Integrity always gets my vote.
It will, indeed be hard to "equalise" reputation, or posts, like we do with money goods and services.
Can Steemit do something for the emotionally or morally bankrupt? Can it do something for farmers in Africa (to prevent corruption)? How practical is Steem?

I get lovejoy's idealism, and your broad definition of being in debt made me think long and hard. On some things there is no absolving of debt - although Catholics would beg to disagree.

So, every time you need to borrow something you have an IOU situation? I never looked at it like that. I always thought I was merely on neighbourly terms with the lawnmower example. Whole of life is one big debt, in that sense (and those who do karma work say so up front). Not everything can be levelled out, returned, paid off.

I sense some kind of inflation somewhere down the road with too many gifts never given/needed. I don't know enough about economics to know why it cannot work to not have an economy based on money, but I sense it can't: for one thing money keeps more subtle and sacred matters out of the nitty gritty. What if we were to cheapen our souls in barter?

The evaluators have all the power. Here is where we must change things, methinks. What are we going to value if not time (which per definition would make my post unequal to that of one quote copy/pasted? What is this currency symbolic of if also not energy? You can only reciprocate impeccability with impeccability. That leaves those in training out of the loop, creates new divisions, or gives us elders, which are not much on trend at the minute.

I don't want to sound Marxist, but how about if everybody had some of your million dollars to begin with instead of waiting for you to hand it out?
Just trying to think out loud with you.
I suppose you don't quite trust everybody would be as sensible with it as yourself? So we still need bank-managers in this ideal world?