Why was MONEY invented?

Answer 1

to make us depressed when we have none

Answer 2

initially, if you had a sheep you could barter it for (say) a dozen loaves of bread. If you only wanted half a dozen loaves, then it becomes difficult to swap for half a sheep.

It makes sense to swap whatever you have for something that everyone agrees has value and can be divided and is constant. Gold and silver is good for this.

Then comes the problem of if you have too much gold to carry around to buy things. You can then leave most of it with someone trustworthy and get a "receipt" for it. You can then go back and exchange it for gold again any time you want.

If you then want to buy a herd of sheep, it becomes more convenient to give the "receipt" instead of carrying back all that heavy gold or silver. The "reciept" then becomes the medium of exchange or paper money.

Although paper money is intrinsically worthless, it is supposed to represent something valuable. I think it was in 1973 that this "gold standard" where you could theoretically exchange your notes for gold was abandoned.

Now, all you have are bits of paper (or numbers in a computer) to say how much "money" you have. The Government can print as much as it likes. The banks know that not everyone will want to withdraw at the same time so even though they may only have one "unit", they can pretend they have nine to lend out again.

"Money" is now just an illusion and its worth can be manipulated to get real goods and services from essentially worthless pieces of paper and numbers in a computer.

Answer 3

Paper money, To stop the cumbersome Gold / Silver.
(Apparently the U.S Dollar is Unconstitutional......)

I understand money is a IOU for trade work,
But since you are owed, because you did no work back,
you *pass on the debt* See bank notes 'PROMISING to pay the holder on demand'...

Somwhere along the line it all becaume CORRUPT,
and thats why we have a class system,
The Needy and The Greedy...

Answer 4

it was easier to trade with peices of paper than it was to take lumps of gold everywhere.

It was used as a unit of exchange, almost like a reciept. So you could sell your cows for 2 pounds (paper money) and go the bank and get it changed into £2 of gold. It was just easier and safer I suppose!

Answer 5

to stop robbery. it was invented by a couple of traders who used to write IOUs as such to each other, then when brigands waylayed their caravans for the gold, there was none to take and the paper had no intrinsc value in itself and would not be honoured ny either trader..... Or so the story goes!

Answer 6

Not everyone could create goods or services that could be bartered for. That is, pottery for wheat works for a limited area, but there needed to be a method of exchanging goods for a more universally known type of 'currency'. thus, money

Answer 7

More convenient than carrying a bushel of apples or a cow around to barter with!! and to make taxing easier -currency has a set value were as when bartering value was set by your need! eg if you NEEDED a hammer you would give more than if you didn't!

Answer 8

money was invented so i wouldn't have to carry my 19" desktop monitor all the way to ridley road market for a 50p a box of banana....

Answer 9

As an alternative to bartering.

Answer 10

because if money wasn't invented
it is impossible to share things with each others
ex:(your boss is going to give u a reward it is....... a chicken!!!!)loooooooool

Answer 11

They are easier to carry in your back pocket than livestock are.