#31 Fletcher Christian – I wouldn’t define a bank as non-productive. And ethics has nothing to do with institutions; ethics is an individual responsibility.

A bank gathers money from investors and then, invests that money by loaning it to someone..to develop some commidity. That is, a bank or set of investors funds the future infrastructure of a society. What’s wrong with that? It can fund low-risk or high-risk ventures. Therefore, this function – the act of financially supporting the future – is highly productive.

How does a society support its continuity and its robust existence in the future? It must gather surplus from its current activities and use it to invest in the future. In an agricultural economy, this can mean saving grain seeds to plant next year, ensuring that animals reproduce and are healthy. It can mean making a profit to invest, as a community, in a road. In an industrial economy, it can mean funding a new research centre to develop treatments for diseases. Or to develop more productive farms.

So- I might be missing some vital outlook, but I see banks, or investment activities, as vital to a strong society.