Quote:
What we are seeing now is a global reassessment of wealth based on actual value. Contrary to popular belief, "value" is a more complex concept than the simplistic idea that something is worth whatever someone else is willing to pay; it must also be considered in terms of its true cost. This applies to services as well as material goods.


Actually value is defined as whatever someone else is willing to pay. There is no other way to value things. Think about real estate, houses in Detroit,MI are selling for very low amounts (like $1 on Ebay). It would probably be easy to find an example of a house there that is selling for less than material cost.

So the issue isn't that we are going back to some absolute idea of value, the issue is that the whole financial system is based on trust. Those with money trusted Lehman Brothers and others to be good stewards with their money and Lehman Brothers bought mortgages trusting those who said they were safe investments. That whole system of trust is now broken and it could take years for it to come back together.