It's a quirk of English that we copied over our general words for amounts from our language for morality.
We might have chosen mass as an anlogy, and Jeff would weigh $100 billion. A very heavy man.
We might have chosen mass as an anlogy, and Jeff would weigh $100 billion. A very heavy man.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talent_(measurement)
edit: I'm inclined to add that I view gold and silver as actually valuable in part because they're physically useful in production of at the very least Artwork, which is what a coin is. There is an interesting division in the United States between the Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing that draws a line between the purification of metal and the printing of bills that carries a lot of significance: purified metals represent purity whereas printed paper money is always being thrown out and burnt as it falls apart and has little material worth. One is timeless Art in that it is an actual indication of purity and the other is a mashed up pulp of cotton and flax with ink strewn over it that absorbs our human filth (oils and such) until it falls apart.