Big Ideas

The history of money — with Irish economist David McWilliams

11 snips
Feb 5, 2026
David McWilliams, Irish economist and author of The History of Money, explains money as a social technology. He traces money’s rise with writing, maths and cities. He links coinage to Greek thought, explores zero and bookkeeping, critiques crypto, and celebrates innovations like M-Pesa — ending with a playful take on dance clubs as signs of advanced civilization.
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INSIGHT

Urbanization Drove Money And Maths

  • Urbanization after the Ice Age triggered inventions: money, writing and mathematics evolved together.
  • These social technologies solved the problems of coordinating far larger populations.
INSIGHT

Monetization Enabled Greek Thought

  • The Greeks became the first fully monetized society and that monetization fuelled numeracy and rational thought.
  • McWilliams links monetization to the rise of Greek philosophy, science and democracy.
INSIGHT

Religion As A Counter to Monetary Upheaval

  • Christianity may have arisen as a counter-narrative to money's disruption and social mobility.
  • Jesus's message appealed to those who lost status as money reshaped society.
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