Re: justice, justice... Was: Anti-Semitism in the Neo-Confederate movement.

In article <dpjalt$ogo$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Rafael <jmalfatto@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>"Steve Goldfarb" <slg@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>news:dpi7ti$rap$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> In <dphgb3$5rks@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Herman
>Rubin) writes:

>> >In many African tribes, wealth is stuff. That we have
>> >a more portable means of exchange does not make it any
>> >different. A person's wealth is not the amount of money
>> >he can control, but includes other aspects.

>> Wealth is often stuff, but not all stuff is wealth. I think wealth
>> involves verbs, not just nouns - that why I'm saying that without markets,
>> there is no wealth, only stuff. And I don't follow Rafael's
>> differentiation between money-based trade and barter, I don't see how it
>> makes any difference.

>Firstly, barter is the exception rather than the rule in foraging societies
>(which, again, represent about 99.9% of human history or prehistory).

Barter was quite prevalent in the 2000+ years of the late
prehistory of the Fertile Crescent, Egypt, Anatolia, Persia,
Western India, and more, and the history before the use of
a weight of precious metal as a medium of exchange.

>Secondly, barter is usually informal - not the kind of stand or shop one
>normally expects of a market.

There were trade caravans, and a merchant class, who kept
records of how much of what they owned.

>Thirdly, (as the saying goes) money changes everything. It's a wonderful
>convenience, but those who have the power to create it and lend it are not
>'producers' in the traditional sense (as Aristotle warned).

Aristotle did not have everything right.

>Rafael




--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: justice, justice... Was: Anti-Semitism in the Neo-Confederate movement.
    ... But what I mean here is that wealth isn't just "some thing that ... >>I agree that it's a very cool idea, but it reduces down to barter. ... One of my definitions of money is "a proxy for, ... for six apples today, that's a loan, and it's still barter. ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: justice, justice... Was: Anti-Semitism in the Neo-Confederate movement.
    ... >>> Wealth is often stuff, but not all stuff is wealth. ... barter is the exception rather than the rule in foraging ... >>(which, again, represent about 99.9% of human history or prehistory). ... Many more did not (e.g. neighbors exchanging wares in a tribal village ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: Diesel Price Slide
    ... the Laws and their position in the Marketplace such that they have a bite of every dollar spent in every transaction except for barter among individuals. ... Then let's put a 20% excess wealth tax on whatever net worth they have at the end of each tax year, and a 50% conspicuous consumption tax on their luxury items, including trophy wives and private airplanes. ...
    (rec.outdoors.rv-travel)
  • Re: justice, justice... Was: Anti-Semitism in the Neo-Confederate movement.
    ... A person's wealth is not the amount of money ... > differentiation between money-based trade and barter, ... barter is the exception rather than the rule in foraging societies ... (as the saying goes) money changes everything. ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: OT - Politics
    ... represents current perceived wealth. ... to back the money supply in circulation. ... point is a medium of exchange -- they have something that has been produced ... exchanged for currency or for other goods. ...
    (rec.woodworking)