Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c30IR // #c30Synthesis

Can you imagine how much trust in money there must be in a society for people to finance a loan that they know is never actually going to be repaid and yet consider this to be a prudent form of saving?

— In our words · Source: The History of Money (David McWilliams)

[Use when]

Use when a 'crazy' debt instrument is actually a trust ritual.

[Why it matters]

Credit culture can treat known non-repayment as normal — trust is not optimism, it is a shared fiction with rules.

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