The Natural Order of Money by Roy Sebag – A Refreshing Look at What Money Really Is

Sebag approaches money differently. He doesn't treat it as just an economic tool. He looks at it as something shaped by natural order — rooted in energy, physics, and human behavior.

The core argument: money should represent real energy and real production. When it doesn't — when it becomes purely abstract — systems break down. Sebag traces how gold and commodity-based money emerged naturally because they embodied stored energy and effort. Fiat currency, by contrast, is a social agreement disconnected from physical reality.

What I found compelling was the thermodynamic lens. Sebag connects money to the laws of energy conservation. Money that can be created from nothing violates the natural order the same way perpetual motion machines do. It's a provocative framing that made me think about inflation, debt, and monetary policy in physical terms rather than purely economic ones.

Where It Works

The book is original. Most money books recycle the same Austrian vs. Keynesian debates. Sebag sidesteps both and builds from first principles grounded in physics and natural systems. That fresh perspective alone makes it worth reading.

Where It Struggles

The writing can be dense. Sebag is clearly a deep thinker, but the prose sometimes gets lost in abstraction. Some arguments feel more philosophical than practical, and readers looking for actionable financial advice won't find it here. This is a book about understanding money, not managing it.

I also think the gold-centric conclusion is too neat. Sebag makes a strong case for commodity-backed money, but the modern financial system's complexity doesn't reduce as cleanly as the book suggests.

Still, if you're interested in what money actually is — beyond what economics textbooks tell you — this is a thought-provoking read. It challenged assumptions I didn't know I had.