Today most of us seem to take money, or rather the concept of its existence, for granted. It's been there since modern human was born, as well as centuries before, and it will likely be there long after. Not many contemplate on how and when money as we know it came into being; it is also unlikely that an average academic program of a compulsory education includes an extensive inquiry into money as a concept. Nevertheless, when asked general questions about money people seem to have abstract ideas about its origin, “character”, and the influence on the human kind.

According to Richard Seaford, the notion of money as a means of exchange first appeared after 5^th century BC, which was also the speculation of most participants. Seaford explains that the “increased importance of money [as well as] survival of more substantial texts” from that period allows for more extensive information than that from earlier time, or even the following century. The “character” of money in that period, however, was substantially different than in modern time. First, money existed in the form of chunks of precious metals, rather than coinage. Second, its initial purpose was accumulation of “wealth” rather than exchange. When asked about the time of origin, most people recalled images of ancient Greek, Roman or Chinese coins seen in history books, museums, or on the TV. Some interpreted “money” as chunks of precious metal, pieces of wood, or other material.

Seaford gives several examples of what characterized money as money for ancient Greeks. First, money represented accumulation of wealth. In a commune which performs exchange of goods (e.g. fsh for potatoes), instead of currency, one may possess abundance of fish (or any other good) but is unlikely to be seen as “wealthy”. When money appears in the form of precious metal, the concept of wealth becomes more defined. Strangely, no participant mentioned wealth as a property that would make an object money. A few, however, talked about money being made out of valuable material, which may represent wealth (they were probably implying precious metal coins, rather that modern paper and copper currency). One characteristic of money noted by every participant is also discussed by Seaford: money as a means of exchange. For a modern person this is probably the most obvious attribute of money: one can get different things in exchange for it. In ancient Greece, however, money was initially used only as a symbol of wealth and status, or for settling feuds.

When asked about place and time where money may not exist, all participants mentioned early communes based on physical competition for and sharing/exchange of necessities, similar to Homeric realm described in “Money and the Early Greek Mind”. Seaford describes these practicec as violence, redistribution, and exchange of things. However seven more ways dealing things among people are defined: prizes, gifts,reward, compensation,ransom, slavery and bride-price (exchange for people).

On the technical side of money, about a half of participants believe that money in its physical presence will soon disappear. Judging by increasing popularity/use of the digital form of currency, bills and coins are believed to become increasingly inconvenient and unnecessary. Still, seven people believe that paper/metal currency provides a form of security and assurance, and will thus remain desirable.

The moral issue of money has probably existed as long as money itself. More often than not money has been describes as a necessary evil, said to breed avarice and acute self-interest. Prevailing number of participant believe that this may be the case. Five people, however, argued that money is merely the tool of achieving personal goals, and that self-interest is an objective concept, thus it is difficult to judge how much of it is evil or immoral.