“Gold? yellow, glittering, precious gold?…
Thus much of this will make black white, foul fair;
Wrong right, base noble, old young, coward valiant.
…What this, you gods? Why, this
Will lug your priests and servants from your sides,
Pluck stout men’s pillows from below their heads;
This yellow slave
Will knit and break religions, bless the accursed;
Make the hoar leprosy adored, place thieves
And give them title, knee and approbation,
With senators on the bench; this is it,
That makes the wappen’d widow wed again:
… Come, damned earth,
Thou common whore of mankind.”– Shakespeare, Timon of Athens, Act 4, Scene 3
What actually is money? Where did the concept of money come from and why did it arise? What role does money play in today’s capitalist economy? Can monetary policies solve the crisis of capitalism? What is the future of money? Will there be money under socialism?
Join us at Revolution 2015 to discuss these and other questions.
RECOMMENDED READING FOR THIS SESSION:
Marx’s Capital: Chapters Two and Three – Money by Adam Booth
Bitcoin: utopian reflection of a capitalist nightmare by Ben Gliniecki
The Revolution Betrayed (Chapter Four) by Leon Trotsky
