Intro video english

Travel though the world of finance witht chatGPT. 

To prepare for using ChatGPT, we recommend that you read literature, familiarize yourself with the various topics and formulate specific questions.

In a small group, we will then show you how to use ChatGPT effectively. Just bring your own computer or smartphone on our date and let's learn together!

A student of the 21st century dives into the virtual world with his modern equipment. There he meets a philosopher whom he has long wanted to ask his opinion about money - Aristotle: "I wanted to ask your opinion about money. What role does it play in your time?"

The MoneyMuseum opens the curtain for an impressive group performance. The main actors? A carefully curated selection of significant books, organized into four sectors. They perform in the following categories: Aristotle's "Book of Ethics" and Petrarch's "Consolation Mirror" bring classical wisdom to the stage, while works from the era of upheaval in the early modern period, such as Misselden's Economic Book or writings from the Jesuit School of Salamanca, deliver a real drama of change.

But there is more! There enters the stage the new entrepreneurial type, illuminated by charismatic personalities like Stockalper of Valais and the famous East India Company of London. Last, but not least, the MoneyMuseum presents the modern money masters of our time.

These 15 works from four sectors are individually examined and commented. No question, it requires some time and effort, but don't worry! The MoneyMuseum team is ready to assist you in this adventurous journey through the centuries of financial history.

 

Once upon a time there was a small village called Money, located in a remote corner of the world. The inhabitants of this village were not like ordinary people. They were passionate about money and considered it the universal medium of exchange that ruled their lives. 

In this village, money was not just a means of buying goods and services, it was much more than that. It shaped their relationships with everything they owned or desired. It influenced their understanding of value and possessions and drove them to acquire more and more of them.

The inhabitants of this village were so dependent on money that they had to constantly compete to acquire it. They let other people make decisions about their work in order to earn money. The exclusion of goods and services was created by making them available only in exchange for money. It was a world of competition and rivalry.

Money had also shaped the nature of property and the process of buying and selling. The inhabitants considered things as private property, creating a special relationship between buyers and sellers based on exclusivity and exclusion.

The concept of credit had fundamentally shaped the existence and value of money. Money that existed as credit had to constantly prove itself as such and add value through acts of purchase. The inhabitants of money were masters in the use of credit and used it to increase their wealth.

Finance played a crucial role in money terms. It promoted the pursuit of profit and growth based on money. Securities that represented future profits were used to enhance this growth process. Inhabitants of money terms were constantly on the lookout for new ways to grow their money and increase their wealth.

But money not only had a material impact on the inhabitants of money, it also influenced their thinking and perception. They saw everything in quantifiable terms and viewed abstract concepts like exclusion and ownership through the lens of money. It separated them and connected them at the same time, requiring a special form of abstraction and shaping their understanding of the world and its relationships to one another.

Thus, the inhabitants of money lived in their own little world of money. They were proud to be part of this world and considered it the foundation of their lives. But sometimes they also wondered if there were other ways to create value and build relationships that were not based solely on money.

And so the story of money remains a constant dialogue between the power of money and the desire for a world that is not ruled by it alone. The question remains whether the inhabitants of Money will ever find a way to break out of the shackles of money and discover a new way of living together. But until then, they will continue to live in their little world of money and be guided by it.

A parable is a short instructional narrative that you, the reader, must decode. The parable tells a story that you can apply to real life and learn a lesson from.

Immerse yourself in the world of parables based on the renowned Zurich Bible. This collection of parables is not only a tribute to the Holy Scriptures, but also an tribute to Zwingli and his circle of translators.

We have prepared seven parables for you, including Matthew 25: the parable of money entrusted, Matthew 20: the parable of justice, and Luke 12: the parable of hoarding.

So, make yourself comfortable with a cup of tea or coffee and let these parables surprise and inspire you. Discover the wisdom and beauty hidden in each line.

These parables are not just for Bible enthusiasts or literature lovers. They are meant for anyone who is willing to embark on a journey of money and spirit. So don't hesitate! And have fun.

To the beat of money, that's what you could call the song of our modern society. Whether you like to dance, play an instrument, or tinker with an engine, beat is ubiquitous today. Just like money in today's society. At first glance, the two have nothing to do with each other, but a closer look reveals a fascinating parallel.

Humans have probably always had a sense of rhythm. Even in the Stone Age, our ancestors drummed on skins and stones to tell their stories and praise their gods. But it wasn't until around 1600 that rhythm began to be measured in beats without exception in Europe, that is, to divide time by beats at regular intervals. Today we know almost no other form of rhythm.

Was it a coincidence that modern markets and capitalism came into being at about the same time, and that money has set the rhythm for everything ever since? There is a close connection between the emergence of our modern sense of rhythm and the rise of capitalism.

An interesting and well-researched thesis by Eske Bockelmann that shows us how deeply money really pervades us, right into our innermost being. The genesis of modernity. Let this thought sink in, without prejudice.

In archaic communities, people depend for their life and survival on the community into which they are born. Conversely, the continuation of the community depends on the individual members, their contributions and their behavior. Therefore, it is important to provide for good relations and this includes a proper balance among each other -- for good and for bad.

The giving of gifts plays an important role in this. Gifts are part of and express something broader, a ritual or a very specific occasion, such as a visit to a friendly community. They are not optional, and one must know well the customs within a community. One must know to whom and in what situation a very specific shell may and may not be presented. One also knows what happens if one does not follow the customs.

If someone causes harm to another by hurting him, it is a matter of making up for the damage. This is where archaic payment comes into play. For example, if the parties agree that the payment of a spear and three pigs will compensate for the loss of an eye, then appropriate compensation has been made.

Payments in the positive sense are primarily about honoring or rewarding, about recognition and attention. This ranges from small services or favors in everyday life to the presentation of the bride's payment at marriage or the ritual distribution of means of payment at funerals.

At the MoneyMuseum we show you many objects that were used as gifts and as archaic payment.

The two videos about gifts and archaic paymentin the MoneyMuseum online will further your understanding of this topic. I would like to invite you to watch both videos in preparation for a joint discussion.

• Video (subtitles): Culture of Gifts 
• Video (subtitles): Archaic means of Payment 

IIn this explanatory video, we discuss the apparent contradictions of money in our society.

On the one hand, money enables access to resources and services, thus creating participation. On the other hand, however, it also creates exclusion, because those who do not have money are denied access. Thus, the possession of money is not only an expression of participation, but also of power.

The desperate search for the self

And so we are all in a constant search, driven by the hope that through achievement, through consumption, through status and possessions, through the accumulation of money, we can form a tangible, solid self. We experience an alienation that is not only derived from money logic and its social effects, but is constantly reinforced.

Abstract society as a consequence of money

The society that is mediated and shaped by money is therefore abstract. It is abstract because it is not based on community and togetherness, but on separation and isolation, on competition and exclusion. It is a society of the isolated, in which everyone is for himself and against everyone else.

The eternal conflict between individual and society

The history of money-mediated society is a history of perpetual conflict between the individual and society, between the self and others. It is a story of striving and failure, of victory and defeat, of loneliness and alienation.

Yet, despite all the difficulties that money-mediated society brings, it remains an integral part of our reality. It is the stage on which we play out our lives.

The Conclusion

Money-mediated society, with all its contradictions, conflicts and alienations, is not the end, but a starting point. It challenges us to engage with it, to understand and question it.

And perhaps it is in this challenge that lies the possibility of discovering ourselves and becoming who we really are: namely, not isolated individuals, but part of a living, ever-changing and evolving community of people.

We highly recommend the three short videos on Individual, Society and Environment. In our discussions about money and social literature, these three topics usually always come up. They always place the discussions in a larger context.

• Video (with subtitles): The Individual
• Video (with subtitles): The money-mediated society
• Video (with subtitles): The Environment

Eske Bockelmann delves into the phenomenon of money in his work "Money. What it is that rules us” where he unravels its deeply rooted role in our society.

Money rules the world, and the world it rules threatens to end in disaster - socially and environmentally.

But why does money rule the course of the world in the first place? What is it about money that makes even the most powerful governments stand at attention?

In his account of how money came into the world, Eske Bockelmann shows, contrary to today's common beliefs, that this particular medium of exchange only became established in late medieval Europe. Even though markets and coins existed before that.

With an unusually close look at the history and ethnology of economic activity, he elaborates on the differences with pre-monetary communities and their social cohesion without money.

He illuminates the establishment of the market economy in the free cities of the later Middle Ages up to the bursting of the first financial bubble.

This derivation of money also succeeds in solving the seemingly eternal riddle: what money is in the first place - and how it is related to value and capital, speculation and crisis, state and society. 

What sets Bockelmann's work apart from many others is his openness and transparency in the research process. By accessing primary sources, readers:inside not only receive the end result of his analysis, but can also follow his thought process. This stimulates critical thinking and encourages readers to question their own beliefs and ideas about money. 

The Money Work book summarizes Bockelmann's extensive book and provides a condensed introduction to a complex topic. 

Courtesy by White Eagle, a US English teacher (learn English through story)

The film “The Million Pound Note” (1954) is a British comedy film based on the Mark Twain short story “The Million Pound Bank Note”. In this film, two wealthy brothers, Oliver and Roderick Montpelier, engage in a bet. They give a randomly chosen poor man (Henry Adams, played by Gregory Peck) a one million pound note to see whether he can survive for a month without spending it.

Once upon a time, in the heart of London, there existed a peculiar piece of paper. This was no ordinary piece of paper, mind you. It was a note, a bank note to be precise, and not just any bank note. It was a one million pound note. Yes, you read that right - one million pounds! Now, this wasn't your Monopoly money or some counterfeit cash. This was the real deal.

This million pound note was the star of an intriguing tale that unfolded in the 1954 British comedy film "The Million Pound Note". The film was an adaptation of Mark Twain's short story "The Million Pound Bank Note". The plot revolved around two wealthy brothers, Oliver and Roderick Montpelier, who were as eccentric as they were rich.

One day, while sipping their afternoon tea and munching on crumpets, they decided to engage in a bet. Not your usual wager on horse races or cricket matches. This bet involved a poor man and their precious one million pound note.

Enter Henry Adams, played by the dashing Gregory Peck. Henry was as poor as a church mouse but had more charm than James Bond at a cocktail party. The Montpelier brothers randomly chose him for their experiment and handed him the million pound note.

The bet? To see if Henry could survive for an entire month without spending the note. Sounds easy enough, right? But remember, we're talking about London here - a city where even breathing seems to cost money.

As Henry embarked on this peculiar journey with his million pound companion tucked safely in his pocket, he discovered something extraordinary. Despite not spending a single penny from the note, he found himself living like royalty. Shopkeepers refused to take his money, tailors stitched him suits for free and restaurants served him lavish meals - all because they believed he was an incredibly wealthy man who carried around a million pound note!

The film brilliantly captured the irony of wealth and perception with its witty dialogue and comedic situations. It showed how people's attitudes changed towards Henry once they believed he was rich. The once penniless man was now rubbing shoulders with aristocrats and even caught the eye of a beautiful socialite.

In essence, "The Million Pound Note" is more than just a comedy film or an adaptation of Mark Twain's story. It's a social commentary on wealth and class distinctions wrapped up in humour and satire.

And what happened to Henry Adams at the end? Well, let's just say he learned that sometimes having money can be more trouble than it's worth! But don't take my word for it - watch "The Million Pound Note" yourself.