The altruistic behavior of ants is fascinating: a worker ant collects food and fights predators while giving up a chance to reproduce for its entire life, sacrificing its own genetic future for the sake of the nest. Collectively, ants form what is called a “superorganism.” Agents of superorganisms act in concert to produce a beneficial result for the whole. Such devoted members allow a superorganism to have individuals who are specialized to the point where they cannot survive on their own. Even the queen ant needs the help of the others: she has a belly full of eggs that represent the future of the nest but cannot hunt or protect herself well enough to ensure their survival. By relying on each other, the ant nest can thrive: one queen can single-handedly give birth to the whole colony, and the other ants can provide shelter, food, and protection for themselves and for her as well. Working together, a superorganism has a far better chance of survival than an individual.
Humans are not as specialized or devoted to the whole as the members of a superorganism. Nevertheless, our society still manages to emphasize specialization and allow individuals to work collectively as a social organism. Our secret is the use of markets.
Markets let us evolve beyond the limits of our DNA. They allow individuals to specialize and society to optimize for productivity. Instead of everyone having to be good at everything, everyone can become good at whatever they do best, and trade with others who do the same. A skilled farmer can focus on producing food while relying on others to produce clothing, equipment, and other necessities, which are purchased from the proceeds of farming. While we may work selfishly, markets let us exchange our production and benefit from each other.
Humans are trading animals. A market collects the limited capabilities of individuals and expands our horizon of possibilities. A team of a thousand can build a rocket even when no single person would ever be able to make one.
If our society is a single organism, its markets are the genome, and trade is how it evolves through natural selection. By rewarding desirable products and punishing undesirable ones in the market, we encourage increased production of what is wanted, which collectively evolves into even more desirable versions. This is how we evolve faster, going beyond genetic limits.
This is how we see currency: a tool for societal natural selection. A sound currency should enable efficient trade for society. It lets us collectively push our boundaries and lets our species progress faster. On the other hand, an unsound currency flows inefficiently and accumulates against the will of the market. Such a stagnant market holds back progress instead of encouraging it.
Hence, our vision is to create a sound currency for everyone. We will remove the limits of time, space, and market boundaries to accelerate the evolution of our society for the betterment of all.
