Saying that relying on Gold and Silver as money is like going back to the dark ages is like saying that a government living under a budget is like going back to the dark ages.

Currency used to be backed by gold, and you could only print as much money as you had gold.

The true insanity is having a free floating currency. Perhaps that's why the US dollar has lost 97% of it's purchasing power since the start of the 20th century.