Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Research paper - Essay Example However, as with most aspects of the advanced economy, there are a number positive factors that the existence and proliferation of money provide as well as a certain number of drawbacks and disadvantages that the current system provides as well. As a function of analyzing these advantages and disadvantages, it is the hope of this author that the reader will be able to integrate a more full and complete as well as nuanced understanding of the current issues surrounding the monetary basis that society relies upon. The first disadvantage to money is the fact that it is one of the most definitive means by which individuals are judged based upon their overall worth as a human being. Due to the way in which the economy has developed and money has been placed as something of the supreme god to which all people worship, the level to which a person is able to accrue wealth has become of more importance than character, morality, or other primal determinants of human integrity (Webster, 2010). This is not necessarily the fault of money; rather it is the fault of the way in which human culture always seeks to find a way to separate one group from another and ascribe value to each and every situation that might be represented within society. With regards to the advantages of money, one can of course point to the fact that it allows a convenient and equitable means of exchange in order for individuals to purchase key resources and provide for themselves and for their families. Moreover, as compared to the prior barter economy that existed in past history, money provides something of a solid and relatively stable means of exchange that oftentimes carries an implicit value and is not dependent upon a good harvest or other key factors to determine its value. By simplifying the method of exchange, money is able to provide a degree and/or level of certainty whereas prior