• IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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    10 days ago

    My favorite example of this is the idea of money and finance.

    There are trillions and trillions of dollars worth of imaginary wealth everywhere. None of it can be backed by actual product or material … it all exists because we all collectively believe that it exists.

    It’s our modern day religion and we all believe in it and worship it daily … All Hail Money!

    • chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      10 days ago

      True, although most wealth is held in the form of things other than money, which represent a legal right to power over various things, like who can live in what house, and what thousands of people at a company will spend their time working on.

    • fubo@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Trade is ancient. Consider: People have been ordering products from abroad, relying on promises and reputations, since the days of Ea-nāṣir. It’s always depended on trust, which is why we still know the name Ea-nāṣir.