What Comes After Money?: Essays from Reality Sandwich on Transforming Currency and Community

Most people believe that money is organic and inevitable; we forget that money is just a tool created to perform certain functions. But just as computer programmers drop out-of date tools and pick up better ones as soon as they become available, we might switch from bank-financed currency to a more equitable method for transferring goods and services. As an operating system for society, money needs a major upgrade. What Comes After Money? offers a wealth of alternatives to the current monetary system. In this anthology of essays drawn from the popular web magazine Reality Sandwich, 20 visionary thinkers explore the roots of the modern economic crisis and propose diverse solutions: instituting local currencies; creating reputation or gift economies (based on historical and contemporary); introducing spirituality into the equation; and many more. Contributors include economist Bernard Leitaer, media theorist Douglas Rushkoff, musician Paul D. Miller (a.k.a. DJ Spooky), theoretical physicist Amit Goswami, Larry Harvey (founder of Burning Man), and Peter Lamborn Wilson (a.k.a. Hakim Bey).