MovieChat Forums > In Time (2011) Discussion > Sustainability of the time-currency

Sustainability of the time-currency

posted 11 years ago by B-J-C
13 replies | jump to latest

Consider this. For simplicity's sake, imagine there are ten people in this society, each has just turned 25 and their clocks have just started ticking, giving them each one year. In order for one person to gain 9 years and live to 35, he would have to kill the other 9 people. No matter how much they transfer and exchange their time, they only have 10 years between themselves.

The only way new time enters the system is when someone reaches 25, then one year is added. But that person also needs their own time. So they must either take time from somebody else, or die. Sylvia Weis, for example, was given 10 years to 'celebrate' when her clock started. Then after that time is spent, either by naturally passing or by purchasing goods and services, she'll need more. The entire time, her time is counting down, as well as the rest of the time of whoever gave it to her, as well as everyone else in society. So the larger the population, the more the time is spread out, and the faster the entire world's balance of time depletes.

'The poor' are not an infinite producer of people to steal time from. If the rich continue stealing from the poor, they'll eventually wipe them out. Then the rich will just have themselves to share time between. Every new baby born will only add one year to the economy when they reach 25, but will themselves want to live as long as everyone else. Logically, eventually, time will expire for everybody until there's just one person left, then they'll die when their time runs out.

Imagine that everybody has exactly one bank account, and it loses exactly a dollar a day. The money doesn't go anywhere, it just disappears from the economy. And every time someone turns 25, $365 is automatically reproduced and put into their account. Not accounting for spending it, that money will disappear from circulation completely after one year. Sure, they can get a job and earn more money. But from where? Their employer's balance is depleting at exactly the same rate as theirs.

I'm not an expert on economics, but I fail to understand how such a system could be sustainable.

[–] LaZedBoy 9 years ago

You're right. Imagine a society where the currency gets used up as time elapses (like it does in this society), and never gets replenished. It couldn't work.

So, there must be some kind of central bank that "creates" currency. This is important when people do their job; they add value to society, and so the central bankers can afford to raise the amount of money in the system by the value of the work that they do. So, somewhere, there's someone or some program, that just adds currency into the system. If everyone's always down to their last day and there are time millionaires, being a millionaire means killing off a million of your clients. Big business hates that. Kill them, sure, but sloooowwwwwlllyyy, like parasites (eg banks, big tobacco, alcohol & fast food. I enjoyed my McD's breakfast this morning).

If I was ever down to my last day, I would be in a complete panic. Too many things can surprise you, like we saw in the film. There would be an important niche for insurance companies or Money Mart to offer you the assurance that when you get down to some low threshhold, they'll put you back to a safe level for a big IOU.

Spock! Form an away team! You, me, Bones, Scotty and umm... Ensign Smith!