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chris ritchie

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What other systems could society use, rather than a Monetary System?

Looking at the world today, everything seems to revolve around the economy. This causes mass amounts of people to be incredibly poor, a lot more so than incredibly rich.
Why CAN'T everyone have the same.
Looking at it the big picture, the Monetary system clearly is'nt working, so what else can we do?

Topics: Everything! behavioral economics community happiness Depression money peace politics social change society
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  • Zdenek Smith 100+

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    HostAssociate
    Jun 28 2012: From my experience with communism (I lived under the regime for 25 years) people will be fairly quickly demotivated to try their best or even to do a good job. Not everyone at first but eventually everyone will do bare minimum. Why would you put much effort into anything when others are not doing much and getting the same amount of reward?

    We need a system where hard working and inventive individuals get rewarded accordingly. So far money and capitalism proved to be the best system we have (not perfect in many ways thou).

    • chris ritchie

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      Jun 29 2012: I understand what you are saying, I really do, but surely not everyone will be demotivated.
      Everyone is different to some degree. If the right motivation was put forward in education, then people might be driven towards a different goal, to a different success, like there own personal intelligence.
      If you look at people in third world countries (especially the younger) they all seem to want schooling. Granted this view may be me being naive, and they want education to get jobs for money, but surely if another goal was their, they would still want to learn.
      I'm not saying communism is the right way either, from my knowledge it still uses money, Just people still get the same amount, except the state.
      I understand that the IDEA of capitalism is good, it just isnt working for the mass.

      • Zdenek Smith 100+

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        HostAssociate
        Jun 29 2012: Yes there are exceptions and some people are motivated by other things than money. However as a society if we don't distribute economic wealth based on individual effort I can't see how most people can be motivated.

        Capitalism is working quite well in some countries like Canada, Sweden, Germany, and others. I think it is not capitalism but lack of people's education and involvement in political process so they can make it to their advantage?

        • chris ritchie

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          Jun 29 2012: Capitalism seems to be working ok for the western world, kinda (the eurozone crises and economic collapse in Spain, Greece ,Italy may prove otherwise). But i refuse to believe that if the whole world was capitalist, then things would be any better. I think some countries would still be a lot poorer than others and thus the people will still suffer.
          And lack of education in most cases is due to the economy. Schools should never run out of resources, and surely University or college should be free. not a way for every self motivated individual, who wants to better there education, to get into mass amounts of debt.
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        Krisztián Pintér 200+

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        TED Translator
        Jun 29 2012: tell the people in the 1900's in the USA that capitalism does not work for the masses. within a century, life standards rose constantly and fast.

        • chris ritchie

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          Jun 29 2012: Tell that to the thousands of people in the USA who died and lost their jobs in the great depression due to the 1929 wall street crash!! life standards certainly dropped then.
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        Krisztián Pintér 200+

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        TED Translator
        Jun 29 2012: sorry, the great depression was government job

        however, even with the great depression, the average over time is grossly positive, so anyone would choose capitalism with great depression over no captalism

      • Zdenek Smith 100+

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        HostAssociate
        Jun 29 2012: "Capitalism seems to be working ok for the western world, kinda (the eurozone crises and economic collapse in Spain, Greece ,Italy may prove otherwise). "

        I think Spain and Greece are examples of where economy was affected by on-capitalistic pro-government big spending policies. I don't argue that pure capitalism is good but rather I suggest we need balance of healthy competition and reasonable social policies?

        "And lack of education in most cases is due to the economy. Schools should never run out of resources, and surely University or college should be free."

        Maybe, but people without official degrees became very successful in business and otherwise. Nowadays we see a trend of experience and creativity being important. Schools don't even teach enough about ethics, creativity, life skills and entrepreneurship.

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