[ivoras]

Money is basically just a way to motivate other people to do something for you :D

We as a civilisation obviously CAN build houses, utilities, hairdressers, space rockets, grow food, etc. - the question is simply "why" (in the literal, low-level sense: why would I do that for you? even if the economy at large would benefit from it, I just don't feel like working today, and besides, I don't know you well enough). And money (and capitalism in general) is a flawed, crude, but so far the only way the "why" gets answered for the majority of people.

Another way of making someone do something for you, obviously, is to be very, very persuasive.

[nicoburns]

Money is a way of measuring how much economic power someone (or some legal entity) has accrued. If you have money, then you can get someone to do something for YOU. Whether the economy at large will benefit from it depends entirely on whether those with money spend it wisely. This tends to work out reasonably well so long as (monetary) wealth is relatively evenly-spread. But not always. And of course, money in contemporary society is not that evenly spread.

[t0suj4]

Money is primarily measuring of how much their time other people were willing to sacrifice for the service or goods offered by the subject.

[sokoloff]

Warren Buffett's short interview snippet agreeing with that point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et7IVFOhtIE&t=131s

From the same interview, he shares some thoughts on reasons for a debtor country to strongly favor inflation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et7IVFOhtIE&t=408s

[ghaff]

>money in contemporary society is not that evenly spread.

No. Although on average it's more evenly spread in the West than in some other countries. There are a lot of personal services that are fairly common in some countries (drivers, personal chefs, etc.) that aren't really affordable except as a time-bounded or occasional thing to anyone who isn't very wealthy in the US, say.

[nradov]

This is why successful startup founders are often as persuasive as cult leaders.