'The Social Ontology of Money' - Frank Hindriks @ InConversation

In this interview, Frank tackles a fundamental question: Is money an object? While paper currency is typically viewed as a tangible, material entity, this characterization becomes problematic in the case of electronic money. John Searle argues that institutional statuses—such as money and property—are imposed upon concrete objects. Yet he treats electronic money as an exception, contending that, since it is instantiated through computer systems, its status as money is not imposed on any physical substrate. This enigmatic claim, however, leaves its ontological status unclear. Frank therefore examines four alternatives to the view that money must always be a concrete object: it might instead be an abstract object, or a property of an agent. A further two possibilities are that (1) money is a concrete object in some cases and an abstract object in others, or (2) it is concrete in some contexts and a property of an agent in others. To assess the plausibility of these options, the discussion turns to the broader nature and functions of institutions. A debate follows the interview.