ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book identifies three aspects of money. These aspects-symbol, discipline, and sovereignty-are interpreted in conventional financial theory as real, voluntary, and individual. The book argues that money is a symbol that represents a given collective, constituted by rules of governance and meaning systems. In spite of its centrality to the Western tradition and his own stress on collective intentionality, Searle expresses skepticism regarding democracy. By internalizing its own money and finance rather than relying on private bankers or tax farmers, the liberal state can establish new principles of operation. Money is an instrument for managing time. The role of knowledge and information has become increasingly important with the development of capitalism. The circulation of money provides information regarding prices and the state of the system by means of metrics such as growth rate and profitability.
