Will the Elimination of Money Lead Us to a "Star Trek" Society?

Have you ever noticed in all those episodes of the Star Trek television show, as well as in the Star Trek movies that the characters never use money?

As Jean-Luc Picard said in the movie "Star Trek: First Contact": "The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity."

What a lovely sentiment, to be sure. But wouldn't it be nice if we could live in such a society?

Is such a society even possible?

For the sake of examination, let's look at some pros and cons of living in a cashless society.

Suspending reality momentarily, let's say the world is now operating on an advanced card system. People earn "credits" or "points" on their personal cards. These credits or points are now used to pay for goods and services.

Pro: A cashless society would cut down on cash-motivated crime.

Con: A cashless society will not completely eliminate greed-based crimes. Regardless of the technology used, there will always be those who figure out a way to beat the system.

Pro: A stolen or lost card cannot be used because personal information on the card is individual, encrypted and has a personal pin number and possibly DNA or fingerprints attached. It could not be used by anyone other than the person it was issued to.

Con: Identity theft would still be possible and techno-crime would certainly be on the rise.

Pro: Were this information to be contained on a microchip implanted in the skin, it becomes nearly impossible to steal without doing bodily harm. But why steal a microchip you can't use?

Con: Again, identity theft would still be possible and new techno-crimes would be invented to get around personal information. And, if people do try and steal the microchip, it would have to be by murder.

Pro: One global economy. Credits or points would be the same regardless of what country they are used in.

Con: Though the credits and points would have the same value throughout the world, prices would vary from one country to the next. Where you may spend two credits in the United States for a cup of coffee, you may have to fork over ten credits for the same cup of coffee in, say, France. And there are those who believe that one global economy is a sign of the anti-Christ.

Pro: A cashless society would have the power to eradicate poverty.

Con: Just as paper money is not distributed equally, neither will the credits or points be distributed equally. It's as if the world cannot operate without a universal caste system centering around society's idea of wealth. Equal distribution of credits and points wouldn't sit well with those who wish to remain in, or take control of, seats of power.

The biggest question about a cashless society: Would a cashless society be enough to encourage humankind to work for the greater good?

We may yet go where no man has gone before.

Live long and prosper.