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06758_Field_TCUM T323.txt
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1996-04-10
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having its function increasingly transferred to science and
automation.
Today, even natural resources have an informational
aspect. They exist by virtue of the culture and skill of some
community. The reverse, however, is true also. All media—or
extensions of man—are natural resources that exist by virtue
of the shared knowledge and skill of a community. It was
awareness of this aspect of money that hit Robinson Crusoe
very hard when he visited the wreck, resulting in the meditation
quoted at the beginning of this chapter.
When there are goods but no money, some sort of
barter—or direct exchange of one product for another—has to
occur. When, however, in nonliterate societies goods are used in
direct exchange, then it is easiest to note their tendency to