Throughout history, money has been both revered and vilified. Some see it as a vice. Others see it as a critical enabler. Yet others see is as a sort of dummy variable that exists only to facilitate two transactions. Most views are rather pragmatic. Philosophical views of money and capital are much rarer.
The (philosophical) argument I am about to make in this very brief piece is this: (financial) capital plays a critical, generative role in the complex process from which the future is born. Simpler still: money is, generally speaking, a good thing. Without money, and the mechanisms by which it accumulates as “capital”, progress would be not only slower but also more convoluted. I will also proceed to point out this scenario is not universal. Under certain circumstances, capital can be a source of instability.
The art and science of the possible 