Money has been an important instrument supporting the foundations of society from ancient times to the present day.
However, when asked, ‘What is money?’ few people may be able to give a concrete answer.
In fact, from a philosophical perspective, money is merely a ‘means’ to an end in life, and its value lies in what you achieve with it.
Let’s take a deeper look at why making money at an end is problematic and the difference between means and ends.
What is money? A philosophical perspective on the difference between the ends and means of life
Money is an indispensable tool in society from ancient times to the present day, and it can be said to be positioned as the driving force behind the economy.
However, not many can answer if you ask people on the street ‘What is money?’.
Money from a philosophical perspective
From a philosophical perspective, money is a ‘means’ to an end in our lives, and its intrinsic value lies in what we achieve with it.
The philosopher Georg Simmel stated that ‘money is a bridge to ultimate value’.
A bridge is not a place to live, but something that spans over to reach a destination.
In other words, he believed that if money is a bridge, money is just a means to reach one’s happiness.
When considering the purpose of life, many people would cite happiness, fulfillment, and self-fulfillment.
These are not directly obtained with money but are deeply related to the mind, relationships, and experiences.
However, the reality is that in today’s society, without money, it is difficult to have a secure life or even the opportunity for self-fulfillment.
Can money be the purpose of life?
It is therefore understandable that many people make collecting money their ‘life purpose’.
Philosophically, however, the problems that arise from making money the purpose of life are pointed out.
Money has been lost despite the pursuit of money.
Also having a short-sighted mindset of wanting to make money has caused money to diminish in the long run.
I experienced this myself, I invested in a business that was said to make money, but I was so focused on making money that I failed miserably.
Liking money is not a bad thing, but…
Liking money is not a bad thing.
Many so-called success strategies teach you to like money.
The problem is that you like money so much that you become obsessed with collecting it.
So, philosophically, the problem seems to be that we mistake the means for the end, thinking about what we will do only after we have collected the money, rather than what we want to do with it.
Life without dreams seems boring.
Ultimately, I think the driving force behind making money is the dream or desire to do something.
Is it only me who thinks that making money for a dream or a purpose is much more positive than the idea that it is safe to make money anyway and that money is also attracted towards the former?
Misunderstanding the purpose can lead to crime and other problems.
From my own experience, I think that social networking scams, which have recently become popular, are caught by people who have mistaken the means for the ends.
Making money is necessary, but you want to look back at yourself every time you go forward so that you don’t mistake the means for the end.
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