Thog's Guide to Quantum Economics: 50,000 Years of Accounting Basics for the Future by Mike Brown (2005-01-01)

A philosophical and historical exploration of why accounting is central to any society based on commerce.

The book tells the story of a charming 50,000-year-old family of hunter-gatherer-recordkeepers – the Thogs – who describe how they invented or discovered the essential elements for measuring economic activities. Their story reminds today's accountants and those involved in financial reporting that the past holds much accounting wisdom for the future. While it is a work of scientific fiction, the story in general is historically accurate. Writing and arithmetic, for example, were first invented for bookkeeping.

In telling their story, the Thogs teach a team of real-life cutting-edge complexity scientists how back-to-basics accounting is vital to their agent-based economic modeling. Together, Thogs and scientists offer a glimpse of how to reformulate economics using ideas from physics and biology. The book is a light-hearted read, but it suggests that a serious breakthrough is on the horizon: the ability to test the consequences of our financial and accounting regulations in virtual reality before trying them out on you and me