[mathgenius]

So, if one views the global financial system as a big distributed belief propagation algorithm (eg. min-sum) how do loans fit into this?

Perhaps it makes sense switching to a "quantum-like" dynamics where one may "borrow" energy for a short amount of time before having to repay it, as in Heisenberg delta E * delta t uncertainty. So decreasing interest rates amounts to messing with some kind of Planck's constant.

[50CNT]

This isn't quite a relevant xkcd, but I do think it's relevant. Whilst it'd be cool to be able to apply models from physics to economics, there may be issues in applicability. http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2556

[mathgenius]

Very amusing.. Ouch.. But that tensor beef does look yummie!

I was just exploring an analogy, not particularly looking for any explanatory power.

[Retric]

Money is irrelevant.

It's clearly not a question of borrowing resources. It's conning people into thinking they have more resources than they actually have, while redistributing money around the economy. Until, the music stops and people notice they don't actually have anywhere to sit.

PS: It's sad how closely you can model the financial system as a pyramid scheme.