Beyond money?

Money and markets mirror an organic component of the world around, namely ordered energy i.e. energy available to do work. How are they similar?

The first law of thermodynamics guarantees that you can't create ordered energy out of thin air. The second law says you have to spend "thermodynamic availability" to get it. In principle, that's how money works too i.e. somebody has to earn it.

That second law also says that ordered energy is easy to waste. For instance the heat in a cup of hot coffee gradually thermalizes to room temperature, just as does the work available from those ice cubes in your tea if you let it sit out on the table all day. Money's also easy to waste, even without inflation. The successful use of money and markets likely draws strength from these organic roots.

However, money is one-dimensional. It maps everything onto one scale. The communities we live in, by comparison, are multilevel structures like our bodies. Molecules build cells that build organs that build individuals that build families that build cultures.

The question then is this: After monoscale money, multiscale what? Are there idea sets as deeply reflected in nature as that of ordered energy, which can take our concept of earnings and even health beyond money's one dimension?

The answer is yes. They involve the emergence of order in nature on all levels. They have deep roots in cosmic evolution and the natural history of invention. And they are just getting off the ground. Hopefully, this is one place that you can find out more about them in the days ahead...