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"Real" wealth

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Awesomelyglorious
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07 Apr 2012, 1:29 pm

This is an utterly confused question. There is no "real" meaning of a word. All that's being done is an effort to favor particular meanings based upon how you feel about those meanings. However, the same kind of thing could be done with any other term. How about a "real" dog. Are Chihuahuas fake dogs? Are Dobermans the only real dog? I mean, I know a person can get into conversations about this stuff, but that still doesn't mean it isn't conceptually confused.



Joker
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07 Apr 2012, 1:40 pm

Real wealth to me will always be knowledge.



TM
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07 Apr 2012, 3:34 pm

Joker wrote:
Real wealth to me will always be knowledge.


I agree, however only in the instances where that knowledge can be exchanged for other things. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is fun and I admit to having somewhat of a fetish for random factoids, however if I can't make money off knowing that Josef Stalin went to seminary school in Georgia, it could be replaced with something more useful.



Joker
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07 Apr 2012, 3:47 pm

TM wrote:
Joker wrote:
Real wealth to me will always be knowledge.


I agree, however only in the instances where that knowledge can be exchanged for other things. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is fun and I admit to having somewhat of a fetish for random factoids, however if I can't make money off knowing that Josef Stalin went to seminary school in Georgia, it could be replaced with something more useful.


True I would like to be payed for my knowledge of things like my religion and telling the real story about why certin laws are regarded as sin. And my knowledge of pagan history.



marshall
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07 Apr 2012, 10:03 pm

TM wrote:
Joker wrote:
Real wealth to me will always be knowledge.


I agree, however only in the instances where that knowledge can be exchanged for other things. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is fun and I admit to having somewhat of a fetish for random factoids, however if I can't make money off knowing that Josef Stalin went to seminary school in Georgia, it could be replaced with something more useful.


I'd say curiosity has done a lot more for civilization than knowledge. Knowledge is just being able to recite what someone else wrote down or told you. You have to want to dig deeper to come up with something new.



DC
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07 Apr 2012, 10:18 pm

AudaciousLarue wrote:
What do you think of when someone mentions wealth? Do you think of endless dollar bills on top of endless piles of dollar bills, or a much different kind of wealth?

What is "real" wealth? Is it possessing the most money, or being "rich" as a person, regardless of how much money one possesses?

Just as a personal opinion, I'd side with the latter. Money is meaningless from a philosophical standpoint, and can never buy happiness.



The ultimate definition or value of 'wealth' is the ability to swap your 'stuff' for other people's voluntary labour.

If people accept dollars, lots of dollars is lots of wealth, if people accept cowrie shells in exchange for their labour, lots of cowrie shells means lots of wealth.



ruveyn
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08 Apr 2012, 7:23 am

Joker wrote:
Real wealth to me will always be knowledge.


There are other forms of wealth too, but knowledge and talent are the basis of any other kind.

ruveyn



Grebels
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08 Apr 2012, 7:30 am

Wealth may be the ability to consume, and have bigger better things but I'll never buy into that. There's too many unhappy rich people about. Sure it can be good health, but a lot of people stricken with disease or disability are happier than some rich people. I really do find it hard to pin down, but maybe being a producer, somebody to adds to this world, people who give of themselves out of some kind of inner abunance are truly rich.

Rembrandt, possibly the best artist of all time, died a poor man, but look at the legacy he left for humanity.



ruveyn
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08 Apr 2012, 7:34 am

Grebels wrote:
Rembrandt, possibly the best artist of all time, died a poor man, but look at the legacy he left for humanity.


A fat lot of good that did him.

ruveyn



Grebels
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08 Apr 2012, 7:44 am

Well yes, I agree on that level. I personally find it sad that people like Van Gogh and Rembrandt died in poverty and now their paintings sell for many millions. So OK Rembrandt had it good for a while and wasted a lot of cash, but Van Gogh was often treated badly.



TM
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08 Apr 2012, 7:53 am

marshall wrote:
TM wrote:
Joker wrote:
Real wealth to me will always be knowledge.


I agree, however only in the instances where that knowledge can be exchanged for other things. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is fun and I admit to having somewhat of a fetish for random factoids, however if I can't make money off knowing that Josef Stalin went to seminary school in Georgia, it could be replaced with something more useful.


I'd say curiosity has done a lot more for civilization than knowledge. Knowledge is just being able to recite what someone else wrote down or told you. You have to want to dig deeper to come up with something new.


I tend to be of the opinion that knowledge is the result of curiosity, they are not separate one leads to the other.



Grebels
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08 Apr 2012, 8:09 am

Could you define curiosity for me TM? Please don't quote the dictionary.



TM
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08 Apr 2012, 8:11 am

Grebels wrote:
Could you define curiosity for me TM? Please don't quote the dictionary.


The urge to expand ones knowledge.



Grebels
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08 Apr 2012, 8:29 am

I am not happy about knowledge being wealth. Curiosity leading to knowledge may be a contributing factor to wealth. But surely the wealth is in what one does with the knowledge. Many people have great knowledge and all for nothing. Perhaps wisdom is more true to wealth than knowledge. Of course a wise and curious person can have much to offer.



TM
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08 Apr 2012, 9:41 am

Grebels wrote:
I am not happy about knowledge being wealth. Curiosity leading to knowledge may be a contributing factor to wealth. But surely the wealth is in what one does with the knowledge. Many people have great knowledge and all for nothing. Perhaps wisdom is more true to wealth than knowledge. Of course a wise and curious person can have much to offer.


I believe I stated that knowledge only has value if it can be converted into something you need.



Grebels
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08 Apr 2012, 10:09 am

Yes, but I am making my own postion on it clear - I hope. Sorry for the misunderstanding.