pescatarian09
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- May 12, 2019
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Well, money is only a means to an end. It isn't an end in itself, i.e. you can't eat money. It is only through money that you obtain the things you need, and the things you want (Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a classic representation of this).
So, in cases of food shortage or famine, if you have an established and self-contained system that provides you with all the things you require for survival (food and water, shelter, warmth), you would not be especially dependent on silver or any other form of currency, provided that your system is independent and simple enough (i.e. you are able to sow and maintain crops, keep livestock or hunt, build and maintain a robust and weather-resistent shelter, keep yourself warm, protect yourself from predators, and collect and purify water). But even then you cannot be completely independent of money: you will require a lot of it at the beginning to allow you to buy all the resources you need to set up your system, and if your system should fail or become damaged, you may require money to fix it (unless you are an absolute expert survivalist).
But when you are highly dependent on other sources to provide you with basic needs (as most people are), that is to say you are dependent on your local government/council, your supermarket, your employer, utilities companies for a home, warmth, food and water, you cannot survive without money, at all. (Should these services fail, you would be utterly helpless, and at the mercy of those who still have access to these resources.) Depending on the form of currency you use, its value will fluctuate. Weaker currencies are easily devalued, strong currencies (like silver) are less easily devalued.
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