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How does the current money system work?

The current standard-money system is mainly a debt-money system.

The debt-money creation system arose when the goldsmiths put into circulation the first banknotes - in fact credit notes for deposited gold - and subsequently became bankers when they noticed that this deposited gold was only withdrawn to a limited extent, so that a large part of gold could be lent out again and interests could be gained on it. "The paper money was only covered for a small part by gold. For the greater part it was covered by debt-claims, i.e. by credit. Paper money thus relied on the confidence in the possibility of the banks to exchange banknotes for gold and therefore was called 'fiduciary money'. At a further stage also the partial gold cover disappeared", write L. Berlage and A. Decoster (in 'Introductie tot de Economie'. Universitaire Pers, Leuven, 1997, p.765).

To let this globalised interest carrying money system function, money shortage must be systematically and artificially maintained. As a result, the total quantity of money in the world is much less than what's necessary to pay off all debts including interest. The consequence is that our society is forced to a continuous economic growth in which short-term thinking always prevails again. Not human nature but this money system, which keeps wealth concentrated within a small minority of people, incites to greed, short-sightedness and systematic competition. It is this money system, in which profit always must be made NOW, that discourages cooperation and solidarity, hinders the development of a sustainable global economy, and all over again undervalues care, education, social networks, art and culture, (free) science, human freedom and development, nature and the ecosystem, in brief all elements on which it vegetates. It is this money system with its interest-expansion economy that shamelessly ignores in its balances and calculations the value of the basic economy and of the ecosystem on which it parasitizes.

This money system is not a natural matter, but a system made by people. The infernal rhythm to which the interest-expansion economy forces the global society, is even to a great extent unnatural, because it is catastrophic for the health and the survival of people and all the other life on our planet.

A system made by people can of course be changed or adapted by people. It goes without saying that it should be rather useless to change the money system if not for a very good reason. And it is logical that the urge to change the system would not be a top-priority in a sustainable global economy respecting the natural ability of the ecosystem and giving the whole world population access to a decent life, instead of over and over again protecting and reinforcing in the first place the privileges of the rich and powerful elite on the back of the large majority of people and at the cost of the planetary environment.

To tackle the large social, ecological and economic problems with which the current money system and the interest-expansion economy have burdened the whole world and to secure our common future, a system adaptation is urgently required.
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