Economic Dialogue Types
SeeTheDollars can be used in three ways, each one having its own merit.
The three ways depend on whether the dollar paths, the money pumps, or both, are included in the visualizations.
The first is when both the dollar path and the money pump are included in a diagram and the money pump has a link to a separate page that describes the conditions that create the money flow. I call this a fully illustrated economic thought because the diagram has all that you need to know.
The second is when the money pump is missing. Then the diagram is a wish. Somebody has to figure out how that particular money flow can become a reality and add a money pump with its contents.
The third is when the dollar path is missing. That covers practically all the economic literature today. For example, Adam Smith’s book "The Wealth of Nations" falls in this category. The book has a myriad of money pump descriptions but no dollar paths. This is understandable because SeeTheDollars did not exist in 1776. If it existed, the title might have been “The Dollar Paths of Nations” and the readership might have been considerably larger.
But you don’t have to agree with anybody’s money flow diagram. You can also use SeeTheDollars and create your own diagrams. That’s when the dialogue starts. The diagrams are saved and can be readily compared. You can email the original author a file with your diagrams. Then he or she can email back to you a file with comments.
SeeTheDollars is a very powerful communication tool.