Incentive: The need for profit provides a person or organization with motivation to work on new ideas and products that might sell in the market.

The assumption is that if people were not motivated by their need to obtain money nothing would be invented and little social progress would be achieved. First of all, the most powerful contributions to society did not come from people seeking profit; Louis Pasteur, Charles Darwin, The Reich Brothers(SP?), Albert Einstein, and Isaac Newton did not make their massive contributions to society because of material self-interest. While it is true useful inventions and methods do come from the motivation for personal gain, the intent behind those creations typically had nothing to do with human or social concerns, and everything to do with detached, self-interest, and blind personal gain.

The pursuit of profit almost always comes before human concern. And a simple glance at the cancer causing preservatives in our foods, planned obsolescence in nearly everything manufactured, along with a healthcare industry that charges $300 for a single anti-biotic pill, will indicate that the profit incentive is actually a detriment.

Problems in a monetary based society will only have a resolution, if money can be made from solving those problems.

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From up here, you can't see any borders.
All you can see is the Earth.
In a sane society, decisions are not made but arrived at.

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money isnot truely needed it is liked and charished on many diffrent levels but money in the end will be the downfall of america...mostly cause of obama.. just so u know obama has spent more money then bush, clinton, and the guy behind him combined hes fucking us over. impeachment

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Post edited at 7:38 am on July 10, 2009 by Aimforthehead

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From up here, you can't see any borders.
All you can see is the Earth.
In a sane society, decisions are not made but arrived at.

However, more more = more sex.

So money is the middle man between incentive and sex.

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I'm now an asshole.

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Sex > Money.

However, more more = more sex.

So money is the middle man between incentive and sex.

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Agreed. Greed could also be one.

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http://www.last.fm/user/Joy3
Going on vacation...

When you no longer have any concern for your whether or not you're going to keep your house, pay that electric bill on time, etc, you have more time to be innovative.

I do not believe that the greatest inventors were motivated by greed.

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O` tru apothecary!
Thy drugs are quick.
Thus with a kiss I die.

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Incorrect. In a situation where one did not have to worry about money innovation would arise out of a need or desire for improved daily functionality and personal ambition.

When you no longer have any concern for your whether or not you're going to keep your house, pay that electric bill on time, etc, you have more time to be innovative.

I do not believe that the greatest inventors were motivated by greed.

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Were inventors to stop inventing, were new products to stop being developed, money would have less use, you would need less of it because there'd be less toys to buy. The government would need less of it because they wouldn't be using it for advanced military technology or space exploration or what have you.

Invention and innovation propagates a desire for wealth, not the other way around.

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O` tru apothecary!
Thy drugs are quick.
Thus with a kiss I die.

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So, I'd like to hear an argument against this, if anyone will.

Incentive: The need for profit provides a person or organization with motivation to work on new ideas and products that might sell in the market.

The assumption is that if people were not motivated by their need to obtain money nothing would be invented and little social progress would be achieved. First of all, the most powerful contributions to society did not come from people seeking profit; Louis Pasteur, Charles Darwin, The Reich Brothers(SP?), Albert Einstein, and Isaac Newton did not make their massive contributions to society because of material self-interest. While it is true useful inventions and methods do come from the motivation for personal gain, the intent behind those creations typically had nothing to do with human or social concerns, and everything to do with detached, self-interest, and blind personal gain.

The pursuit of profit almost always comes before human concern. And a simple glance at the cancer causing preservatives in our foods, planned obsolescence in nearly everything manufactured, along with a healthcare industry that charges $300 for a single anti-biotic pill, will indicate that the profit incentive is actually a detriment.

Problems in a monetary based society will only have a resolution, if money can be made from solving those problems.

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The existence of private charities shows that this is not the case.

The business of business is business however people have interests they wish to support outside of business pursuits.

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Couldn't that be considered to be even more proof however, that money is not necessary?

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I don't see how.  Charity organizations are supported by money which serves the same purpose, its a means of trading productive value.  It makes trade easy and makes comparing cost versus utility easy across the board.  Sure people could start doing charitable things by themselves without money or an organization but the scope and depth of their actions would be limited.

Look at one person picking up liter on the side of a street compared to a local charity that does it once a week.  The charity will turn out more people, raise funds for equipment and be able to handle more roadsides.

I can't even imagine how one person alone would be able to send aid to Africa without money.

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In other words, our possibilities are limited by the amount of money we have. =/
I get what you're saying, I just don't see the money incentive ANYWHERE in that example, all I see is the money barrier.

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Money (Ideally - not with the Fed just printing it willy nilly) represents productive value.  Thus our ability is not limited by money but by what it represents.  Anything humans do regardless of system used to make trade simpler is going to be limited by this very same thing.

Off to go jog - be back after I return and shower.