money-forgetting
The characteristic of money to forget its individual history, allowing social cooperation beyond personal conflicts.
1 chapter across 1 book
Who Owns the Future? (2013)Jaron Lanier
In Chapter 3, Jaron Lanier explores the evolution of money as an information system, contrasting ancient 'past-oriented' money with modern 'future-oriented' money that embodies promises and plans. He highlights how money's ability to 'forget' its origins historically enabled social cooperation, but modern computational technologies have created money that remembers too much, fostering corruption and inequality. Lanier also discusses the psychological and economic implications of money's design, emphasizing the importance of trust, growth, and the balance between remembering and forgetting in economic systems.