ince

Money is the most powerful tool ever created by humans. With nothing more than digital accounting entries, almost 10 trillion dollars have been created out of thin air by banks. As a human construct, money ultimately doubles back upon itself and stares itself in the face, like an infinitely reflecting mirror of trust. Upon this illusion of value, the entire edifice we call the global economy has been built. It's an infinitely leveraged system built upon a fragile foundation of debt based capital flows that circulate as the lifeblood of our economy. All this money and debt has its source somewhere within the temple-like structure of the Fed and our monolithic banking centers. The way money is created defines how economic power is distributed in society. Why do Wall Street bankers receive bailouts and fat green bonuses, while Main Street workers receive foreclosure notices and thin pink slips? The answer is that our current money and banking system concentrates economic power in the hands of a few private, profit-making institutions we call commercial banks. Their self interest trumps the interests and needs of the rest of society. There is a better way. Few of us consider the possibility that we can build a decentralized and democratized money and banking system from the bottom up. We don't have to accept an imbalanced, unstable and inequitable money and banking system. We don't have to accept financial crises and rising public and private debts that threaten our future. This issue goes to the heart of the American character and democracy. Our recent financial crises is a clear sign that we operating with a flawed system, so we need a systemic solution. There is a world of possibility awaiting us in the midst of our economic crisis. The key to unlock this hidden potential is a new way of thinking about money that grows out of the powerful innovation taking place today at the intersection of money, meaning and markets.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1451558023
• ISBN13: 9781451558029
• Release Date: March 2010
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 138 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"