The Ascent of Money (PBS Documentary)

Extremely interesting documentary, available fully online for a LIMITED TIME ONLY. Had I studied it a bit more, I probably would fully understand this financial crisis we're going through; it does a fantastic job of explaining the past, present and future of our economic situation. As for the past/present, I know NOTHING about economics... but the general gist I'm getting from it is "interest is evil." Go figure! Islam fo' lyfe.

I honestly hadn't been that interested in watching it to start, but in the end, it proved extremely informative. Take a look at the preview and, if you're interested, watch the full documentary here while you can.

Thanks for the linkage, deel.

"About the film":

One week before a new President who campaigned on a promise to fix the economy takes office, public media provider WNET.ORG is putting the meaning of money into context – where it came from, where it goes, and why it has always been (and always will be) the fulcrum of civilization. THE ASCENT OF MONEY, a two-hour documentary based on the newly-released book The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World (Penguin Group USA), will premiere on Tuesday, January 13 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). The film is written and presented by the bestselling author, economist, historian, and Harvard professor Niall Ferguson. An expanded, four-hour version of THE ASCENT OF MONEY will air on PBS later in 2009.

In THE ASCENT OF MONEY, Ferguson – whose series War of the World garnered critical attention last summer – traces the evolution of money and demonstrates that financial history is the essential back-story behind all history. “Everyone needs to understand the complex history of money and our relationship to it,” he says. “By learning how societies have continually created and survived financial crises, we can find solid solutions to today’s worldwide economic emergency.” As he traverses historic financial hot spots around the world, Ferguson illuminates fundamental economic concepts and speaks with leading experts in the financial world.