21. A world without money – Colin R Turner

Most economists point out that economics isn’t particularly much about money, it’s about people’s behavior. Yet, most of them wouldn’t go so far as to suggest we scrap money altogether.

”When people ask how something is going to work in a money-free world I always say: ’Well, how does it work today?’. That’s always a good place to start. And the current economy allocates resources terribly badly. Money is what prevents us from sharing ideas and innovations.”

The musician, writer and social activist Colin R Turner was always a lover of nature and a problem-solver. When he was young the problems were often about practical things, like fixing the dishwasher. But he was to dive into deeper problems.

Around the time of the financial crisis and the movements against inequality that followed, Colin got more and more engaged in the idea of a new kind of world order – a world without money. This is what his book ”Into the Open Economy” and the petition he founded, Free World Charter, are all about.

”Suspend for the moment your disbelief that a money-free would work. What would your priorities be? Most of us would put things like health, social life and environment first”, says Colin R Turner.

”When you take away money, all the other motivators grow bigger. We can create a new social contract where we prioritize these things.”

Isn’t a money-free world communism? No, says Turner:

”Communism obviously always existed with money, a hierarchy and state control. It imploded because it wasn’t working and it wasn't even doing what it was supposed to do.”

”What governments mostly do is make sure that the money system works, by supervising budgets and see to it that money goes where it is supposed to go.”

Won’t people be too lazy?

”Happiness is about being productive and knowing that you have done something good and that you have helped someone.”

Won’t new elites emerge?

”It’s  ridiculous to pretend we’re all equal. Life is unequal. We have different skills, abilities and intelligence. But we are all of equal importance, and in the current society there is a sort of learned helplessness, we defer power. At the very least we should give everybody access to the basic living necessities. It’s incredible that we don’t already do that.”

Will it happen?

”People are getting much more aware. There is a good trajectory. I’m optimistic that we can shift over more to a sharing economy. The only way we can achieve a money-free world is gradually.”

On Colin R Turner’s website you’ll find links to his books and the Free World Charter.