I dare not try to wrap my head around derivatives.
In fact, I find it easier to understand quantum physics than these weird financial constructs, they're like magic!
I mean, the system is inherently broken because the total amount of debt is bigger than the total amount of available money, right? And printing money decreases the value of current money (inflation) so even if debts are paid off with new money, the shortage of buying power will cause more debt.
Now I'm no economic expert, far from it, but still a curious party, I'll go ahead and make a topic for it.