One of the more lofty (and hypothetically achievable in this-day-and-age) visions provided by Star Trek is the concept of the non-monetary-based society.

How that society operates on a day-to-day basis isn’t entirely fleshed-out in the series, but we’re given the impression that people work in pursuit of their interests - whether they be art, science, sports, the academy or anything else - purely because they are interested in them (or a sense of duty calls the person to that particular line of work). No one career results in any greater societal position than any other; personal achievement (and the possibility of resulting fame) still exist, but as a rule every individual is monetarily equal to every other individual.

This always struck me as a particularity idealistic concept, and being a bit of an idealist myself I’ve often wondered about how we might get there.

The obvious (within-genre) answer is that all we need to do is invent the replicator and then make them widely available. If every single member of a society was able to replicate (nearly) any sort of inorganic object they want simply by asking a nifty box in the wall, it’s easy to see how the idea of “money as a means to get things” would rapidly fall by the wayside.

Barring the sudden invention of the replicator, however, it seems to me that we’d need some way to transition from our current system towards one less focused on personal/corporate profit. This intermediary system would need to keep as much of our current capitalist system intact as possible, but still be a real step towards removing money from the equation.

One (possible) approach towards this end would be to redirect “excess” profits back towards society at large. So, for example, we could limit personal/corporate earnings such that only 10% of their net income (after all expenditures - including R&D - have been paid for) would be allowed to be kept. Everything over and above that 10% mark would be redirected towards charities and other non-profit organizations (or certain branches of the state/federal government, like the education system).

Now, I am by no means an economist and have no idea of such a thing would ever possibly work…

But interestingly, it looks like someone - namely Jacquie Berglund - had a very similar idea and decided that rather than just thinking about it, she would actually pull together a business plan and put it to the test.

And with that I would like to introduce Finnegans Irish Amber - the only beer for which 100% of profits are donated to local charities. That’s right; it’s an entirely non-profit beer (they even threw out that whole idea of keeping 10% for themselves!).

Since 2003, Jacquie’s recipe has been brewed by the Summit Brewing Company, and while I tend to be more a fan of dark beer, I find Finnegans to be rather tasty: brewed from potatoes with a touch of hops and lightly carbonated, it drinks easily and has a nice, slightly dry finish.

So, both on principle and because it’s a pretty good brew, I fully intend Finnegans to be my new beer of choice going forward. And of course, I’d also encourage you to swing by your local liquor store and try one for yourself. If you do, then cheers to a beer with a beer that represents one small step towards a non-monetary-based society! :-)

2 Responses To “Finnegans Irish Amber”

1. nhelder   2008.10.08, 9:54 am
   

   After noticing that Finnegans Irish Amber is brewed with potatoes, I checked the bottle and then the six-pack cardboard carton for an ingredient list but came up empty. Feeling adventurous, I fired off an email to the contact address on the Finnegans home page, asking if their amber was a gluten-free beer (which would mean my dad could also enjoy it).

   Considering it was around 7pm when that message went out, and because it was sent to a publiccontact address (seems it’s always hit-or-miss with those things), I wasn’t really expecting a response anytime too soon. Lo and behold, it was only a half hour later that none other than the president and co-founder Finnegans, Jacquie Berglund, responded. (And nope, it’s not gluten free.)

   In the emails that have since followed, I’ve learned some additional details behind the history of both the brew and the community fund that Finnegans provides, and as a result have updated the last 4 or so blocks of text of the original post. Enjoy!

2. nhelder   2008.10.21, 4:09 pm
   

   Neat, I’ve been syndicated!

   

   …from: http://finnegansfamily.org/

Post A Response