Value is limited to the total possible energy expenditure of the human population and our autonamous/semi-autonamous proxies (tools, domesticated animals, etc.). It would seem practically limitless because of the scale of human industry in comparison to the energy access afforded to us by nature in it's current state, but obviously value drops commensurate with potential expenditure-destroying events. Natural disasters, war, etc. are examples, but so are things like drops in consumer confidence and labor strikes.

> Value is limited to the total possible energy expenditure of the human population and

says who?

I made it up, but it makes sense.

No it doesn't. According to chatgpt about 9x as many people have lived since 1825 as there were then and the world gdp is 157x as much as it was then.

Would we live with the same standards today if we had never printed any money?

arguably we would have better standards because it would mean less spent on wars, which are pure destruction of value