[QUOTE=davar55;394723]My postings, including the monograph, do not constitute a book.
I have other monetary methods in mind. And in math, my real
profession, I work cheap.

[unadulteratedplug]
By the way, cosmo4.txt is much better than cosmo3.txt
[/unadulteratedplug][/QUOTE]
So you don't have "anti-money ulterior motives" because the writing is not your profession. Same here. The short stories I have written amount to over 100.000 words and would fill a book, but I don't charge for them either. They are for a highly specialised readership, as your monograph also is, and I wrote for enjoyment as you undoubtedly did too. So why the cynicism about Howard Zinn's writing?

[QUOTE=Brian-E;394725]So you don't have "anti-money ulterior motives" because the writing is not your profession. Same here. The short stories I have written amount to over 100.000 words and would fill a book, but I don't charge for them either. They are for a highly specialised readership, as your monograph also is, and I wrote for enjoyment as you undoubtedly did too. So why the cynicism about Howard Zinn's writing?[/QUOTE]

It isn't cynicism. I sampled it. I can tell the bias immediately.

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;394712]We started reading [URL="http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html"]this[/URL] after it was suggested in the Homework subforum. We got so depressed during just the first chapter that we are not sure we will continue reading it! (Note that the link we posted has [URL="http://www.historyisaweapon.com/response/"]some baggage[/URL] attached to it.)[/QUOTE]

I found this ironic, considering that Howard Zinn was such an optimistic person who continually expressed the opinion that committed people could make a difference in the world. Nevertheless, going back and looking at the first chapter of the book, I can see how it struck you that way. Life was not very pleasant for the first natives who came in contact with Europeans! Still, I would encourage you to take another look, as there are a lot of examples of political, labor, and civil rights struggles in the book that lead to positive and substantive changes.

[QUOTE=davar55;394626]Don't need no anti-capitalism clap-trap. Socialism sucks. Yay to the joys of freedom, which are only possible when politics and economics mesh and support freedom, i.e. only under Capitalism.[/QUOTE]

You seem to forget that Capitalism is a rather new and (to be frank) not yet fully tested concept.

With regards to Socialism, I do find it interesting that except for humans, all social (read: cooperative) organisms effectively rely on "socialistic" practices. From monkeys to dogs to bees to ants to plants.

Somehow all these groups (oh, I forgot to mention early humans!) seem(ed) to get by fine without money....

[QUOTE=chalsall;394735]You seem to forget that Capitalism is a rather new and (to be frank) not yet fully tested concept.

With regards to Socialism, I do find it interesting that except for humans, all social (read: cooperative) organisms effectively rely on "socialistic" practices. From monkeys to dogs to bees to ants to plants.

Somehow all these groups (oh, I forgot to mention early humans!) seem(ed) to get by fine without money....[/QUOTE]

Yes, humanity is different. I should have included "uses money intelligently" in that list of
characteristics that distinguish humans from other animals (and plants) among living entities.

[QUOTE=davar55;394805]Yes, humanity is different. I should have included "uses money intelligently" in that list of characteristics that distinguish humans from other animals (and plants) among living entities.[/QUOTE]

For some, the jury is still out on that.

[QUOTE=chalsall;394836]For some, the jury is still out on that.[/QUOTE]

Well, only people are capable of inventing and exchanging (using) money.
The "intelligently" part was applicable to at least some people.

[QUOTE=davar55;394842]The "intelligently" part was applicable to at least some people.[/QUOTE]

Machiavelli and Rand et al perhaps?

[QUOTE=davar55;394842]Well, only people are capable of inventing and exchanging (using) money.[/QUOTE][URL]http://www.zmescience.com/research/how-scientists-tught-monkeys-the-concept-of-money-not-long-after-the-first-prostitute-monkey-appeared/[/URL]

[QUOTE]They then taught them how to gamble, and saw they made the same irrational decisions a human gambler would make as well. The data generated by the capuchin monkeys, Chen says, ”make them statistically indistinguishable from most stock-market investors.”[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;394848][URL]http://www.zmescience.com/research/how-scientists-tught-monkeys-the-concept-of-money-not-long-after-the-first-prostitute-monkey-appeared/[/URL][/QUOTE]

They don't count the tokens, they don't save (accumulate for the future) any of them, they just offer them for exchange.
This is more like reflexive barter than money use. May look similar, but the difference is vast.

[QUOTE=chalsall;394845]Machiavelli and Rand et al perhaps?[/QUOTE]

Who's the et.al.?