ECONOMICS FOR REAL PEOPLE: What is Money? [updated]

Here’s this week’s update from our friends at the UoA Economics Group:

Hi all,

What is money? What are these bits of paper we carry in our pockets, or these days is reflected digitally in our bank accounts? To understand this we need to look first at its historical context and how it has evolved over the centuries.
An understanding of the nature of money is important for any serious student of economics since money forms one half of every transaction. If the quality of an economy's money is undermined then that economy will experience difficulties.
This week we shall discuss some historical cases when the quality of money was undermined or even destroyed. What can we learn from these episodes, when today we see monetary inflation rising to levels not seen for many years?

    Time: 6:00pm
    Date: Tuesday 27 September
    Location: Case Room 1, Level 0, University of Auckland Business School

Look forward to seeing you tonight.

UPDATE:  So you think that money is the root of all evil … ?