How long would it take for humans to die out if money had no value?

[NT!]

OP,

[Shoe Lace]

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As for your ridiculous soldiers argument, what stops them from not taking over right now? Do you honestly think a bit of money will stop them if they could have everything by taking over as you suggest?

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Because there's no reason to right now.

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What is the intrinsic value of masks in this post-apocolyptic world?

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Probably not much value. If you're in a situation where you need a gas mask, you're probably enslaved or dead very soon. If you're talking about a standard Halloween mask, it may have slight value.

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I'm really surprised at how materialistic everyone is. You all think people will insta-flock to another currency like gold/fine gems or you'll be able to walk into some store and attempt to trade your electric shaver for a pair of pants.

I thought it was pretty obvious we'd go into some type of reverse industrial revolution to create more farmable land. Eventually groups of people with access to weapons would do whatever it takes to own this land + enslave people to work.

These groups would clash at some point, the end. Perhaps a full extinction would not occur, but it would be catastrophic.

[happyhappyhappy]

So what college class are you taking where your professor brought up this hypothetical situation, but laid it out in a far better manner than what you're botching now because you can't quite remember how he explained it?

[The once and future king]

Why all the hate?

Seems like the op hit some reservoir of sub conscious angst and everyone is compensating with undue aggression.

If we all woke up tomorrow and all money was totally worthless (which has never happened, money has just been worth not very much, you could still buy a loaf of bread with a wheelbarrows worth) of course it would be feckin catastrophic.

If you live in a major urban centre how are you going to eat after a few days. London has 11 million inhabitants, thats a feck load of food that has to be shipped in to support that population. What are you gonna pay the lorry drivers with? Let alone that actual food producers.

Of course in the long run humanity will adapt, but in the short to medium term things will get fug ugly.

[mrkilla]

[[Phill]]

The country comes under martial law.

Food is collected and distributed.

Over time Australian dollars or gold or sea shells are used as currency.

To think humanity will wipe itself out is retarded.

A few may die in the conversion period, but the total losses wont be any more than 20% and i feel that is a really high guess. Fwiw, i believe humanity needs a cull like this anyway - in the long run we will be better for it.

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Better question, when this magic machine was created, why would anyone give them away to everyone? Surely they would either sell it to the US Gov etc for billions, or theyd get a licence to make cash legally and make cash that way, or theyd print a few gallons worth of bills every year or so. Depending entirely on who got this technology.

Put it this way, somewhere in the US are several machines making $100 bills at a cost less than $100 (probably no more than $10 per $100 produced) - so that means that all money is worthless if someone were to somehow make one of there own - OMG anarchy!!!!

Also - the government could basically make this new currency worthless and switch to a purely electronic credit card based system. In fact, all in all, nothing would happen in your OP, its just paper money means nothing anymore and banks stop taking it.

[econophile]

I guess we'd switch to a barter economy, which increases transaction costs so the standard of living would be lowered. People with cash stuffed under the matress or in the bank would be out of luck. High stakes hold'em would be 1car/2car.

[econophile]

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If this happens to every business, then who's going to supply "things" that people are going to use to trade?

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Why the "" here?

[btmagnetw]

we probably take a few years to phase out paper money and everything is plastic. going to happen anyway but this will speed up the process. btw really stupid question.

[marchron]

I don't know, but I do know that the middle class cannot survive the death of monogamy.