(November 21, 2015 at 6:59 pm)AFTT47 Wrote: Gold is very rare in Earth's crust and is very expensive to harvest. It has extremely useful properties for electronics. It is the fourth-best conductor of electricity (behind silver, copper and aluminum) but doesn't tarnish. That makes it great for electronics connections in high-reliability applications. Gold-plated connectors are not subject to corrosion.
I agree with you regarding the superficial value of gold and diamonds but as others have pointed out, value in a capitalistic system is determined by what someone with the capital is willing to pay. It won't necessarily be driven by practicality or enlightenment.
I can live with the impractical side of my species, you have to to some extent. But our climate of global greed needs to be challenged because that lack of pragmatism is hurting resources we do need because of pollution and climate change.
I am thrilled for example, that you have Bill Gates openly siding with climate change scientists, and saying that the private sector is inept, the same sector he made his billions from. I think the key is to get more rich people globally like him to foster a better climate of business globally.
No unfortunately supply and demand do not have to be need based. Supply and demand can be depending on product, based on popularity and image. You will never get rid of all impractical crap, but we certainly can do better as a species work to better priorities. Much like the auto industry threw a fit over seat belts but learned they could make money selling them as a plus.
