Libre Currencies
URL = http://en.trm.creationmonetaire.info/
Description
Sybille Saint Girons and Carole Fabre:
"Libre-as-freedom currency proposes a monetary design respecting the four economic freedoms (as the four principles of Libre software) defined by Stéphane Laborde in “The [[Relative Theory of Money]]”:
- 1. Freedom of choice of currencies and accounting methodologies;
- 2. Freedom to access resources;
- 3. Freedom to produce;
- 4. Freedom to exchange and determine prices.
Libre-currency proposes a self-issuance, or co-creation of units by the people of the monetary
system for the people. Calculated on a mathematical equation with three variables: number of
human members alive, their average lifespan and monetary mass, it ensures symmetry on
space and time. As no material value is absolute in space and time, Libre-currency is rooted on
our unique common value among humans on Earth: being alive on Earth!
Symmetry in space: at a time T, everyone wherever he is, co-creates its part of money at the same amount. Symmetry in time: an old generation could not co-issue more than the next, and the next more than the former. Therefore it’s sustainable as it’s valuable for everyone everywhere; no one can deprive others even next generations. Respect, innocuity and sovereignty are embedded in the DNA of Libre-currency, as every human member is an equal co-creator of the currency, independently of its production, unconditionally of its status. People are co-producing their universal dividend because they are humans alive. Organizations can also be part of the monetary system but they aren’t co-issuing units, only trading.
As Bitcoin, Libre-currency algorithm generates monetary units. But unlike data mining, here algorithm relies on the three variables; unlike proof-of-work, it’s people’s proof-of-life that determines recurrent and periodical creation of units (per day, week, month...). Thus each human member’s wallet increases evenly according to the universal dividend co-created. Then members, human or organizations, can use their units to sell and buy among them as any currency. A blockchain ledger records either recurrent issuances or transactions exchanges.
According to experimentations, issuing money with Libre-currency creates favourable conditions to behave toward social changes and sustainability, as it’s intrinsically fair, abundant, transparent and decentralised. People are responsible, equal and free, and Libre-currency insures durability and reliability.
Moreover each monetary community self-manages its Libre-currency. The only needs are a way to regularly validate that people are alive meaning having a “proof-of-life” mechanism (e.g. through web-of-trust-certification process) and a Libre-currency-algorithm-blockchain. Yet Libre-currency is only solving monetary issuance, other mechanisms have to be set by the members (prices, taxes, finances, marketplaces…)." (http://www.valeureux.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IV-CIMSC-Free-currency-4-17-ENG-ok.pdf)
Characteristics
Sybille Saint Girons and Carole Fabre:
- Choosing currencies and accounting methods
- voluntary adoption
- customizable accountability
- Accessing resources
- equal issuance for all members
- equal use for all members
Anyone is at an equal distance from the money resource, issuance is symmetrical to facilitate the access to other resources.
- Producing
- Issuance not correlated to any production
- Usage without control of exchanged production.
Individual members co-produce the dividend only because they are alive on Earth and are free to produce.
- Exchanging and defining prices
- free exchanges between members
- free prices between Member
Individuals and groups exchange what they wish following current paramonetary rules.
Not intrinsically backed to any scale of values "
(http://www.valeureux.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IV-CIMSC-Free-currency-4-17-ENG-ok.pdf)
Examples
Three experimentations have been done (MONEY M, OPEN-UDC, UCOIN now DUNITER), three software are developed (CESIUM web, SAKIA client, XXX android) and three Implementations are running (MONEY M pioneer C2C, REAL-NET open worldwide B2B2C2C, SOUS local B2B2C).
Game “Trading Floor” (or its fork Ğeconomicus) is comparing Free-currency mechanisms with Debt-currency, allowing players to confront quantitative and qualitative outcomes and attitudes change (metrics would be presented). Furthermore players become aware of their own behaviours in their exchanges depending on the currency used."
Discussion
"The Libre currency based on the "Relative Theory of Money" satisfies the four economic freedoms thus providing favourable conditions for an economy at the service of all and perennial in time. Freedom to exchange, account and display prices "in the currency" is ensured by free exchanges between members at free prices.
Freedom of evaluation and production of any economic value is sustained by issuance unrelated to any production and by freedom for all to produce or not.
The freedom to use resources is protected by the equidistance of everyone from the source of emission of the currency resource. This symmetry facilitates access to other resources. This freedom establishes in particular the principle of economic relativity as the essence of its approach, by the mechanism of temporal and spatial symmetry.
Freedom to choose one's monetary system is guaranteed by the voluntary adoption and customization of accounting displays.
The human currency co-creator by its presence on Earth is the basis of the units issuance equations. This gives at the same time a mathematical and objective reliability since the formulas are factual, and a quantum leap!
The exchange currency is "cost nothing" except to be alive.
Philosophically this goes beyond the original sin anathema setting us in a paradigm of a benevolent universe where we do not have to pay to exist, where we receive a "manna" as a means of exchanging with our fellows. The effort will be free, produce, buy, sell, dream, live ... and free communities will be able to organize if they wish to define extra-monetary rules for the Commons, planetary ecology, agriculture, share living, etc.
The various experiments have set up the technological infrastructures necessary for the use of a Libre currency. Monnaie M has opened the way with a basic experiment of exchanges between individuals, Duniter and its cryptocurrency Ğ1 opens the way, with a solid P2P exchanges architecture, on a larger scale.
The variety of complexity and security experienced in the projects makes it possible to better understand the risks and to imagine parades. Security is paramount because a unique identity must be guaranteed throughout a human life for each individual member. This is not easy to secure, and can be done with different technologies and none is perfect to this day. The transaction register must also be protected as in any system.
Adaptability must be ensured to take into account in particular disparities in life expectancy. Technology too is not enough, it can drift by its constraints, it is necessary to remain vigilant. Ğeconomicus game experiences reinforce the hypothesis that a sufficient, transparent and symmetrical currency generates more wealth, more productivity, more cooperation and more wellbeing. Today the official currencies have characteristics that lead us to competition, including scarcity, opacity and asymmetry. The debt currency game round is its exact reflection.
Ğeconomicus allows us to simulate, understand, experiment and thus bring new people into the current monetary community.
We have seen that our behavior differs according to the monetary architecture in the game, we will see in the first phase of exploration of the currency Ğ1 if this hypothesis is verified and we will also see if we can know how to harmonize our libre values.
The primary benefit of the Libre currency is therefore to provide the favorable conditions, in terms of monetary infrastructure, to the emergence of cooperative behaviors towards more sustainability. Infrastructures, or architectures, influence us, and therefore our currency influences us. Freedoms satisfied, symmetrical equality of issuance, clarity of rules reinforces sovereignty, the capacity to act, and encourages to stop judging others and their productions. Implementing in a safe technology, trust will have every chance to flourish.
Our intention is to support conditions conducive to healthy and free behaviors.
We are curious to observe the use of this currency in order to answer a few outstanding questions:
- Will the effect of the Ğeconomicus game be seen in the first exploratory phase of Ğ1?
- Are we going to make ourselves poor by putting prices inaccessible?
- Are we going to recreate distrust? Or will we allow ourselves to be gentle, cooperative, caring?
Changing money means changing the inegalitarian world. Establishing a basic income is about
achieving equity and human dignity. Libre currency is the most elegant and easy-to-implement
unconditional basic income. Without governments, politicians, states, and bankers, we can today
allow ourselves to live with dignity, freedom and without affecting future generations by our choices
of the present."
(http://www.valeureux.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IV-CIMSC-Free-currency-4-17-ENG-ok.pdf)
More information
- How to implement the Libre currency?, http://www.valeureux.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IV-CIMSC-Free-currency-4-17-ENG-ok.pdf
● Stéphane Laborde blog http://creationmonetaire.info ● “Théorie Relative de la monnaie”, Stéphane Laborde http://en.trm.creationmonetaire.info/ (French http://trm.creationmonetaire.info/TheorieRelativedelaMonnaie.pdf) ○ Explanation for kids http://cuckooland.free.fr/TheRtmForTheKids.html ○ Visual explanation http://cuckooland.free.fr/TheRtmInColor.html ● Map “Exchange currency setup”# from Sybille @Valeureux recherches http://www.valeureux.org/blog/2016/10/17/les-reglages-dune-monnaie/ ● Money M https://merome.net/blog/index.php?post/2013/01/16/Monnaie-M ● Duniter http://duniter.org ● Historical Duniter and applications : https://moul.re/blog/ ● Metabrouzouf money : https://duniter.org/fr/bye-metabrouzouf#quelqueschiffres ● Web of trust : https://duniter.org/fr/introduction-a-la-toile-de-confiance ● Technical discussions on WOT : https://forum.duniter.org/t/etude-de-la-wot/977 ● Currency Le Sou http://www.le-sou.org/ ● Mouvement Français du Revenu de Base http://Revenudebase.info ● Thomas Paine http://lanredec.free.fr/polis/agjustice_tr.html quoted in Senat session http://www.senat.fr/rap/r16-035/r16-03523.html ● Ğeconomicus game : http://Ğeconomicus.glibre.org/ and https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0UDqLtXevvHY5rAyFtql5931VqYyRaoK ● Trading Floor game : http://www.valeureux.org/blog/le-jeu-de-la-corbeille