279 avsnitt • Längd: 90 min • Månadsvis
Saifedean’s The Bitcoin Standard Podcast is the place to discuss Bitcoin and economics from the Austrian school’s perspective. Listen to the weekly saifedean.com discussion seminar, where a group of learners from all over the world discuss the website’s online courses, as well as a wide variety of economic, political, and social issues, and occasionally host special guests for the discussion. The podcast also includes the most interesting interviews conducted with Saifedean on other shows.
The podcast The Bitcoin Standard Podcast is created by Dr. Saifedean Ammous. The podcast and the artwork on this page are embedded on this page using the public podcast feed (RSS).
The Bitcoin Way Podcast hosts Saifedean to give an intro class on Austrian economics and fiat central banking!
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Investor Preston Pysh joins us to discuss bitcoin and fiat markets.
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Michael Saylor has now been in bitcoin for a full four year cycle! He joins us to celebrate, reminisce, and project how bitcoin will evolve in the next 20 years.
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Legal Scholar Stephan Kinsella joins to discuss his new book, Legal Foundations of a Free Society, in which he discusses libertarianism as a system for determining legitimate property rights, why property rights are important, and the problem with intellectual property rights.
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Economist Peter St Onge joins to give us his perspective on a wide range of economic issues, from gold and bitcoin to fertility to government financing.
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Rajat Soni is a CFA who read The Bitcoin Standard and became a bitcoiner, which caused him some trouble with the CFA Institute. He joins to discuss his transformation and why the investment industry may not like bitcoin.
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Former Marxist professor Michael Rectenwald joins to discuss his transformation into a libertarian, and his books on surveillance and economic control.
Links:
Michael Recetenwald's website - https://www.michaelrectenwald.com
Michael Recetenwald's substack - https://mrectenwald.substack.com
The End of Socialism and the Calculation Debate Revisited - https://mises.org/review-austrian-economics/end-socialism-and-calculation-debate-revisited
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How are NPCs programmed to cheer for a genocide thousands of miles away? I hosted Konstantin Kisin and found that it's done by programming them to view any Israeli murder of civilians as justified self-defense, to believe everything the Israeli government says except when it says it's committing a genocide, and to use no data from before October 7.
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Jeff Booth, author of The Price of Tomorrow, joins us to discuss deflation and economics, as well as the Fedi protocol.
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Coinbits is back better than before, and we are joined by their VP of product Dave Birnbaum to discuss their new product offerings.
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Kenyan farmer Jusper Machugo joins us to tell us about the awful reality of agriculture without hydrocarbons, and how the Kenyan government, the IMF, and international organizations make it harder for Africans to get the energy they need.
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Is China carrying out a genocide? Is it a rising imperialist power exploiting and dominating poor countries? Is it a capitalist or communist regime? How does it compare to the American regime? Arnaud Bertrand is an entrepreneur based in China and joins us to discuss what western media gets wrong about China.
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XBTO are offering an investment fund denominated in bitcoin, their CEO and founder Philippe Bekhazi joins to discuss why they are one of the first asset managers to go on a bitcoin standard!
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US Congressman Thomas Massie has read The Bitcoin Standard and enjoyed it so much he tabled legislation to end the Fed! He joins Saifedean to discuss The Bitcoin Standard, Austrian economics, American politics, AIPAC and much more!
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Dan Cohen is an independent journalist and filmmaker who joins us to discuss his travels in Palestine and his work on the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
Resources:
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Obi Nwosu joins us to discuss Fedimints, a new implementation of ecash interoperable with the lightning network.
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This is the final lecture of Saifedean's online course Principles of Economics, entitled Civilization. You can watch all lectures and join weekly discussion seminars by becoming a member of Saifedean.com!
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Saifedean interviews his own brother, Dr. Ahmad Ammous, on the history and the problems of modern fiat medicine, why it all goes back to fiat money, and what its most important misconceptions are. We discuss diet, light environment, heart disease, statins, Niacin, seed oils, and more!
References:
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On a recent visit to El Salvador Saifedean sat down with the Live From Bitcoin Beach Podcast in El Zonte to discuss Bitcoin, El Salvador, and much more!
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Saifedean's talk at the Canadian Bitcoin Conference is an admission that central banking works. Given what we know about the economic calculation from Austrian school economists, central banking is a highly successful business!
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Brian De Mint from Orange Pill App joins to discuss his new book, Parallel, on building a Bitcoin economy.
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Walker from THE Bitcoin Podcast hosts Saifedean to discuss his latest book, Principles of Economics, and what Austrian school economics teaches us about the state, capitalism, and property rights.
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Libertarian comedian Dave Smith hosts Saifedean to discuss the Palestinian Israeli conflict and the role America plays in it.
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Andrew Henderson runs Nomad Capitalist, whose annual conference will be held in September 2024, with Saifedean speaking. Andrew joins us to discuss how his firm helps people seek the best jurisdictions for enhancing their wealth and freedom. He explains the case for moving out of western high tax countries and discusses better alternatives.
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Robert Breedlove hosts and moderates a contentious and detailed debate between Saifedean and Yaron Brook on the roots of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
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Columbia University's Professor Jeffrey Sachs joins us to discuss Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza, the rise of violent religious fanaticism in Israeli politics, and the realities of US foreign policy.
References:
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Professor Patrick Newman has edited and produced several of Rothbard's unfinished books, and he joins us to continue our discussions of Rothbard's work on American history by focusing on Rothbard's The Progressive Era.
References:
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Phil Champagne, author of The Book of Satoshi and Bitcoin vs Altcoins joins the podcast to discuss consensus mechanisms and the difference between bitcoin and altcoins.
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This week's episode is the full lecture 12 of the Principles of Economics online course, and its topic is Capitalism.
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Alan Savory joins the podcast to discuss regenerative agriculture.
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Resources:
https://savory.global/good-governance/
Cedric Youngelman of The Bitcoin Matrix podcast read Principles of Economics and hosts Saifedean to discuss human civilization, fatherhood and many questions it raised!
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Author and businessman James Turk joins to discuss monetary history, why gold & silver emerged as money, how they promote liberty and whether gold has a monetary future, or if bitcoin will demonetize it.
References:
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Dr. Willie Soon has spent decades fighting pseudoscience and climate hysteria from within fiat establishment science, but has now become an independent scholar. He joins us to discuss the impact of the sun on human climate, why it is ignored, the corruption of climate science, whether hydrocarbons come from fossils, and many other interesting and important questions disfigured by the corruption of modern science.
References:
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Brian Demint from the Orange Pill App hosts Saifedean to discuss Principles of Economics and some of its most important ideas.
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Investigate journalist Glenn Greenwald hosts Saifedean to discuss Central Bank Digital Currencies and their impacts on financial freedom and monetary policy.
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What is the logic driving US foreign policy & its endless carnage, and is it all just a very elaborate moronic excuse to run the fiat printers? Long-term antiwar writer Scott Horton joins us to discuss.
References:
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Robert Breedlove interviews Saifedean to get the Palestinian perspective on the Palestinians/Israeli conflict and how it is ultimately a conflict over property rights and not religion or race.
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Against all odds, the new president of Argentina is an anarcho-capitalist who quotes Mises and Rothbard. Austrian economist Philip Bagus knows Milei well and joins us to discuss what his presidency will look like, if he can turn Argentina around, dollarization, and the IMF's continued role in the country.
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Libertarian author Sheldon Richman joins us to discuss the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, and his libertarian approach to understanding it.
References:
Sheldon Richman's articles on:
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This week's episode is the full lecture 6 of the Principles of Economics online course, and its topic is capital! What is capital from the Austrian perspective, why is it such a pivotal a concept in economics, and what are the most common misunderstandings of it. Sign up to saifedean.com to study this online course, with a new lecture every 2 weeks and a live discussion seminar every week!
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Ken Berry MD has helped millions regain their health by eating meat & avoiding fiat food. He joins us to discuss his experience, the best ways to improve your health and the resistance he faces from the disease industry.
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Pierre Rochard joins to discuss the economics of bitcoin block space and mining!
References:
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We host Tony from The Bitcoin Way, to tell us about their new service as your personal Bitcoin IT team, offering you personalized, secure and comprehensive solutions for every step along your bitcoin journey. The Bitcoin Way offer live concierge service to guide you with your bitcoin cold storage, running your node, privacy best practices, inheritance planning, corporate strategy, and multisig solutions. They don't touch your coins, they guide you through the process of acquiring your coins and securing them. If you'd like to make your set up safer and more reliable, book a consult with them and see what they have to suggest. If you want to give someone the gift of bitcoin, get them this professional service that will ensure they start off knowing exactly how to manage their coins and not lose them. Go to TheBitcoinWay.com and start bitcoining more confidently!
References:
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Independent journalist and researcher Jeremy Hammond joins to discuss the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and what it means for today's events.
References:
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We discussed the idea of scarcity, the only real restriction to production being human time, the reason why human action is so important and the ridiculousness of simplifying human beings so they are assumed to act the same. We also talked about the reason why energy is such an important part of economic life and how unemployment is really a fiat phenomenon.
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Crowdhealth CEO Andy Schoonover joins us to discuss Crowdhealth's continued growth and progress in disrupting fiat healthcare, including why they're introducing lightning payments!
References:
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Aleks Svetski joins the podcast to discuss Spirit of Satoshi, the new Bitcoin AI model.
References:
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Join Luke Gromen and Saifedean in a conversation unpacking the theory of dedollarization. They delve into the implications of negative real rates, the gold market, the impact of oil on the global economy, and potential future actions by the Federal Reserve.
References:
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Lyn Alden joins us to discuss her new best-selling book, Broken Money, available now in cloth hardcover from TheSaifHouse.com!
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This week's podcast is the full lecture 3 of the Principles of Economics online course, and its topic is Time! Find out why time is the ultimate resource and why all scarcity stems from the scarcity of time! Sign up to saifedean.com to study this online course, with a new lecture every 2 weeks and live discussion seminars!
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Bitcoiner, programmer, and Islamic scholar Muaawiyah Tucker joins to discuss his journey into Islam and bitcoin, why bitcoin is compatible with Islamic law, and why fiat is not.
References:
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Austrian school economist Per Bylund joins to discuss learning Austrian economics, and his free brief primer book: How To Think About The Economy.
References:
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Investigative journalist Matthew Lysiak has written a fascinating inquiry into how the world's diet has changed over the past century, and the characters and institutions that have brought about this change. The book is being published today by Saifedean's publishing house, The Saif House, and it contains an introduction and two chapters by Saifedean. He joins the podcast to discuss the amazing stories he learned while looking into the crime of the century!
Fiat Food is available in cloth hardcover from TheSaifHouse.com as well as Amazon.com via link: https://a.co/d/6AAVqk1
References:
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Human Action is the first lecture of Saifedean's new online course, based on his latest book, Principles of Economics. In this lecture, Saifedean explains the Austrian approach to economics, how it differs from mainstream economic approaches, and why the concept of human action is so important to understanding economics. The course will have 18 lectures, with a new lecture every two weeks, running until June. Sign up now on saifedean.com, and get all the lectures and join the live discussion seminars!
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Michael Saylor has read Murray Rothbard's magnificent history of the USA: Conceived in Liberty, and he is joined by Patrick Newman, Mises Institute Fellow and editor of the fifth volume of Conceived in Liberty, to discuss American colonial history, the American revolution, and economic freedom!
References:
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Michael Saylor has read Murray Rothbard's magnificent history of the USA: Conceived in Liberty, and he is joined by Patrick Newman, Mises Institute Fellow and editor of the fifth volume of Conceived in Liberty, to discuss American colonial history, the American revolution, and economic freedom!
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Bitcoin coder Jimmy Song joins us to discuss his wonderful new book: Fiat Ruins Everything.
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Just how dangerous and how expensive is nuclear power? Is the fear of nuclear justified? Why is nuclear making a big comeback, and can it be used for bitcoin mining? Ryan MacLeod is a bitcoiner who works in the nuclear industry and has very interesting thoughts on these questions and more.
Resources:
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Natalie Brunell interviews Saifedean to discuss his new book Principles of Economics, where he makes the case for capitalism and discusses why the money supply does not need to be increased.
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A compilation of some of the discussions taking place in saifedean.com seminars on the topic of Bitcoin and Islamic finance, why Bitcoin is an Islamic form of money, why fiat money is not, and why bitcoin finance might resemble Islamic finance. The discussion features learners from saifedean.com as well as guests Harris Irfan, Safdar Alam, and Tarek El-Diwany.
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Saifedean explores the role of capitalism in sustaining civilization, based on the discussion in his new book, Principles of Economics.
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We are joined by veteran international investor and Anarcho-Capitalist Doug Casey to discuss his decades of experience in practically seeking economic freedom. We discuss Doug's thoughts on where to live to maximize your freedom, why he likes Argentina, of all places, and El Salvador and the Arab Gulf. We also discuss gold and silver and whether they still have a monetary role to play, and how the IMF continues to pillage the world.
References:
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Veteran bond analyst Greg Foss joins us to discuss the recent meltdown of the bond market, what caused it, and what it means for the future of bonds. 2022 saw the biggest drop in sovereign bond markets since the Napoleonic wars, and 2023 so far has not looked good. Can bonds continue as the traditional safe haven asset in investor portfolios with this kind of performance? Will bond holders begin to take bitcoin seriously as an alternative?
References:
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Long-time bitcoin market analyst Tuur Demeester joins us for a discussion of his 11 years analyzing the bitcoin market, its cycles, the macro climate, and altcoins. He also explains why he views bitcoin as a modern reformation.
References:
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Kgothatso Ngako is a South African coder and entrepreneur who has built Machankura, a service allowing a growing number of people in 9 African countries to use bitcoin on the lightning network, without needing a smartphone or internet connection. He joins us to explain how his start-up works and how he sees bitcoin adoption growing in Africa.
References:
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John Dennehy, the CEO and founder of startup nonprofit Mi Primer Bitcoin, joins us to discuss bitcoin education and how they are teaching bitcoin to tens of thousands of students in El Salvador!
References:
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School choice advocate Cory DeAngelis joins us to discuss the failings of the public school system, and why he supports the freedom of parents to choose their schools for their children, and how that freedom benefits students.
References:
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Austrian school economist and Mises Institute Fellow Tom Woods hosts Saifedean for a discussion of his latest book, Principles of Economics, on the Tom Woods Podcast!
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Simon Tadros is a Lebanese developer and cryptocurrency trader who has been ensnared in a Kafkaesque battle with the Belgian legal system. Traveling on vacation to Ukraine in 2021, Simon was apprehended by the Europol based on flimsy allegations with no substantial evidence, and extradited to Belgium, where he is not allowed to leave the country, while his trial continues to be delayed indefinitely. Simon joins us to discuss his ordeal, a cautionary tale about archaic bureaucratic systems struggling to understand new technology.
References:
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Connor Boyack, the author of the highly popular children's book series The Tuttle Twins, joins us to discuss teaching liberty to children, why it is so important, how to do it right, and how his book series has sold more than 5 million copies to liberty-minded children and parents worldwide!
References:
Enjoyed this episode? Join Saifedean's online learning platform to take part in weekly podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s five online economics courses, and read his writing, including his new book, Principles of Economics! Find out more on saifedean.com!
This week's podcast has Saifedean discussing time in chapter 3 from his new book, Principles of Economics!
Enjoyed this episode? Join Saifedean's online learning platform to take part in weekly podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s five online economics courses, and read his writing, including his new book, Principles of Economics! Find out more on saifedean.com!
This week's podcast has Saifedean reading the introduction and chapter 1 from his new book, Principles of Economics!
Enjoyed this episode? Join Saifedean's online learning platform to take part in weekly podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s five online economics courses, and read his writing, including his new book, Principles of Economics! Find out more on saifedean.com!
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read his new book available now, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Saifedean's latest book is now out, and in this episode he gives an overview of the book's contents and what you can expect to learn from reading it! Principles of Economics is the Austrian economics textbook you wish you had at university, an enjoyable and informative read that covers the most important concepts of economics, valuable to the student, general reader, and professional economist.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read his new book available now, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Paco de la India is on a journey to run through forty countries while using and spending bitcoin. He joins us from Mexico, country 28/40, to tell us about his inspiration, and what he has learned from meeting bitcoiners all over Africa and Latin America.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Daniel Harmon is the creator of Tuttle Twins TV Show, an award-winning cartoon that teaches kids about principles of freedom and economics, based on the book series that has sold over 5 million copies. Their latest episode does a wonderful job explaining bitcoin and the concept of hard money and he joins us to discuss how to best communicate these ideas to children.
References:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Magatte Wade is a successful international entrepreneur from Senegal with a passion for free market solutions. She explains why modern statist central planning is the root of Africa's economic problems, and how free markets are the only way to solve these problems. Magatte also explains her ambitious vision for start-up cities in Africa, and how historical African governance institutions are more compatible with a prosperous free African future than imported statist ideas.
References:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Economist Peter St. Onge joins us to discuss whether the dollar is losing its global reserve currency status. Peter makes the case for why US economic and foreign policy is undermining the role of the dollar, and discusses the ramifications of such a move, while Saifedean presents the case for why other national currencies cannot replace the US dollar. We also discuss recent bank failures in the US, and what it teaches us about the instability of fractional reserve banking.
References:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Jason Sorens is the founder of the New Hampshire Free State Project, and he joins us to discuss the history of the movement, its goals, and its potential. We discuss the difference between anarchism and monarchism, the feasibility of political approaches to increasing liberty, building free communities, and how bitcoin compliments these initiatives.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
What are the main differences between classical and modern architecture? Is it a coincidence that the century of fiat was the century of modern architecture? Does easy money discourage building for the long-term? Is modern architecture more efficient, or is to just architecture of a higher time preference society? We are joined by Michael Diamant, the founder of The New Traditional Architecture online community to discuss these questions and much more!
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
We host Rodolfo Novak, founder of Coinkite, to talk bitcoin hardware and storage solutions. We discuss the history of Coinkite, and how they evolved over time from a software to a hardware company, the success of the OpenDime as a bitcoin bearer asset, the Coldcard hardware wallet, and their upcoming advanced device Q1. What are the trade-offs and risks of various storage solutions, and what should you look out for?
References:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Can a libertarian or anarchist support the state of Israel? In this debate, Austrian economist Walter Block argues the affirmative and makes the case for why Israel is a force for liberty, while Saifedean argues political Zionism is the socialist central planning of land ownership, and is not possible without the violation of the property of Palestinians.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Saifedean sits down with the Meat Mafia guys to discuss fiat food, the benefits of eating meat, why the destruction of money leads to the destruction of food, and how bitcoin fixing money fixes food!
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
We are joined by Ray Youssef, the founder of one of the world's biggest peer-to-peer bitcoin markets, Paxful. We discuss his entrepreneurial history, what drew him to bitcoin, and how Paxful has grown in the developing world. We also discuss Ray's views on economic development in Africa in general and Egypt and Nigeria in particular, what policies can end poverty, how bitcoin helps, and why Paxful delists centralized shitcoin scams.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Can law, order, and defense be provided on the market? Why can't they be normal goods? We are joined by economist Edward Stringham to discuss his fascinating work on free market anarchism and private governance. Stringham examines the economic of government from an Austrian perspective, and clearly shows how the world is increasingly relying on private voluntary legal and defense services rather than inefficient monopolies. We also apply these ideas to examine the concept of public health, and Stringham's work at the American Institute for Economic Research on the Great Barrington Declaration.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
How much of the fiat food science taught in your universities is just agribusiness marketing PR? To find out, we host former big food marketing consultant Calley Means to discuss his experience with manufacturing fiat science for industrial junk food sales!
References
Calley Means
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Alex Gladstein joins us to discuss the destructive influence of the World Bank and IMF on the development of poor countries, and how fiat facilitates their operation, a topic discussed extensively in Saifedean's book, The Fiat Standard. With an infinite fiat credit line from the Federal Reserve, the "misery industry" is always looking for an excuse to get countries indebted, and the results have been catastrophic for the world's poor, but highly lucrative for fiat banking cartels.
Resources (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/155-imf-world-bank-misery-industry-with-alex-gladstein)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Eminent historian Niall Ferguson joins us to discuss the history of fiat money, its relation to war, its development over the past century and the prospects for bitcoin. Why did Britain join World War I, and was it a wise choice? How eager were the British to join war? We debate whether it was the gold standard, or the suspension of the gold standard, that prevented recovery post-WWI and laid the foundation for World War II. And we discuss Professor Ferguson's views of bitcoin and its future prospects.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
After three years of hyperinflation, is there light at the end of the tunnel for Lebanon? The currency has lost more than 97% of its value, the largest bill is worth $1.5, the real economy is de facto dollarized, and only those dependent on government are having to suffer from hyperinflation. Fiat is dead and there are are no IMF bail-outs or natural resource revenues to get the ponzi going again. Is the death of fiat suffocating the parasite class and freeing the rest of society from having to finance them?
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
We are joined by Jonathan Chester, the founder and CEO of Bitwage, a bitcoin payroll company which allows you to get paid in bitcoin no matter who is paying you, and allows companies to set up bitcoin payrolls for their workers. We discuss the genesis of the company in 2014, how it grew through bitcoin bear and bull markets, what its future plans are, and how Jonathan sees the development of the industry over the years.
Resources (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/152-bitwage-with-jonathan-chester)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
What is "ESG" and why is it such a dangerous scam? We are joined by Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur in the healthcare and technology sectors and bestselling author of Woke, Inc: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam, as well as Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence. Vivek explains why ESG is more dangerous than silly corporate virtue-signaling, and what its long-term economic, social, and political implications are. We also delve into a deep discussion of the role monetary policy plays in corporate corruption, and whether bitcoin can fix this. Vivek contends bitcoin cannot fix everything, and Saifedean attempts to make the case for why it, in fact, does!
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Sam Apple joins us to discuss his fascinating book 'Ravenous: Otto Warburg, the Nazis, and the Search for the Cancer-Diet Connection'. We discuss the connection between diet and cancer, and the Warburg Effect, which states that cancer cells thrive on dietary glucose, and why Sam thinks it's not entirely accurate because it ignores the role of insulin resistance. We also discuss Hitler's fascination with cancer research, which allowed Warburg to survive the Nazi era even though he was Jewish and gay, and Hitler's infamous addiction to sugar. We further discuss why this enormously important work has been ignored in modern science, why alternative genetic hypotheses are woefully inadequate, whether modern medicine can be reformed to focus on dietary causes of disease, and, of course, how bitcoin fixes this!
References (All links are available on saifedean.com/podcast/150-the-cancer-diet-connection-with-sam-apple)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Is humanity running out of resources, or are resources more abundant than ever? Gale Pooley is the co-author of Superabdundance, a fascinating and optimistic exploration of how economic progress has made life better for humanity. He joins us to explain why goods continue to become more abundant, why fears of overpopulation and resource depletion continue to be refuted forcefully by reality, and why human time keeps getting more valuable. We discuss the work of one of our favorite economists, Julian Simon, and how he brilliantly refuted the common view of resource scarcity, and reframed scarcity as the scarcity of human time. We also explore how inflation reverses economic progress, and how much better life would be without it, and conclude with a discussion of bitcoin's potential.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
This episode contains most of the final lecture of The Fiat Standard online course, which just concluded, based on the last chapter of The Fiat Standard. After having studied the bitcoin and fiat monetary systems extensively in The Bitcoin Standard and The Fiat Standard, Saifedean analyzes how bitcoin can continue to rise in a fiat world. Can central banks adopt bitcoin? Will bitcoin lead to hyperinflation? Or will bitcoin be an orderly upgrade and debt jubilee, allowing us to unwind fiat painlessly as it devalues everyone's debts? Will bitcoin speculative attacks carry the day? And how do central bank digital currencies affect bitcoin's rise?
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
We are rejoined by Nik Bhatia, author of Layered Money, to get his perspective on the bond market, the global economy, and bitcoin. Why did bonds have their worst year ever? Why is Nik convinced a recession is looming? How does he see the bond market developing in the medium and long term? Will bonds recover and yields fall? Will we see negative bond yields? Is there still more road for the Fed to can unto, or are we really at the end of the road?
Resources (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/147-bond-markets-with-nik-bhatia)
Articles from The Bitcoin Layer:
Why We Fight movie by Eugene Jarcki - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436971/
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
James Lavish CFA has decades of experience in institutional investing and risk management, and he joins us to give us his perspective on global bond markets, their recent developments and where he sees them going forward. He explains his bleak outlook for government bonds in the long run, and why continues inflation is a very likely outcome. He explains his view on why a debt spiral is likely and what it means for bond-holders and governments. James also gives us his perspective on the global foreign exchange market and where national currencies are headed.
References (all links available on saifedean.com/146-bonds-with-james-bond-lavish)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Bitcoin Magazine market analyst Dylan Leclair joins us for an in-depth discussion of the many ponzi schemes and failed financial institutions of our times, and how he identified the problems with them in his prescient writings. Dylan discusses the many red flags and structural problems with Luna/UST, Three Arrows Capital, Celsius, Blockfi, FTX, and Genesis, and why so many people refuse to see the warning signs and seem to want to fall victim for anything that offers them the holy grail of “yield.” We conclude with Dylan’s view on the bond market, why he successfully predicted the recent crash in bonds, what his expectations are for the fiat market moving forward, and what the lessons of crypto ponzis have to teach us about fiat and its ponzis.
References (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/145-ponzi-hunting-with-dylan-leclair)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Crowdhealth CEO Andy Schoonover joins us for a wide-ranging discussion of the failures of fiat healthcare and health insurance, and how his new startup Crowdhealth, works to solve them. Andy explains the institutional and regulatory reasons that make healthcare costs continue to rise, and why insurance companies have the perverse incentive to let costs rise. He also explains how Crowdhealth uses bitcoin to make healthcare affordable for patients and better rewarding for doctors by taking the insurance companies out of the equation.
References (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/144-fiat-healthcare-crowdhealth-with-andy-schoonover)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Rowais Hanna operates Coinbits' Twitter account, and has used it to publish fascinating in-depth investigations into the common myths of modern macroeconomics. He joins us to discuss the Consumer Price Index, how it is calculated, and the endless justifications used to adjust it. We also discuss the mythical origins of the 2% inflation target, and the trade-off between unemployment and inflation, and why supposedly empirical economists refuse to ever admit it is invalid. Rowais also discusses why he views bitcoin as the only way out of this mess, and how Coinbits helps onboard newcomers to bitcoin in a smooth and easy-to-understand way. We conclude with a discussion of Rowais' thoughts on bitcoin through a Biblical lens.
References (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/143-macro-myths-with-coinbits-rowais-hanna)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Why are so many bitcoin miners going bankrupt? We discuss the economics of bitcoin mining, how the difficulty adjustment works, why it makes bitcoin mining a zero sum game, and why it ensures bitcoin is optimized for the saver, not for the miner. Plus, what are the things you need to keep in mind if you are considering getting into mining?
Resources (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/142-why-bitcoin-miners-get-rekt)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Join us as we take a close look at the amazing series of events in a week in which FTX went from being one of the biggest crypto exchanges in the world, to being exposed as a fraudulent ponzi scheme, and its founder went from being a globally acclaimed & highly politically influential successful genius entrepreneur and philanthropist to a reviled con artist, who lost his investors & clients billions of dollars. What lessons can we learn from this episode about bitcoin, sh*tcoins, DeFi, and exchanges?
Resources (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/141-ftx-beyond-ponzi)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Richard Lindzen is professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he joins us to offer his scientific expertise on climate alarmism. He discusses how his background in physics and meteorology leads him to conclude that the alarmism around climate is unjustified, and we discuss how institutional and financial reasons have made fiat scientists so keen to promote an agenda of fear and panic. We discuss the problems with the academic publication industry, as well as Professor Lindzen’s experience as a lead author with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and where that led him. He also shares his most recent work on communicating his research ideas publicly.
References (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/140-climate-alarmism-with-professor-richard-lindzen)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Alex Epstein joins us again to discuss his excellent new book, Fossil Future, which makes a powerful case for why fossil fuels are essential for human flourishing, and why restricting them is the real crisis facing humanity. Alex explains how overhyped the supposed ‘alternatives’ to fossil fuels are, and how fossil fuels remain completely essential for our modern standards of living, and why their use is constantly growing. Why do fossil fuels represent the only realistic alternative to poverty and early death for everyone on earth? Why do carbonhysterics only focus on the supposed negative impacts of fossil fuels, but never their benefits? Why is it so hard to have an honest debate with carbonhysterics? We also discuss how the use of fossil fuels was instrumental in ending slavery and liberating women, and whether fiat inflation is the driver of the propaganda to vilify fossil fuels. We conclude with a discussion of whether fossil fuels really are from fossils, or if they are naturally occurring in earth.
Resources (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/139-fossil-future-with-alex-epstein)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Princeton Professor Emeritus in Physics, William Happer, joins us to discuss the impact of CO2 on the Earth's climate and the state of modern science. What is the scientific evidence on the relationship between CO2 and Earth's climate? Does CO2 drive the Earth's temperature, or does temperature drive CO2? What does the fossil record tell us about the state of the world's climate in the past? Is current warming unprecedented? Why don't scientists study the evidence of prehistoric forests in the Arctic, and what it implies for historical temperatures? Why is there little focus on the enormous benefits of CO2? What is the evidence for CO2 driving ocean acidification? How much better are scientists today from the scientists involved in the Salem witch hunt? How does politicization affect science, and why does Professor Happer think that the more policy-driven a field is, the less trustworthy its conclusions are?
References (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/138-climate-physics-with-professor-william-happer)
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
What on earth is going on in Europe and how did things get so bad? In this seminar, we discuss the double calamity of skyrocketing energy costs and plummeting pensions and currencies. While high time preference fiat media obsesses over the latest scapegoats, we look into the long-term drivers of these two problems: Decades of green hysteria leading to dismantling of reliable power sources & underinvestment in reliable power generation. And decades of Keynesian dogma convincing the people whose pensions are being destroyed their government can pay for everything at no cost. Does the UK really need to spend 10% of its GDP on public healthcare? What exactly is it about medical care that makes it have to be so expensive and always getting more expensive? Could it be the endless government financing? How bad would truly private healthcare be really?
Resources
You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Niko Laamanen, founder of Konsensus Network, joins us to discuss bitcoin publishing and his company's decentralized “starfish” organizational model. He explains how reading The Bitcoin Standard led him to found the world’s first bitcoin-only publishing house and how he harnessed an international network of volunteers to publish over 40 bitcoin titles in ten languages. He and Saifedean also discuss Niko’s journey with Austrian Economics, the importance of hodling bitcoin and work being done to support bitcoin adoption in Madeira.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Does high cholesterol really cause heart disease? Is there such as thing as “good” and “bad” cholesterol? What impact do statins – the most profitable drug in the history of medicine – have on human health? In this episode, Dr Malcolm Kendrick, author of The Great Cholesterol Con and The Clot Thickens, joins us to challenge the conventional wisdom on cholesterol. He shares his view on the diet-heart hypothesis, his intriguing alternative explanation for heart disease, and what he recommends to maintain a healthy heart. We also discuss how and why fiat medicine and economics have many “endlessly adaptable hypotheses" that refuse to die no matter how much reality assaults them.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
What is praxeology and why does it matter? In this episode, Conza, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Australia, joins us to discuss the theoretical foundations of economics. He explains why praxeology – the science of human action – provides the value-free framework needed to reason about economic questions, and how its method differs from that of physical sciences such as biology. He and Saifedean discuss how praxeology can be used to analyse topics such as minimum wage, inflation and pandemics, and why the contrasting methods used by quantitative macroeconomists are flawed. They also defend Hoppe's argumentation ethics: a proof that arguing against the Non-Aggression Principle is logically incoherent.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Wall Street veteran and founder of Custodia Bank Caitlin Long joins us to discuss bitcoin banks, leverage and the macroeconomy. She explains how new “dollar and digital asset banks” like Custodia Bank are helping to bridge the gap between bitcoin and the US dollar, and why she has chosen to seek regulation rather than bypass it. She and Saifedean discuss financial leverage, its impact on bitcoin’s price and why people should be wary of companies promising risk-free yield on bitcoin. The conversation also covers recent developments in financial markets, including rising bond yields and the fall in the British pound. In the Q&A, Caitlin answers questions on Chinese inflation, stablecoin velocity and whether the path to hyperbitcoinization will be orderly.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Mikkel Thorup, founder and CEO of Expat Money, joins us to make the case for becoming an expat. He discusses why people should consider moving their life offshore, which jurisdictions are most appealing and strategies listeners can pursue to mitigate tax obligations. Mikkel shares practical tips on finding quality healthcare, educating children, travelling comfortably and managing international finances. He also outlines his views on flag theory, the importance of geographical diversity in investment and the libertarian values that motivate him.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
How have Russians dealt with being getting kicked off the fiat dollar network? We are joined by Russian economist and investment advisor Lana Nagornaia to discuss the monetary ramifications of US sanctions from a Russian perspective. Why has the rouble risen versus the dollar in spite of sanctions? Can this be expected to last, or will it reverse? What alternatives are Russians using for trading with the rest of the world? Will Russia switch to a gold standard? Can it trade gold internationally while sanctioned by the global gold market? Can a Chinese-Russian fiat alternative to the dollar succeed? Lana also explains how life in Russia has changed since the outbreak of war, how global energy markets have been affected and how bitcoin could play a role in bringing about a world of sanction-free trade.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
In this seminar, Saifedean discusses ideas for potential chapters he considered for, but did not end up including in The Fiat Standard. The analytical framework of the book, examining the impact of fiat money through the destruction of savings, raising time preference, & allowing endless government finance, can be applied to many topics, and in this seminar Saifedean and the attendees explore some ideas. How does fiat affect medicine and the medical establishment and modern medicine? What is the impact on pharmaceutical drugs? What is the impact on law? How has it affected art?
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Managing Partner of Stillmark, Alyse Killeen, joins us to discuss investing in bitcoin companies. She explains why Stillmark invests in "bitcoin only" companies, what she looks for in bitcoin startups and how venture capital in the bitcoin industry differs from traditional markets. She and Saifedean also discuss how bitcoin investing is long-term focused whereas token VCs have a new short-term model taking advantage of clueless retail with false narratives. Alyse explains how this long-term focus protects bitcoin VCs from short-term volatility, such as the recent spate of high-profile failures in the altcoin space. In the Q&A, Alyse answers questions on industry trends, the mindset of bitcoin founders and bitcoin adoption in El Salvador.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Former England international football player Kieran Gibbs joins us to discuss his bitcoin journey, football career, and thoughts on time preference. Find out how he was orange-pilled by team-mate Hal Robson Kanu, why he chose to receive 50% of his salary in bitcoin, how bitcoin has changed him and lowered his time preference, and how he introduces bitcoin to his athlete friends. Kieran also compares playing the low time preference football style of Arsenal's Arsène Wenger with the high time preference style of Sam Allardyce at West Brom, and how Keynesian central banking is analogous to 8 year old playing football. We also compare the economics of the open pyramid structure of the Premier League with the US MLS franchise system. Kieran also discusses how he could integrate bitcoin into his planned football academy, reveals the best players he has played with and against, and provides predictions for the upcoming World Cup.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Are the world's most common illnesses caused by insulin resistance? In this episode, Dr Benjamin Bikman joins us to discuss his best-selling book “Why We Get Sick”. He argues that insulin resistance is at the heart of the world's most prevalent diseases and that poor economic incentives have caused scientists to neglect this phenomenon to pursue unproductive avenues of research. Dr Bikman explains how insulin resistance impacts conditions ranging from diabetes to Alzheimer’s and offers practical advice for listeners looking to improve their health. He also shares his views on broader issues such as the health impact of seed oils and sun exposure.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Visit saifedean.com/meat to find out more about Saifedean’s experience following the carnivore diet.
BTC veteran Matt Odell joins us to share his thoughts on the best ways to use bitcoin. We discuss different bitcoin custody options such as trusting third parties, hardware wallets, multisig, and paper wallets, and the advantages and trade-offs involved. What is the case for staying private on bitcoin, and what are the best tools available? What are the most common risks facing bitcoin holders? Will yield products on bitcoin go away or are they coming back? How do you plan for bitcoin inheritance? And much more!
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Should you learn to code? Is coding for everyone? Can learning to code make you more employable? Does the value of coding decline in a world of artificial intelligence? Do intellectual property laws help advance computer engineering or hold it back? In this episode, Saifedean talks to Amjad Masad: CEO of leading coding platform Replit. They discuss how Amjad’s upbringing in Jordan led him into the world of programming, how he started Replit, how it grew from an open source project to a company valued over $1b, teaching millions to code and build powerful products, and why he turned down a $1b acquisition offer in 2019. Amjad also shares the story of how he discovered bitcoin, how he is integrating it into Replit, and why he thinks programmable money is so important.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
How did the CFA franc come to be the common currency of 14 West and Central African nations? Who controls it and why did it suddenly lose half of its value in 1994? In this episode, we are joined by software engineer and founder of Bitcoin Developers Academy, Fodé Diop, for a discussion on the fascinating monetary history of West Africa. Fodé explains how the CFA franc has allowed France to maintain economic dominance in West Africa, how the 1994 devaluation affected his family, and why he is supporting bitcoin adoption as means of empowering Africans and increasing financial inclusion. Fodé also explains the work his is doing to support the development of Lightning applications and his plans for the Africa Bitcoin Conference: the first ever bitcoin and Lightning conference in West Africa.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
In this seminar, learners at saifedean.com discuss the current state of the fiat monetary system as the world experiences the dollar strengthening and other fiat currencies weakening. Regular seminar attendee Nasr El-Hadi discusses the history and the current state of the Libyan monetary system, where the central bank has split into two central banks each issuing the same currency with a different signature, with hilarious and disastrous consequences. Find out what happens when fiat 'hard forks', and how bitcoin and stablecoins are serving as a lifeline for Libyans who have no functioning monetary or banking system in this incredible adventure in Late Stage Fiat! Nasr El-Hadi is a Libyan bitcoiner living in London, and his twitter is @NasrElhadi.
In this episode, CEO of bitcoin mining company Iris Energy Dan Roberts joins us to discuss whether bitcoin can (and should) help fix renewable energy. Dan explains the problems that intermittent wind and solar energy create for power grids, and how his company works to solve them through bitcoin mining. He and Saifedean discuss whether grids would be better off only using reliable energy sources, how bitcoin’s difficulty adjustment forces miners to become more efficient, and why Iris Energy has chosen to mine bitcoin only. Dan also shares his views on why bitcoin’s game theoretic nature means it is set up to survive and why 51% attacks don’t represent a credible threat to the network’s security.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Bitcoin educator and investor Giacomo Zucco joins us to explain why he thinks bitcoin cannot be hard money unless it is dark money. We discuss: How dark is bitcoin given that its ledger of transactions is public, and given the recent identification of several hackers through chain analysis? Is bitcoin’s privacy overestimated by bitcoiners? What chance does the average user have at remaining anonymous? Does bitcoin need to be anonymous to remain secure? Can bitcoin survive government attack if most coins’ owners are known to governments?
Resources
Has Saifedean changed his mind on stablecoins? After handling $7b of redemptions in 48 hours, has USDT proven its resilience? Could regulated fiat banks handle this level of redemption? What happens to stablecoins if their adoption continues to grow? Can they replace foreign central banks as dollar providers to the world? Will they become major holders of US Treasuries? How will central banks deal with stablecoins? Are stablecoins a gateway to bitcoin? Can USDT be built on top of bitcoin's lightning network? This seminar hosts one of the leaders in the industry: Paolo Ardoino, CTO of Bitfinex and Tether to discuss these questions and a lot more on why Bitfinex positions itself as a "bitcoin first" exchange, its goals in Latin America, their work shaping El Salvador's new securities law, and their bitcoin education efforts.
References
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his new course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
In this episode Saifedean joins Isabel Oakeshott and James Melville for an interview at the Speakeasy Podcast. They discuss why Saifedean decided to write The Bitcoin Standard, his views on the recent bitcoin price dip and the impact of the fiat “magic money tree” on society.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his new course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
In this interview with the Practical Islamic Finance podcast, Saifedean discusses Bitcoin from an Islamic perspective, and makes the case for why it is more compatible with Islamic Sharia law than government money. Whereas the creation of government money happens through the creation of interest-bearing debt which is forbidden in Islam, the creation of bitcoin is no different than the creation of a market commodity, with a competitive market for its production. Bitcoin's decentralization makes it uniquely different from all other digital currencies because it makes it a free market commodity, and not a tool that allows its issuer control over its users.
Resources
Tarek El Diwany’s book “The Problem with Interest” has attracted attention from scholars of Islamic finance and bitcoiners alike, including Allen Farrington, whose newly published book, Bitcoin Is Venice, draws heavily on Tarek's work. In this episode, Saifedean hosts Tarek and Allen to talk about the morality of lending with interest, why the practice is prohibited in Islam, and how an economy would function without interest rates. They discuss how monetary systems that require the creation of ever more debt impact human time preference, capital accumulation and morality, and whether interest would emerge in a free market monetary system like bitcoin?
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his new course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
In perhaps his most comprehensive interview to date, Saifedean talks to Lex Fridman about the history of money, the foundations of economics, and why bitcoin represents a pathway to a more peaceful and prosperous world. Starting from Lex’s question “What is money?”, Saifedean draws on insights from his most recent book, The Fiat Standard, to take the listener on a four-hour historical journey. He explains how money emerged as a market good; why the gold standard developed in Britain and spread across the world; and the intriguing historical circumstances that led to government-controlled fiat money becoming the global medium of exchange. By asking fundamental questions about money, the purpose of economics, and the technical foundations of bitcoin, Lex prompts Saifedean to present a first-principles case for free exchange, non-aggression and bitcoin. Their conversation also includes Saifedean’s reflections on his upbringing in Palestine, how to make the most of our short time on earth, and advice to younger generations.
Resources
Fiat money doesn't just affect economic exchange, its impact on society is much wider. In this episode, Marty Bent, host of the Tales from the Crypt Podcast, interviews Saifedean about the ways fiat money encourages negative societal impacts ranging from climate alarmism to soil degradation to poor diets. They focus on the widely accepted need to transition to from fossil fuels to “renewable” energy and how government funding of science encourages the publication of studies that predict catastrophes and propose state intervention to avoid them. They also discuss how government statistics are manipulated to underplay the negative impacts of fiat and how people can opt out by adopting a bitcoin standard.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Most people think of bitcoin primarily as a form of money or store of value, but in this episode Darrin Feinstein argues that it also represents history’s most important accounting innovation. He explains why, as the world’s first incorruptible ledger, bitcoin allows us to remove fraud from the realm of accounting, and bring about a shift from “double-entry” to “triple-entry” bookkeeping. Darin and Saifedean discuss how the global accounting industry might differ in a world where bitcoin is used as the primary from of money, and why the transparency of bitcoin’s ledger makes it a poor tool for criminals. As Chairman of Core Scientific, one of the world’s largest bitcoin mining companies, Darin also discusses some popular misconceptions regarding bitcoin’s energy usage and environmental impact.
Resources
Can we eliminate the use of fossil fuels? Can electric cars replace gasoline cars? Is a transition to wind and solar energy possible? At what cost? What impact will a forced transition have on economic development? How do the costs of eliminating fossil fuels compare to the dangers of increased CO2 emissions? What evidence is there for a pending climate catastrophe? The Mises Institute's Jeff Deist and Bob Murphy host Saifedean for a fascinating discussion of these and many more questions!
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
April 27th 2022.
Without government who would build the roads? Should prostitution, speculating and price gouging be outlawed? In this episode Saifedean discusses these questions with eminent Austrian School economist Dr Walter Block. They cover fundamental issues in economics such as whether there is such a thing as a “public good”, whether economics is an empirical science, and whether it is ethical to outlaw “victimless crimes”. Dr Block also shares the story of he became a libertarian and Austrian economist, including the roles played by Ayn Rand and Murray Rothbard in his intellectual journey.
Resources
March 28th 2022.
What is the case for monarchy? Why are monarchies better at long-term thinking? Why do monarchies outcompete republics in protecting property rights, promoting peace, raising living standards, and protecting the value of money? Would a return to hard money bring back the age of monarchies? We discuss all these questions with HRH Prince Philip of Serbia, who became the first monarch to publicly announce being a bitcoiner. Their conversation touches on the story of the Karađorđević dynasty, the factors that led to communist seizure of power in Yugoslavia, and whether a restoration of monarchy is likely, or desirable. In the Q&A, Prince Philip answers questions on his career in finance, ESG, the European Union and whether other monarchs in Europe could serve as allies in bringing about a return to sound money.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
March 22nd 2022.
In a country dominated by statist politicians, what it is like to campaign for freedom, personal responsibility, and limited government? In this episode, Saifedean talks to leader of the People’s Party of Canada, Maxime Bernier about Canadian politics and whether bitcoin can protect Canadians from government overreach. They discuss Maxime’s journey into politics as a libertarian, why Canadian inflation is so high, and why Maxime supported recent protests by Canadian truckers. They also talk about the merits of gold versus bitcoin as money, and how Maxime would change Canada’s monetary policy. Saifedean pitches Maxime on the advantages of bitcoin for Canada, and Maxime announces that he's looking to accept donations in bitcoin!
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
March 21st 2022.
Is earth too hot? Is the weather getting worse? Are we experiencing a climate crisis? Is CO2 the control knob for the earth's climate? Is climate science basic physics? Do all scientists agree on these questions? Tom Nelson is an independent researcher who has spent many years studying these questions in-depth. He joins us to give us a rigorously researched perspective that contradicts the hysterical groupthink in fiat academia and media. He and Saifedean discuss how fiat funding of science creates incentives for groupthink and for bad ideas to survive unchallenged. They also talk about why fiat inflationism creates a strong incentive for researchers to support any pseudoscience that concludes you should avoid price-sensitive essential fuels in favor of less effective, cheaper alternatives.
Resources:
March 17th 2022.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US confiscated the Russian central bank’s significant monetary reserves, and banned some Russian banks from the SWIFT network. Serious questions are being asked about the survival of the postwar dollar-based world monetary order. Will Russia, China, and other countries actually build an alternative international settlement system, after years of threatening to do so? Will global central banks stop accumulating US treasury bonds and replace them with gold and commodities? Will we witness the birth of a new commodity or gold-based monetary order? In this seminar, we use the insights from The Bitcoin Standard and The Fiat Standard on temporal and spatial salability to explain why reports of the death of the dollar and the emergence of a new gold standard may be exaggerated.
Resources
March 9th 2022.
Saifedean hosts Dr Cate Shanahan to discuss her remarkable work on nutrition and the long term consequences of traditional foods and modern fiat foods. Cate's experience at medical school was powerless to stop her own health deteriorating, causing her to look at nutrition as a deeper cause of health problems, sending her down a rabbit hole to discover the horrors of modern seed oils, and the devastating damage caused by mainstream theories of health and nutrition, particularly the work of "the Keynes of Nutrition" Ancel Keys, who has arguably killed more humans than anyone in history. Cate contrasts his work to that of Weston Price, "the Mises of Nutrition", whose study of traditional diets worldwide remains enormously informative and useful, in spite of the medical and nutrition establishment ignoring it. Cate also explains how your food determines the health, fitness, and beauty of your children, and the warped financial incentives of modern fiat medicine.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Visit saifedean.com/meat to find out more about Saifedean’s experience following the carnivore diet.
February 25th 2022.
In this episode, Saifedean appears on The Tom Woods Show for a discussion on how the damage caused by fiat money extends beyond economics. Saifedean and Tom discuss why fiat money increases the power of governments and heightens societal time preference, disincentivising long-term planning. They also talk about the rise of “fiat mentality” and how societal attitudes have changed in areas such as diet, education and energy. They then discuss the “misery industry” of debt-based development aid – promoted by International Financial Institutions like the IMF – and how this industry has held back economic progress in the developing world.
Resources:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
February 24th 2021.
In this episode, Saifedean appears on The Tom Woods Show for a discussion of fiat money and debt slavery. Saifedean and Tom talk about the role of government debt in the creation of fiat money; the recent freezing of bank accounts in the wake of Canadian protests, and why bitcoin improves on the shortcomings of gold. They then discuss how the fiat monetary system warps societal incentives by making debt accumulation a winning strategy.
Resources:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
In this episode, Saifedean talks to Samson Mow, outgoing CSO of Blockstream and CEO of Pixelmatic, about why we should be “augmenting” rather than trying to change the bitcoin network. They begin by discussing Blockstream projects such as the Liquid Network that extend the range of options available to bitcoin users, while accepting the network’s fundamental protocol rules. They also discuss Samson’s role as a prominent “small blocker” in the 2015-2017 “Blocksize War” and whether – in retrospect – the victory of the small blockers was inevitable. Samson then shares his views on bitcoin adoption in Latin America, including El Salvador’s issuance of bitcoin-backed “volcano bonds” as a means of evading the debt-fuelled development model encouraged by the IMF. In the Q&A, Samson answers questions about bitcoin privacy, proof-of-stake and the issuance of securities on the Liquid Network.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
In this episode, Saifdean talks to Safdar Alam, CEO of investment firm Maydan Capital, about Islamic finance. Safdar starts by describing the basic principles of Islamic finance and the ethical justification for Islam’s prohibition on lending with interest. He and Saifedean then talk about how Islamic finance works in practice today; how it is mimicking the mainstream financial system; and the ways in which bitcoin might provide an ethical alternative to common practices often considered haram. In the Q&A Safdar answers questions about the Islamic definition of “speculation” and how this differs from “gambling”.
In this episode, Saifedean talks to author and health coach P.D. Mangan about how to improve wellbeing and slow ageing through some simple diet and fitness practices. They discuss why humans have adapted to thrive on a meat-based and paleo diets, the flawed science used to support widely accepted government dietary guidelines, and why so many people fail in their attempts to lose weight, combat fatigue and improve their wellbeing. In the Q&A, P.D. answers questions on fasting, whether type II diabetes can be reversed and the environmental impact of monocrops.
Visit saifedean.com/meat to find out more about Saifedean’s experience following the carnivore diet.
In this epsisode Saifedean talks to economist and investor Lyn Alden about her views on the global macroeconomy. They start by discussing recent market turbulence in light of the Federal Reserve’s plans to tighten monetary policy, whether these plans are realisable, and what this will mean for consumer price inflation and the stock market. They then move on to a discussion of Lyn’s portfolio, her reasons for allocation across particular industries, and why she holds shares in silver mining companies. In the Q&A Lyn answers questions about whether we can trust the Federal Reserve and how she uses the Austrian School economic framework to inform her thinking on investment.
Resources:
In this episode Saifedean talks to writer and head of business development at Unchained Capital Parker Lewis about his Gradually, Then Suddenly series. They start by discussing Parker’s career in traditional finance during the 2008 financial crisis, and how discovering Austrian economics and bitcoin helped him to truly understand the workings of global finance. They then talk about the arguments of some of Parker’s well-known articles on topics ranging from why bitcoin can’t be copied to why bitcoin isn’t too volatile to why bitcoin can’t be banned. In the Q&A Parker discusses rumours that he will run for mayor of Austin and whether hyperbitcoinization will lead to US dollar inflation.
Resources
· A full list of Parker’s articles on the Nakamoto Institute website.
· Vijay Boyapati’s article The Bullish Case For Bitcoin for discussion of bitcoin’s volatility.
· Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
· Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard
· Parker on Twitter.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
In this episode investor Preston Pysh and Saifedean do a deep dive in Saifedean’s new book The Fiat Standard. They discuss why analysing the fiat monetary system through the lens of bitcoin can help readers understand the advantages, and numerous disadvantages, of the fiat system. They talk about how fiat partially solved the age-old problem of gold’s lack of saleability across space, and how this eventually led to gold’s capture by governments and its ultimate demonetization. They explain how the fiat monetary system we live under today was created, and how it is controlled by the US and US-controlled institutions such as the IMF: to the detriment of the rest of the world. They talk through the disastrous consequences of the fiat system including its destruction of wealth through inflation, its disruption of economic calculation, the unprecedented power it has provided to governments, and its propensity to lead to conflict. They then move on to discuss the broader societal consequences on areas of life ranging from academia to medicine to diet. Finally, they discuss how a bitcoinized world, absent of inflation, would solve the problems fiat has created.
In this episode Saifedean talks to author and Mises Institute fellow Tom Woods about the importance of sound economics in an age of Covid hysteria. They discuss their experiences studying at Columbia University, and the different paths they took to discovering Austrian Economics. They then move on to discussing how they became independent academics, operating outside of traditional institutions and how this gave them more of freedom of speech and allowed them to reach a larger audience. They also talk about Tom’s work promoting rational thinking on masks and coronavirus lockdowns, the influence of “fiat” academics like Dr Fauci, and the censorship Tom has had to overcome on popular social media platforms.
This seminar hosts Microstrategy CEO and bitcoin mega-bull Michael Saylor to discuss the correct strategies for buying, holding, and promoting bitcoin. Michael explains what he sees as increasing regulatory clarity around bitcoin and increasing risk around altcoins, which it is becoming clear are digital securities, while bitcoin is digital property. We discuss his views on the adoption of bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador, and whether it presents bitcoin as more of a currency than a property, and what the global ramifications of this move are. Michael then explains the correct strategy and execution for acquiring bitcoin on debt without getting ruined; he also explains the correct bitcoin strategy for small businesses, and whether individual investors are better off buying bitcoin or mining it. Michael also discusses his views on whether we should think of bitcoin as digital property, digital gold, digital money, or digital energy. We also try to convince Michael to write a book with his ideas!
Do not miss this fantastic, hugely informative, and wide-ranging discussion!
In this episode Saifedean talks to Jeff Deist, president of the Mises Institute: the leading think tank dedicated to spreading the ideas of the Austrian School of Economics. They discuss the mission of the Mises Institute, its origins, and how its approach to economics differs from other think tanks such as the Cato Institute. They also talk about the problems of modern empirical economics and how most mainstream economists have failed to articulate the “unseen” costs of government interventions such as Covid lockdowns and climate change mitigation policies. Jeff also talks about some timeless books and essays that accurately explain economic phenomena, and makes the case that it is more important than ever to read the originals.
In this episode, Saifedean invites his newsletter subscribers to join a Q&A seminar normally only available to Saifedean.com members. He answers questions on whether money and debt are the same, whether bitcoin whales or “monopolists” will gain too much power on the free market, the impact of energy trends on bitcoin mining, and the risks of holding bitcoin on an exchange. Participants also share their personal stories about how reading The Bitcoin Standard changed their life by lowering their time preference and allowing them to save for the future.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this episode, Saifedean talks to Katie The Russian (Katie Ananina) about Plan B passports and how to navigate a world of Covid hysteria. Saifedean and Katie talk about “Flag Theory” and how obtaining multiple passports and residences can help sovereign individuals respond to restrictive government policies. They also talk about the arguments laid out in the book The Sovereign Individual and whether the rise of the microprocessor has led to a strengthening or weakening of government power. In the Q&A, Katie answers questions about tax strategies, asylum seekers and obtaining residences for dependents.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this episode, Saifedean invites back PlanB to back discuss the resilience of his stock-to-flow bitcoin pricing model in the face of global economic changes. They talk about the range of events that have impacted the bitcoin price since the model’s inception – Covid lockdowns, MicroStrategy, Elon Musk, China mining ban, El Salvador – and why the price has largely stayed within one standard deviation of the model’s baseline throughout. They also discuss institutional interest in bitcoin, which countries might follow El Salvador in adopting bitcoin as legal tender, and how QE and lockdown-created supply chain issues are causing global price inflation. In the Q&A, PlanB answers questions about money printing, whether S2F should be used to trade, and bitcoin’s short-term price outlook.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this Twitter Spaces discussion, Saifedean introduces his new book The Fiat Standard. Working through the chapters of the book, he discusses how the fiat monetary system works, why the Federal Reserve constitutes its “single node”, and how fiat is “mined” into existence through bank lending. He also talks about how the fiat monetary system impacts society in areas ranging from diet to energy to education. Saifedean then takes questions from Twitter users on The Sovereign Individual thesis, CBDCs and whether bitcoin miners are the “central banks” of bitcoin.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this episode, Saifedean talks to author and public intellectual Jordan Peterson about how bitcoin solves the problems of The Fiat Standard. Saifedean starts by introducing the Austrian School of Economics, its key concepts such as “opportunity cost”, and how it differs from alternative schools. Saifedean and Jordan then move on to a discussion of the civilizing impact of hard money, why bitcoin is different from other cryptocurrencies, and why bitcoin mining changes the dynamics of the global energy market. Finally, they discuss their experiences working in fiat academia and why online learning is making the traditional university obsolete.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this episode Saifedean invites back philosopher and energy expert Alex Epstein to talk about climate hysteria and the energy issues facing the world today. They discuss the ongoing COP26 talks in Glasgow and why those setting its agenda are driven by an anti-human philosophy. They also talk about emerging power shortages around the world and why these are caused by a government-led push towards unreliable energy. Alex explains why being opposed to human impact on the environment is equivalent to being anti-development, and why restricting the use of coal hits the world’s poorest the hardest. In the Q&A, Alex answers questions on the gas shortages in Europe, scientific consensus on climate change and how to stay calm in the face of irrationality.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this episode Saifedean talks to Jack Mallers, CEO of Strike, about how the Lightning Network is disrupting the global payments industry. Jack explains how international remittances work, why they are so costly and why the industry cannot compete with Lightning-based solutions. He and Saifedean then discuss how bitcoin is helping El Salvadorians transition from using cash to using bitcoin, whilst bypassing commercial banks. They also cover Jack’s role in helping to introduce Lightning tips to Twitter and Strike’s new “Pay Me in Bitcoin” application. In the Q&A, Jack takes questions on Strike’s expansion into Europe, who he would most like to “orange pill”, and which countries are likely to make bitcoin legal tender next.
Resources
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this episode Saifedean invites back Professor Paul Frijters of the London School of Economics to debate whether bitcoin is a good form of money. Saifedean makes the case for money as a market phenomenon, and argues that bitcoin has the scarcity, divisibility, fungibility and transportability that humans have historically valued in monies. Paul questions whether bitcoin mining is a zero-sum game and whether the fact that people hold bitcoin really demonstrates it has value. The debate touches on the demonetization of silver in China, the scarcity of land, and whether government force is legitimate at all.
Resources
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In this episode, Saifedean talks to London School of Economics Professor Paul Frijters about his book The Great Covid Panic. They talk about the role played by epidemiologists like Neil Fergusson in encouraging governments to pursue extreme lockdowns, and why mainstream economists failed to properly evaluate the opportunity costs of this policy. They discuss the damage lockdowns have caused and how societies were driven by crowd mentality to engage in largely ineffectual “Covid theatre” such as mask wearing and hand sanitising. At the end of the episode, Paul takes questions from seminar attendees about Sweden’s Covid response, vaccine mandates and what lessons can be learned from the Covid panic.
Resources
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In this episode Saifedean talks to Nik Bhatia, author of Layered Money. They begin by discussing Nik’s first essays on bitcoin, The Time Value of Bitcoin and The Lightning Network Reference Rate, and why Nik thinks “Lightning banks” are on their way. They move on to talk about Nik’s book, starting with an overview of how “layered money” developed on top of gold through financial institutions, and how this eventually culminated in the emergence of a pure fiat financial system. Nik and Saifedean also discuss money as it exists today, including the role of central banks and the eurodollar system. They end with a discussion of what the financial system of the future will look like, including why Nik is confident that both bitcoin and the US dollar will continue to exist throughout his lifetime, and why we should be concerned about the rise of CBDCs.
Resources
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Lecture delivered on Sept 17, 2021, to the Property and Freedom Society in Bodrum, Turkey, at the invitation of Professor Hans Hermann Hoppe. In this lecture, Saifedean discusses the relationship between time and preference and hard money. Saifedean argues that the ability to hold a form of money that holds its value into the future reduces the uncertainty surrounding the future, leading to less discounting of the future and thus a lower time preference. The lowering of time preference is what allows for the process of civilization to take place, with increasing capital accumulation, rising productivity, and improving living standards. Drawing on his research into the gold standard, the fiat standard, and the bitcoin standard, Saifedean illustrates several societal and economic trends which illustrate this relationship.
Watch Video presentation on Youtube.
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October 4th 2021.
In this episode Saifedean talks to bitcoin journalist Pete Rizzo about bitcoin maximalism, altcoins and Satoshi. They discuss objectivity in journalism, what constitutes a “neutral” stance on altcoins for journalists, and how bitcoin differentiates itself from other cryptocurrencies through its high degree of decentralization. They also discuss the role that Satoshi and his disappearance had in shaping today's bitcoin, and whether Satoshi was motivated by studying Austrian economics. They also discuss the late Mircea Popescu's underrated role in articulating and demonstrating bitcoin's immutability, resistance to capture, and sovereignty. In the Q&A session, Pete answers questions about potential attack vectors for bitcoin and explains his views on the likelihood of hyperbitcoinization.
Related links:
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In this episode, Saifedean takes questions from regular seminar attendees on bitcoin fungibility, bitcoin price models and central bank digital currencies. The discussion focusses on whether the ability of governments and private analysts to monitor on-chain bitcoin transactions poses a threat to its fungibility, and whether this matters. Saifedean also answers questions on how PlanB’s stock to flow model has so accurately predicted bitcoin price movements and what CBDCs have in common with the currency of the Soviet Union.
Related links:
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In this interview with the Mises Institute's Economics for Business podcast, Saifedean discusses his entrepreneurial work on saifedean.com: what is the business model, why he decided to leave behind the malinvestment of academia and work independently, how bitcoin was instrumental in this move, the benefits of independent knowledge entrepreneurship, and why this is the beginning of a growing trend worldwide.
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In this episode Saifedean talks to Dr Terence Kealey, adjunct scholar at The Cato Institute, about government funding of science. They discuss the history of technological development including how the Industrial Revolution was able to take place in Britain at a time of limited government and no significant state support for science. They cover how western government involvement in science accelerated during the atmosphere of panic that followed the 1957 launch of Sputnik, and why the misguided policies that followed were based on flawed economic assumptions. Terence and Saifedean also critique some popular misconceptions about how scientific progress happens, including the influential work of Philippe Aghion, Ken Arrow and Mariana Mazzucato.
Related links:
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In this episode Saifedean talks to regular seminar attendees about some common criticisms of hard money made by inflationist economists, and why these criticisms represent a misunderstanding of why recessions happen and how they are resolved. The conversation touches on the reluctance of mainstream economists to address the causes of The Great Depression, why they mistakenly attribute its length to the inflexibility of the gold standard, and how Austrian Business Cycle Theory provides the only coherent explanation for what happened. Saifedean draws parallels between these criticisms and popular hard money criticisms of bitcoin to show why they are also mistaken.
Resources
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In this episode Saifedean talks to Jeff Davidson, Executive Director at Saylor Academy, about how online learning is disrupting traditional education. Jeff describes why he became interested in education and how he came to partner with Michael Saylor on developing Saylor Academy into one of the world’s leading online learning platforms. They discuss the limitations of traditional university education, why government involvement in education has led to bureaucratization and stifled innovation, and how Jeff expects universities to change in the decades ahead.
Related links:
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In this episode Saifedean continues his discussion on homeschooling and fiat education with Daniel Prince. They touch on whether homeschooling is just for the wealthy elite, what a forgotten 1917 book can tell us about the true purpose of state education, and why – when all costs are considered – private education and homeschooling are more cost-effective than state alternatives. To hear the first part of this conversation, check out episode #76 of The Bitcoin Standard Seminar.
Related links:
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In this episode Saifedean talks to Daniel Prince – author of the book Choose Life and host of the Once BITten! podcast – about homeschooling. Daniel describes his experiences travelling around the world and homeschooling his four children, what he learnt along the way and how to avoid some common mistakes. He and Saifedean discuss the arguments in favour of non-traditional forms of education – drawing on the ideas of thinkers such as Ken Robinson, Naomi Fisher and Peter Gray – and why this can help children become more creative and sociable. Daniel also shares a range practical tips and online resources for parents thinking about homeschooling.
Related links:
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Saifedean is delighted to be offering a free introductory course on Austrian economics through Saylor.org, Michael Saylor's free online university. In this Twitter Spaces discussion, Michael and Saifedean discuss the course content, how the Austrian School’s approach to economics differs from the mainstream, and why it is best to study economics in the Austrian tradition. They also discuss the incredibly successful model of Saylor.org. The platform has registered almost a million students, offers more than 100 courses, and is offering students a chance to complete a university degree for free.
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In this episode Saifedean talks to Paul Saladino MD about meat eating and his book The Carnivore Code. They begin by discussing how transitioning from a vegan to a carnivore diet helped Paul to cure his eczema and why he now recommends others do the same. They cover why toxins are present in many commonly-eaten plants, what Paul learnt from studying the eating habits of the Hazda tribe, and whether fruit and honey have a place in a predominantly meat-based diet. They end by talking about the limits of methods used by researchers to come to conclusions about diet and why epidemiology represents a poor way of forming reliable conclusions about cause and effect.
Related links:
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Visit saifedean.com/meat to find out more about Saifedean’s experience following the carnivore diet.
In this episode Saifedean talks about popular misconceptions regarding scientific progress, focusing on aviation as a case study. He describes how the Wright brothers invented the first airplane in 1903 despite claims from scientific authorities of the time that human flight was impossible, and how commercial aircraft capabilities started to decline after the 1970s. Drawing on insights from the work of Terence Kealey, Saifedean describes how many other historical inventions – such as those of Thomas Newcomen and James Watt – were the result of tinkering and practitioner trial and error rather academic study. The podcast ends with a discussion of why the initial treatment of the Wright brothers has parallels with the treatment of bitcoiners today.
Related links:
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In this episode Saifedean talks to software developer and author Gigi. They start by talking about Gigi’s book 21 Lessons: What I've Learned from Falling Down the Bitcoin Rabbit Hole, and why Gigi’s most important lesson is “you will not change bitcoin, but bitcoin will change you”. They move on to discuss the relationship between bitcoin and time. They cover how bitcoin solved the problem of reaching decentralized agreement on time and how bitcoin, as an unparalleled savings technology, serves to lower human time preference. The Q&A touches on topics such as the mind-boggling security of the SHA256 cryptographic hash function and threats to bitcoin’s future.
Related links:
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Saifedean appearance on The Human Action podcast, hosted by Jeff Deist, President of Mises Institute. Quoted from the original description:
Saifedean Ammous, famous for The Bitcoin Standard, has a remarkable new book detailing the effects of fiat money on virtually every aspect of society. In the tradition of Guido Hülsmann's The Ethics of Money Production, Ammous returns with The Fiat Standard. From a framework of Austrian economics, this book explains the sordid history of central banks severing currencies from gold redemption—both to finance war and enjoy the political benefits of default. But it also considers the far-ranging effects of inflation on civilization: as time preference increases, everything gets worse. Education, food, architecture, family, and science all suffer, as inflation makes us live today at the expense of tomorrow.
On the 50th anniversary of Nixon's gold shock, The Fiat Standard is an amazing explication of how the West fell to its current state. You don't want to miss this show, especially Saifedean's epic takedown of fiat academia at the end!
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In this episode Saifedean talks to bitcoin developer and author Jimmy Song about programming and Jimmy’s new book Thank God for Bitcoin, which explores bitcoin from a Christian perspective. They discuss how Jimmy’s Python coding skills helped him to get a job at a bitcoin company in 2013, and what benefits learning to code can bring to bitcoiners. In their discussion of Thank God for Bitcoin they cover how money affects our morality and time preference. They tackle questions such as whether it is ethical to go into debt, whether Western civilisation started to decline after going off the gold standard, and whether Karl Marx was inspired by the character of the devil in Goethe’s Faust.
Related links:
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Saifedean's interview on Power Hour, hosted by Alex Epstein, author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, about how systematic government control--"fiat"--wreaks havoc in the realms, not just of currency, but of science, education, and energy.
They cover:
- How government control in the realm of ideas is treated as benign but is in fact incredibly dangerous.
- The myth that leading universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford are "private."
- What freedom of scientific inquiry looks like, and how it gave birth to the modern world.
- Why much of today's "modeling" would not exist in a free market.
- How the moral case for fossil fuels is taking hold in the Bitcoin community.
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In this episode we host author Nina Teicholz to discuss healthy eating and the sorry state of fiat nutrition science. We begin with the corrupt scientific establishment’s treatment of Mary Enig, John Yudkin, and other great scholars who went against the dogma promoted by industrial food manufacturers. We further discuss dietary guidelines, why they came about, and how disastrously effective they have been at getting people the world over to abandon the foods of their ancestors in favor of the heavily-marketed highly-profitable industrial waste. We discuss the work of Ancel Keys, nutrition’s equivalent of John Maynard Keynes, who disfigured nutrition science for decades, popularized a fictitious Mediterranean diet, and strengthened the crusade against meat, eggs, animal fat, and cholesterol. As the nutrition science establishment has remained wedded to the nonsensical diet-heart hypothesis even after decades of contrary evidence, we discuss how fiat funding disfigures the scientific process and prevents it from self-correcting, and why bitcoin can fix this, too. We conclude with discussing Nina’s Nutrition Coalition and the commendable work they are doing to counter establishment nutrition science, and we convince her to start accepting bitcoin donations!
Related links:
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In this episode Saifedean talks to Ben Gagnon, Chief Mining Officer at Bifarms, a Canadian bitcoin mining company that accounts for 1-2% of global hash power. Ben tells the story of how he became involved in bitcoin after missing an opportunity to buy 100 bitcoin for $70 in 2010. He and Saifedean discuss when it makes sense for people and companies to mine bitcoin, whether it’s a good idea to invest in bitcoin mining companies, and how events such as China’s recent mining clampdown will affect the future of the industry.
Links referenced:
The following links relate to Ben’s comments about bitcoin regulation in China leading to a pump in Ethereum’s price during early 2017:
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In this episode Saifedean talks to regular seminar attendees about why bitcoin operates like a machine. They discuss why – like a washing machine – bitcoin continues to serve people who use it regardless of whether they understand the mechanics of how it works, why bitcoin’s critics are analogous to luddites, and why money should be understood as a private market good, rather than a public good.
Links referenced:
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Saifedean's seminar is joined by Neil Woodfine, Head of Marketing at Unchained Capital, who lived and worked in the bitcoin industry in China since 2014. Neil talks about his experience navigating the unpredictable Chinese regulatory environment, how he views China’s recent ban on bitcoin mining in light of previous Chinese bitcoin policy, the implications for the bitcoin network, how Chinese miners adapt to these bans, and the state of bitcoin trading and payments in China in general.
Links referenced:
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In this episode Saifedean talks to Greenpeace co-founder and “drop out” Dr Patrick Moore about the misperceptions and hysteria surrounding climate change. They discuss the anti-human philosophy of modern environmentalist movements, the limitations of computer modelling as a means of making long-term climate forecasts and why there’s a case for actually increasing rather than decreasing human CO2 emissions. Saifedean and Patrick also touch on broader topics covered in Patrick’s book Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom including ocean plastic, ocean acidification and endangered polar bears.
Links referenced:
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In this episode Saifedean is joined by Vijay Boyapati, author of one of the most widely known articles for bitcoin beginners: The Bullish Case for Bitcoin. In this wide-ranging discussion Saifedean and Vijay analyse bitcoin’s rise through their shared framework of the Austrian School of Economics. They discuss Vijay’s four frameworks for valuing bitcoin, how technology “hype cycles” can help us understand bitcoin’s price movements and why fiat economists like Paul Krugman are so keen to undermine bitcoin’s success.
Links referenced:
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This seminar discusses the problems of economic modeling, using examples from environmental, energy, and macro economics. Saifedean explains how his graduate school experience trying to model energy markets led him to appreciate Mises' calculation problem and the problems of complex quantitative predictive models. What are the problems with attempting to quantify economic and environmental impacts of different fuels? Are the models being applied to bitcoin mining useful? As these absurd models bring fear-mongering to bitcoin mining, will they change bitcoin, or will their flimsy foundations be exposed by the kind of people who like to use a technology built on 100% verification and 0% trust?
Links referenced:
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We often hear bitcoin is a waste, but rarely will someone present a full accounting of all the costs and the benefits associated with bitcoin. In this seminar, based on a chapter from upcoming The Fiat Standard, Saifedean attempts a full accounting of the costs that go into making bitcoin work, from electricity to infrastructure, and compares them to the benefits bitcoin provides: appreciating savings, money transfer, and most importantly, obsoleting fiat money, with its massive costs. We estimate fiat inflation costs the world around 2.5% of global wealth per year, and has incalculable costs with rising time preference, economic distortion, activist government, and conflict. We also discuss how to best think about bitcoin's efficiency, and why it can be approximated by the stock-to-flow ratio!
Links referenced:
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In this episode Saifedean talks to regular seminar attendees about El Salvador’s recent adoption of bitcoin as legal tender. They discuss how this is a test of the importance of legal tender laws for monetary choice, and the drawbacks of legal tender laws. Will this hasten bitcoin's adoption in daily transactions? Or will it encourage hodling? What impact would wider use of bitcoin have on El Salvador’s exports? Why are governments without their own currencies more likely to adopt bitcoin? Can bitcoin inspire a populist anti-inflationist political movement in Latin America? They also touched on recent media reports about recovery of bitcoin from colonial pipeline hackers.
Related links:
Jack Mallers talk at Bitcoin 2021 conference during which president Nayib Bukele announces bitcoin will become legal tender in El Salvador: https://youtu.be/_59hrgTiRJU
Jordan Schachtel article on colonial pipeline hack: https://dossier.substack.com/p/the-colonial-pipeline-hack-the-russians
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In today’s seminar Saifedean talks to regular seminar attendees about the Bitcoin Mining Council: a recently formed group of North American bitcoin miners that aims to “promote energy usage transparency [and] accelerate sustainability initiatives worldwide.” They discuss why centralized attempts to alter bitcoin are unlikely to succeed without broad community consensus, what we can learn from the proposed SegWit2x software upgrade of 2017, and why the claims of some popular green energy initiatives are dubious.
Related Texts:
Article on establishment of Bitcoin Mining Council: https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/business/musk-s-bitcoin-mining-council-promises-sustainability/story
The Blocksize War by Jonathan Bier: https://blog.bitmex.com/the-blocksize-war-chapter-1-first-strike/
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In this episode Saifedean talks to Bitcoin Angel investor Simon Dixon about central bank digital currencies and Bitcoin in the context of today’s economy. They cover why CBDCs represent a radical monetary reform that would give governments unprecedented surveillance power, how the IMF is struggling to find relevance, why Bitcoin represents a lifeboat during times of uncertainty, and why we’re living in the most exciting time in financial history.
Resources
Simon’s Emergency Broadcast - IMF calls for Bretton Woods Monetary Renegotiation As Predicted https://youtu.be/enmHW4gCkAY
Simon’s website: https://app.bnktothefuture.com/about
IMF Announcement of New Bretton Woods Moment: https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2020/10/15/sp101520-a-new-bretton-woods-moment
Bank of England Bank Charter Act of 1844: https://web.archive.org/web/20101203090327/http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/about/legislation/1844act.pdf
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In today’s episode Saifedean talks to former investment banker and author of Heaven’s Bankers, Harris Irfan. They discuss Harris’ decades of experiences in Islamic finance and what sparked his interest in bitcoin as a Muslim. Harris explains why bitcoin might be the most sharia-compatible money, why the decentralized nature of bitcoin should be appealing to Muslims, and what Islamic scholars get wrong about bitcoin. We then discuss whether a hard free market money like bitcoin would make finance more equity-based than debt-based.
Links:
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In this episode Saifedean talks to libertarian author and comedian Dominic Frisby about the history of taxation, the rise of Bitcoin and whether we are moving towards a more or less statist world. They cover the story of how Dominic first found out about Bitcoin in December 2010, how voluntary taxation worked in ancient Greece, the rise of digital nomads, and whether land value tax represents the “least bad tax”.
Links
Dominic’s books
Books referenced by Dominic
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In this episode Saifedean talks to regular seminar attendees about Elon Musk’s recent bitcoin comments, and what they teach us about him & his business empire. Saifedean compares Elon Musk to John D. Rockefeller – both the richest men in the world in their eras – and discusses the extent to which their innovations have had an impact on the lives of everyday people, to give us an idea of how fiat alters society. To become the richest man in the world, Rockefeller built the modern industrial world, transforming the lives of billions, while Musk traded carbon credits & received subsidies to unprofitably build a few toy cars for the rich.
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In this episode Saifedean talks to Rahim Taghizadegan, the president of the Free Private Cities Foundation, and one of the few Austrian School economists still operating in Austria. They discuss the history of the Austrian School, the problems of modern fiat academia and why Rahim sees Bitcoin as an essential part of the monetary infrastructure that would support Free Private Cities.
Resources
The Raven of Zurich: The Memoirs of Felix Somary: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Raven-Zurich-Memoirs-Felix-Somary/dp/0312664079
Free Private Cities official website: https://www.freeprivatecities.com/en/
Titus Gebel’s book, Free Private Cities: Making Governments Compete for You:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Free-Private-Cities-Governments-Compete/dp/1724391380
Institut Scholarium website (German Language only): https://scholarium.at/
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In today’s seminar Saifedean talks to regular attendees about whether increasing a nation’s exports should be seen as a desirable policy goal, and why countries that devalue their currencies don’t necessarily export more.
The discussion focusses on the post-war experience of Germany and Switzerland and how these countries grew prosperous through maintenance of a strong currency.
Books referenced during the discussion include:
Gold Wars: The Battle Against Sound Money as Seen From a Swiss Perspective by Ferdinand Lips: https://amzn.to/33Akfve
For a discussion of Ludwig Erhard’s market reforms see: The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw: https://amzn.to/3f7Rlbl
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In this podcast Saifedean and Lyn discuss Bitcoin and trends taking place in the macroeconomy. Lyn starts by giving her view on the investment case for Bitcoin, PlanB’s Stock to Flow model, and whether Bitcoin can be characterized as a Ponzi scheme. They then move on to discuss global macroeconomic conditions and why Bitcoin represents a more attractive investment in a world where fiat currency supply expansion is accelerating. They touch on long-term debt cycles, 1970s stagflation, CBDCs and whether we should expect high inflation during the 2020s.
Articles by Lyn that were referenced in the conversation include:
See PlanB’s website for information on the Stock to Flow model: https://100trillionusd.github.io/
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Described by Jordan Peterson as "frighteningly smart", Allen Farrington is a member of saifedean.com who has written some excellent essays on bitcoin, and also spent an enormous amount of time studying the work of various fiat intellectuals, so you don't have to. He joins us for a deep dive into why fiat intellectuals have such a hard time understanding bitcoin, why it triggers them so much, and whether there is anything important or profound in the ramblings of angry fiaters like George Selgin, Eric Weinstein, and Nassim Taleb.
The discussion makes reference to the following articles by Allen:
Other books and articles referenced in the discussion include:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/
CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/
Saifedean and seminar regular Peter Young discuss what price indeces such as CPI tell us about inflation. They discuss whether ageing demographics lead to inflation or deflation, whether inflation measurements are even theoretically possible, and the historical failure of central bank attempts to manage the economy based on price index data.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Experienced high-yield credit trader Greg Foss joins Saifedean Ammous for a discussion on why bond investors should own Bitcoin. They talk about why Bitcoin represents insurance against sovereign debt defaults, how Greg’s values Bitcoin using data from the Credit Default Swap markets, and why those same markets suggest that Canada’s official credit rating is too high.
Greg makes reference to:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
We compare the precautionary principle approach of obsessing over avoiding one negative outcome to the economic way of thinking, which entails examining the seen and unseen consequences of each action, and is a much more sane, safe, and intelligent way of approaching complex issues. We examine two contemporary episodes of global mass hysteria to see how dangerously reckless and counterproductive using the precautionary principle is.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
We discuss the economics of electric cars, and what the heavy subsidies they receive tell us about their future potential. Will they save earth from CO2 emissions? Is eliminating emissions possible? Is it even desirable?
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this seminar, we apply the economic way of thinking to figure out the opportunity cost of a century of fiat money. How would the world look like if it had hard money over the past century? What would be the impacts on capital accumulation, international trade, poverty alleviation?
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this episode we discuss the link between fiat money and fiat food, based on the latest chapter from The Fiat Standard, available to subscribers on saifedean.com. We discuss: fiat's encouragement of high time preference thinking causing soil depletion and bad food choices; why fiat governments heavily subsidize fiat foods to make inflation look better; and how a hard monetary standard incentivizes eating real food and regenerating soil.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Visit saifedean.com/meat to find out more about Saifedean’s experience following the carnivore diet.
I joined Tom Woods to discuss current trends in Bitcoin, whether it’s in a “bubble,” what its advantages are, what the future may hold, and why all of this should matter to libertarians.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT
NYDIG is a leading full-service financial services firm dedicated to Bitcoin, applying institutional wisdom and ingenuity to help clients access the unrealized potential of this emerging asset class. NYDIG offers the full suite of financial solutions needed for financial institutions to access Bitcoin, from custody, execution, financing, treasury solutions, integration partnerships, and more.
Check their website here: https://nydig.com/
==================
To secure your bitcoins, it is important to keep your seedphrase backed up safely, and for that, I highly recommend using the CypherWheel seed storage device, a gorgeous and brilliant sturdy piece of low time preference engineering from a fourth-generation machine shop in Maine.
Check their website here: https://cyphersafe.io/
==================
Whenever someone asks me how to invest in Bitcoin, my advice is to accumulate bitcoins periodically for the long run, or dollar-cost averaging. When you buy every day, week, or month, you play bitcoin’s volatility to your advantage. In the long run, this strategy will outperform every other bitcoin investment strategy, except for dumb luck, and lying about timing the market. For dollar-cost averaging, I strongly recommend OKCoin, the exchange with the lowest fees for recurring purchases worldwide. OKCoin is also the bitcoin exchange accessible in the most countries around the world.
Check their website here: https://okcoin.com/
==================
I believe it is really important to run a node, but I don’t recommend running it on your work or personal computer, as it can compromise the performance of your computer and, more importantly, the security and privacy of your bitcoin node. A far better solution is to buy a dedicated hardware node, and for that, I highly recommend Nodl.
Check their website here: https://www.nodl.it/
==================
My hardware wallet of choice is the Coldcard. I strongly recommend only conducing bitcoin trades on computers tha
Peter Young hosts a debate between Saifedean and gold investor Mark Valek on the monetary status of precious metals. Has bitcoin obsoleted gold as money? Is gold being demonetized? Do gold's uses in jewellery and industry help or hinder its monetary status?
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
We discuss the economics of energy, based on the chapter on the topic in my Principles of Economics textbook, which is available to subscribers on saifedean.com. What is the economic rationale for consuming energy? How has energy use increased the value of human time, helped end slavery, and improved living standards? What does this teach us about bitcoin's energy consumption? What are the real costs of low-energy alternatives to bitcoin?
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
We look at the economic problems of cracking down on bitcoin, and how that's working out for governments trying it. What can we learn from prohibition of drugs & alcohol? Will India's recent ban on bitcoin be as big a historic mistake as staying on the silver standard in the nineteenth century?
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Are markets efficient? How do we think of this question from an Austrian perspective? We discuss how the absence of constants in economics has always been the problem with all quantitative approaches to economic questions, and what bitcoin means for this.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Professor Steve Hanke has many decades of experience studying currencies and fighting inflation, but does not see value in bitcoin. He joins Saifedean and Hong Fang, the CEO of OKCoin, to discuss Bitcoin's value, whether bitcoin has intrinsic value, if bitcoin is just a speculative bubble, and if a currency board would work for a digital currency.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this seminar we discuss chapters 4 to 7 from my book The Fiat Standard, the forthcoming sequel to The Bitcoin Standard, available to subscribers on saifedean.com. How does the fiat standard work internationally? We look at how mining fiat by lending it incentivizes international financial institutions, how it shapes international politics and the domestic politics of developing countries, and how it has prevented economic growth in poor countries.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
As insurance industry giants begin to enter the bitcoin space, we discuss the implications for bitcoin’s proposition as a store of value. Will the satoshi rate become the new risk-free rate? Are there any good reasons for bonds to exist in a world in which bitcoin works? What is the case for holding gold in a bitcoin world?
Links:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
This week we host the poster child for carbohydrate deficiency, carnivore elite athlete, orthopedic surgeon, author, and bitcoiner Dr. Shawn Baker! We discuss Shawn's personal experience as an athlete, and his professional experience as a surgeon, on the carnivore diet, the rationale for eating meat-only, the health benefits, and why dietary interventions are far more effective than public health interventions. We also ask Shawn's views on sourcing meat, the environmental impact of meat production, fasting, coffee, and wine.
The makers of my favorite grill, the Otto Wilde Grill, are offering you a 10% discount and a free membership to saifedean.com if you buy a grill from them in the next five days! Just use the coupon code saifedean100!
Shawn's book, The Carnivore Diet
Mentioned by Shawn in the episode:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
Visit saifedean.com/meat to find out more about Saifedean’s experience following the carnivore diet.
This week we discuss: What are shitcoins good for? Can shitcoins help bitcoin scale? Do shitcoins take market share from bitcoin, or from each other? Plus, find out why backing gold with bitcoin is far more likely than backing bitcoin with gold!
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Should you borrow fiat to buy bitcoin? Is it better to sell bitcoin or borrow against it? In this seminar we discuss optimal fiat strategies for bitcoiners, and the risks involved, based on Michael Saylor's comments in seminar 34, and the early chapters of The Fiat Standard.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/
CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/
In this seminar we are joined by Stephen Chow, founder of Chow Art Fund, whose mission is to embrace the bitcoin standard in order to sponsor living artists to create masterpieces, and @FractalEncrypt, an artist who has produced a magnificent bitcoin full node sculpture. We discuss my book, The Bitcoin Standard, and how its discussion of time preference was influential in their artistic journeys; how they see art evolving in a bitcoin world; and the problem with "art on blockchain" nonsense. We conclude with a discussion of my favorite artist, classical Egyptian music's legendary diva, Umm Kulthum, and how she was the inspiration for my thoughts on time preference.
Chow Art Fund website: https://chowartfund.wordpress.com/
Bitcoin full node sculpture: https://scarce.city/products/full-node-sculpture
Umm Kulthum's wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umm_Kulthum
Some of her best songs:
https://youtu.be/yvKNCW5B_DU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPGHpBOt5sE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtlAw0FziDc
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this podcast we discussed last week seminar with Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor. We go over his strategy for buying bitcoin and wether it works for everyone. Then we discuss wether his actions and analysis contradict the bitcoin stock to flow model. Finally, we move on to discuss how we can reconcile the stock to flow model with praxeology and the Austrian economics we cover in our courses on saifedean.com
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/
CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/
In this podcast we talk to Peter Young, a regular attendee of our seminars and student of Austrian economics, who has spent a lot of time traveling to North Korea. Peter gives us his perspective on the communist economic system and how it functions, through the lens of the Austrian economics.
You can follow Peter on Twitter using the handle @petermiyoung.
His Medium page contains a list of his threads on economics.
Books Referenced
Andrei Lankov – The Real North Korea (2013)
Paul French – North Korea: State of Paranoia (2014)
B.R. Myers - The Cleanest Race (2010)
Robert L. Schuettinger & Eamonn Butler - Forty Centuries of Wage and Price Controls: How Not to Fight Inflation (1979)
Videos
YouTube video showing a DPRK market before and after the 2009 currency reform.
Andrei Lankov discussion of Kim Jong Un land reforms.
B.R. Myers discussion of DPRK economy and Hikikomori state.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
We are rejoined by Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor, who has read the first part of The Fiat Standard and shares some fascinating feedback on it, including how to think of time preference and bitcoin. We also discuss Bitcoin for Corporations, the conference Microstrategy organized, and how he sees the bitcoin corporate wave advancing. What are the assets obsoleted by bitcoin? What are Michael's mental models for thinking about bitcoin's price, his thoughts on price prediction models, and whether he thinks we'll see another big crash in bitcoin.
Subscribe to receive chapters of The Fiat Standard as they are written, on saifedean.com.
Michael's Bitcoin for corporations conference website.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this seminar, we look closely at the concept of stock-to-flow, comparing it across bitcoin, gold, silver, other metals, and altcoins. We go over the data from The Bitcoin Standard, and look at more recent numbers for silver, and explain why attempts to monetize silver and platinum failed, why mining asteroids would not eliminate gold’s monetary role, and what actually could do it.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
How would the free market have handled a respiratory illness? After a year of evidence, including my personal experience with the illness, we discuss the effectiveness of individual and public health precautions and interventions.
We examine the difference in approach through the lens of Mises' calculation problem. What economic problems face public health authorities, and what would we have done without them?
We are also re-joined by Philipp Bagus, who has just published a paper on the political economy of mass hysteria.
You can find Philipp's paper here.
Article: Why COVID-19 is more deadly in people with obesity—even if they’re young
Covid-19: Why are age and obesity risk factors for serious disease?
Obesity is the biggest factor driving New York City's coronavirus hospitalizations after age
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
This week we host Philipp Bagus, the economist who wrote the definitive Austrian treatment of deflation, In Defense of Deflation. We discuss the history of anti-deflation thought in economics, the different kinds of deflation, the consequences of deflation, and whether this is a problem for bitcoin. We also discuss Philipp's views on bitcoin, as well as his work on the Euro.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this week's seminar we discuss reddit's attack on hedge funds by buying Gamestop stock. How the analysis of hard money in The Bitcoin Standard can help us understand why these short-squeezes will be self-defeating everywhere except with bitcoin, because of its unique Number Go Up technology. We also discuss deflation, monarchy, and more fun!
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/
CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/
We are joined by Austrian-school economist Per Bylund to discuss entrepreneurship as studied in the Austrian school tradition, and how and why the treatment of this topic differs from mainstream schools of thought. Per is a Fellow of the Mises Institute and Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship & Records-Johnston Professor of Free Enterprise in the School of Entrepreneurship in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
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CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/
Stephan is a patent autorney and Libertarian scholar, from whom I’ve learned a lot over the years. Although he is not an economist, he has made a very important contribution to economics by providing the best alaboration of the case against intellectual property.
I highly recommend his paper “Against Intellectual Property”, which I taught in my ECO12 class.
Jed Grant is CEO of KYC3.com and founder of OpenCryptoAlliance, which is attempting to help fight patent trolls in the bitcoin space. We discussed the nature of patents and the threat they pose for bitcoiners and bitcoin companies, and how they attempt to fix it.
Links mentioned in the seminar:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Saifedean discusses chapters 3 and 4 of The Fiat Standard with subscribers. These foundational chapters explain how the fiat system functions with analogy to Bitcoin, studying central banks as nodes and examining their core functions, explaining how lending in fiat is the equivalent of mining in bitcoin, how it translates to supply issuance, and how to understand price inflation in fiat. Join saifedean.com to receive new chapters as they're written, before publication!
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this seminar we are joined by Preston Pysh, an investor and podcaster who has produced excellent thought-provoking research on bitcoin. We discuss Preston's journey from value investor to bitcoiner, and how he bridges his Warren Buffet background with being a bitcoiner. We also discuss his fascinating mental model for thinking about bitcoin bull runs, and whether this bull run will be similar to previous ones in being followed by a big crash, or if this time will be different.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/
CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/
Description: Discussion of the economics of time, based on chapter 3 in Saifedean's forthcoming textbook, Principles of Economics. Why is time the ultimate resource, and how does money affect time preference.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In today's seminar, we discuss why bitcoin's price matters, what bitcoin skeptics get wrong about it, and what it means to the success of the network. We also discuss the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's new guidance allowing banks to use public blockchains as settlement infrastructure, and how it agrees with The Bitcoin Standard's thesis.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Thomas Semaan is an ex-student of Saifedean who has been active in the Lebanese bitcoin scene. He joins us to tell us about the Lebanese fiat crisis, how bitcoin has helped him and other bitcoiners, and compare its effectiveness to political activism and delusions of reform.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/
CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/
We are joined by Bitcoin trader and analyst Tone Vays, to discuss professional trading, amateur trading, bitcoin trading, and the likely course of the bitcoin bull market.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In today’s seminar we discuss Central Bank Digital Currencies and what they mean for Bitcoin. What are the likely contours of a new global monetary system, in the wake of the global economic crises? Finally we examine Hayek’s proposal for competing currencies and whether it makes him a shitcoiner.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Gold became money as determined by the free market because of its properties—scarcity. But with the invention of Bitcoin, we are now seeing a historical event that will never be repeated. Bitcoin’s characteristics make it a direct competitor to the central banks because of its absolute scarcity, resistance to theft and confiscation, and the system that it’s built upon prevents it from being shut down.
Saifedean Ammous, economist and author of The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking says, “The higher the ratio of the stock to the flow, the more likely a good is to maintain its value over time and thus be more salable across time.” And he says it’s this reason Bitcoin is the only working alternative for central banking.
Host Robert Kiyosaki and Saifedean Ammous answer the questions surrounding Bitcoin and why it the “first demonstrably reliable operational example of digital cash and digital hard money.”
Website: www.saifedean.com
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/
CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/
This week we are joined by Russell Lamberti, macroeconomic analyst from the Austrian School, to discuss the global macro outlook, and how bitcoin fits in. Russell is on Twitter on @RussLamberti
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
The Fiat Standard - Chapter 1 Read by Guy Swann
"For the reader who has become familiar with the operation of bitcoin, a good way to understand the operation of fiat is by drawing analogy to the operation of bitcoin using concepts like mining, nodes, balances, and proof of work. My aim is to explain the operation and engineering structure of the fiat monetary system and how it operates, in reality, away from the naive romanticism of governments and banks who have benefited from this system for a century." - Saifedean Ammous
Today we dig into Chapter 1 of the sequel to the seminal work in the Bitcoin ecosystem, The Fiat Standard. The book is being published on Saifedean.com chapter by chapter before its final release, and you can subscribe to get his courses and the other chapters as they release. But today we dig into the first chapter, the ideas, and a new mindset for examining the failures and successes of fiat money. This is not to be missed.
Visit saifedean.com for more information on The Fiat Standard, the new book by Saifedean Ammous.
Find Guy Swann on Twitter @TheCryptoconomy
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In today's seminar we discuss Microstrategy's latest issuance of notes to finance more purchases of bitcoin, and what it tells us about the state of fiat markets and bitcoin. We also discuss bitcoin price bubbles, and how they relate to halvings and the stock-to-flow ratio.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Saifedean joins Stephan to discuss the underlying technology behind The Fiat Standard, how it operates, and what bitcoin can teach us about how the fiat system functions!
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Jeff Booth is a long-time leader in the tech industry and the founder and ex-CEO of BuildDirect, who recently wrote The Price of Tomorrow: Why Deflation Is the Key to an Abundant Future. He joins us to discuss inflation and deflation, why deflation is the natural state of markets, and how a hard money like bitcoin fixes much of what is wrong with today's world.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
PLanB is the pseudonym of a Dutch money manager and quantitative analyst who has produced a numerical modelling of bitcoin's price based on its stock-to-flow ratio, after reading about it in The Bitcoin Standard. He joins us to discuss his model, why he thinks it holds so well, what he expects to happen to the model long term, and what problems the model has.
Find out more on PlanBTC.com.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/
CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/
Alex Epstein is the author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, and the founder of the Center for Industrial Progress. He joins us to discuss his work on the importance of energy, and in particular fossil fuels.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Coldcard - https://coldcardwallet.com/
CoinBits App - https://coinbitsapp.com/
In today's seminar we host Stephen Barbour, founder and CEO of Upstream Data, Inc. We discuss Upstream's unique products which allow for mining bitcoin off of methane gas that cannot be sold economically otherwise. We also discuss the economics of Bitcoin mining, the difficulty adjustment, and different energy sources.
Upstream Data's website.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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In today's seminar, Saifedean discusses his new book The Fiat Standard, on which he has been working for two years! You can read the first chapter, and sign up to receive a new chapter every week, on saifedean.com!
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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This week, we host Robert Breedlove, one of the sharpest minds thinking and writing about the deeper implications of bitcoin. We discuss Robert's work on the parallels between the number zero and bitcoin, how bitcoin is digital alchemy, fiat money and slavery, and bitcoin as our most brilliant idea.
Robert blogs on breedlove22.medium.com
His Twitter account is: @Breedlove22
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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We are joined by Dr. James Todaro MD to discuss fiat medicine and fiat science, and the free market alternative he is pursuing. James is a bitcoiner and medical doctor who conducted highly important research this year, and saw it censored and attacked by media and scientific authorities.
James later helped uncover a completely fraudulent article based on fabricated data published in The Lancet. Six months from its publication, we reflect to see what this study and its retraction teach us about fiat science.
James is currently building an open-source alternative to fiat academic medicine on Omnijournal on Omnij.org.
He also publishes medicineuncensored.com.
You can find him on Twitter on @JamesTodaroMD.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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In today's seminar we begin by discussing bitcoin's price rise light and how the analysis in The Bitcoin Standard has held up since then. We then move on to discussing Coronahysteria and how so many otherwise reasonable people have been scared into believing ridiculous hysterical nonsense.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this seminar we are joined by Jordan Schachtel, an investigative reporter who has covered the global coronahysteria crisis from its genesis, and proven one of the very few people who has thought and written about it rationally. Jordan discusses the lack of evidence for the interventions being presented as the cutting edge of science. He shares his investigations into some of the leading alarmists and the incoherence of their hysterical messages. He discusses the origin of the hysteria and the horrific impact it will have on people worldwide.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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In this seminar we host Michael Goldstein, @bitstein, of the Satoshi Nakamoto Institute. We discuss our two favorite topics: bitcoin and meat. Michael curated justmeat.co a page with very rich resources on meat, including the amazing story of Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson.
We are also fortunate to have among our attendees in the seminar Timothy Allen, filmmaker, adventurer, and photographer who has spent years traveling with nomadic tribes in the Arctic and worked on the BBC's Human Planet documentary.
We discuss the diet and health of meat-eating tribes as described in Stefansson's and Timothy's travels, the joys of moving reindeer across Siberia while eating raw frozen fish, and the arctic version of red wine.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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We are joined this week by Stephan Livera who moderates a debate between Saifedean and Alex Gladstein, of the Human Rights Foundation, on the question of whether bitcoin is a democratic technology.
Alex has written on how bitcoin can protect free speech.
Articles and Books mentioned in the episode:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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After five years of eating nothing but meat, Saifedean explains everything he learned about how to grill a steak, and why to grill it. Being well-nourished with meat is the best way to avoid getting addicted to highly-addictive processed junk.
In this week's seminar, Saifedean discusses the most important things he learned about sourcing and preparing meat to stay healthy, as well as some of the most relevant readings that have shaped his thinking on this topic, and the connection between fiat money and fiat food.
Saifedean's guide to meat.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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We are joined this week by Pierre Rochard, of the Satoshi Nakamoto Institute, to talk about:
The fixed supply of bitcoin
How bitcoin differs from other moneys
The significance of having a supply that can be verified cheaply
The importance of savings
The difference between savings and investments
BitcoinAcks: Pierre's new initiative for open source financing of bitcoin development
Some of my favorite articles by Pierre:
The Bitcoin Central Bank's Perfect Monetary Policy
End the Fed, Hoard Bitcoins
Fractional Reserve Banking Is Obsolete
Working and Saving are Revolutionary Acts
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Professor Saifedean Ammous, author of The Bitcoin Standard, is in the midst of writing a new textbook titled Principle of Economics. But he's writing it in open-source form: drafting, revising, and sharing the manuscript with his online students as the book is created. And unlike most lousy college economics textbooks, his offering is rooted in Austrian theory and contains numerous references to Menger, Böhm-Bawerk, Mises, Rothbard, and Hoppe. Academia is changing, and the way we learn is ripe for disruption. Dr. Ammous is at the fore of these changes, and you don't want to miss this show.
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In this seminar we host Michael Saylor, CEO of Microstrategy, the publicly traded company that announced it was making bitcoin its primary treasure reserve asset, and purchasing 38,250 BTC (~$425m). Saylor explains how this was a deliberate decision to put the company on a Bitcoin Standard.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Saifedean Ammous is the author of The Bitcoin Standard. We talk about the university system, how money has made it highly inefficient and how the internet is routing around it. Saifedean also tells us about how government money has made colleges into ineffective research institutions, how PhD students are abused as cheap labor and how competition will ultimately help everyone.
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Seminar 4 with Dr. Ammous for September 17, 2020
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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In this episode of Power Hour by Alex Epstein, author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, interviews Dr. Saifedean Ammous, economist and author of "The Bitcoin Standard."
Alex and Dr. Ammous discuss a wide range of topics, including:
How Ammous got interested in energy economics.
What Ammous learned studying the economics of biofuels.
Why it’s crucial to think of time as the most important resource.
How energy relates to time.
How economists tend to undervalue energy - and what Ammous is doing to address this.
Additionally, they discuss several foundational issues in economics, such as the nature of money, economic calculation, the nature of value, and opportunity cost.
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The Bitcoin Standard Podcast Seminar 3, September 10, 2020
In this seminar we discuss bitcoin's difficulty adjustment, what I view as the secret sauce that makes bitcoin work!
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
This seminar focuses on the economics of energy. How does the economic way of thinking help us understand the energy market, and recent events like the California blackouts. I discuss the content of the economics of energy chapter in my forthcoming textbook, Principles of Economics, and how marginal analysis can help us understand the limitations of unreliable energy sources, as well as the world's continued reliance on hydrocarbons for energy.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Saifedean Ammous is an economist and the author of The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking, which has been translated into 20 languages. In this episode, he discusses:
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Main points on Monarchy vs Democracy:
1. Time preference
2. Security of property
3. War
4. Democracy has perverse selection
5. Democracy legitimates government
6. Kings don't owe anybody anything
7. Rise of civilizations under monarchy
Relevant quote from Hoppe: "Traditional monarchies only resemble dictatorships superficially. Instead, dictatorships are a regular outgrowth of mass democracy. Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, and Mao were distinctly democratic rulers as compared to the former Emperors of Russia, Germany, Austria, and China. Indeed, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, and Mao (and almost all of their smaller and lesser known successors) were outspoken in their hatred of everything monarchic and aristocratic. They knew that they owed their rise to democratic mass politics, and they employed democratic politics (elections, referenda, mass rallies, mass media propaganda, etc.) throughout their reign."
Further Readings:
Hoppe, Democracy: The God That Failed
Hoppe, Political Economy of Monarchy and Democracy
Hoppe, The Myth of National Defense
Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, Monarchy and War
Leland Yeager, A Libertarian Case for Monarchy
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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From the Stephan Livera Podcast
https://stephanlivera.com/
Guest Saifedean Ammous
https://saifedean.com
https://twittercom/saifedean
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SLP69 Saifedean Ammous – How governments could kill Bitcoin and Bitcoin scenarios
Original Episode From the Stephan Livera Podcast
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Listen to Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Delphi Digital, interview Saifedean Ammous, author of "The Bitcoin Standard".
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
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Matthew interviews Dr. Saifedean Ammous, Austrian economist and author of The Bitcoin Standard.
Saifedean comes back on the show for an in depth discussion on some classical principles of (Austrian) economics, of which he is currently lecturing online in his second Principles of Economics course, available now (link below).
We cover what makes Austrianism different from mainstream Keynesianism, why Austrianism's common sense isn't so "common," what a true monopoly is (can you find one?), and some debates among Austrians in money and banking.
We also cover the Bitcoin upcoming halvening (is it priced in?), mining centralization, and gold.
Hosts: Matthew Mežinskis, Fernando Ulrich
Music: New Friend Music newfriendmusic.com/
Site: cryptovoices.com/
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Today's guest is none other than @Saifedean Ammous author of the Bitcoin Standard. Join us as we take a deep dive into the concept of time preference and #Bitcoin.
Learn how @Saifedean views the world and what life experiences have helped him change and shape his thinking to a low time preference mindset.
Co-host Lauren and twin brother Samuel return to ask a 9-year-old #Bitcoin related question to @Saifedean, which he answers with aplomb!
Find out @Saifedean thoughts about the current University and #education system and why he now prefers to teach outside of mainstream academia.
Finally, find out who @saifedean would like to read his book so that they could learn about #Bitcoin and low time preference in order to share the message with their huge audiences.
Full List Of Shills and Mench's:
https://saifedean.com/
Lionel Messi - https://messi.com/
@Cristiano Ronaldo
@princey1976
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
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www.saifedean.com
Saifedean's recent appearance on Tales From The Crypt
"Join Marty as he sits down with Saifedean Ammous, author of The Bitcoin Standard, to discuss:
- Academia
- Bitcoinization might not play out how you think
- The collective "We"
- Building his Economics course
- much more"
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
"Bitcoin is poorly suited to the purpose of becoming any nation's main medium of exchange."
That was the topic of a public debate hosted by the Soho Forum in New York City on August 12, 2019. It featured George Selgin, director of the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives at the Cato Institute, and economist Saifedean Ammous, author of The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking (2018). Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein moderated.
Welcome to the audio podcasting home of Saifedean Ammous and The Bitcoin Standard.When a pseudonymous programmer introduced “a new electronic cash system that's fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party” to a small Online mailing list in 2008, very few paid attention. Ten years later, and against all odds, this upstart autonomous decentralized software offers an unstoppable and globally-accessible hard money alternative to modern central banks. The Bitcoin Standard analyzes the historical context to the rise of bitcoin, the economic properties that have allowed it to grow quickly, and its likely economic, political, and social implications. Ammous' firm grasp of the technological possibilities as well as the historical realities of monetary evolution provides for a fascinating exploration of the ramifications of voluntary free market money. As it challenges the most sacred of government monopolies, bitcoin shifts the pendulum of sovereignty away from governments in favor of individuals, offering us the tantalizing possibility of a world where money is fully extricated from politics and unrestrained by borders.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Dr. Saifedean Ammous speaks at the Libertarians Scholars Conference September 29, 2019.
When a pseudonymous programmer introduced “a new electronic cash system that’s fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party” to a small online mailing list in 2008, very few paid attention. Ten years later, and against all odds, this upstart autonomous decentralized software offers an unstoppable and globally-accessible hard money alternative to modern central banks. The Bitcoin Standard analyzes the historical context to the rise of Bitcoin, the economic properties that have allowed it to grow quickly, and its likely economic, political, and social implications.
While Bitcoin is a new invention of the digital age, the problem it purports to solve is as old as human society itself: transferring value across time and space. Ammous takes the reader on an engaging journey through the history of technologies performing the functions of money, from primitive systems of trading limestones and seashells, to metals, coins, the gold standard, and modern government debt.
Exploring what gave these technologies their monetary role, and how most lost it, provides the reader with a good idea of what makes for sound money, and sets the stage for an economic discussion of its consequences for individual and societal future-orientation, capital accumulation, trade, peace, culture, and art.
Compellingly, Ammous shows that it is no coincidence that the loftiest achievements of humanity have come in societies enjoying the benefits of sound monetary regimes, nor is it coincidental that monetary collapse has usually accompanied civilizational collapse.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
In this episode, you'll learn:
· Why a higher demand for Bitcoin indirectly makes the currency more secure and in turn a better store of wealth
· Why the adoption of a deflationary currency like Bitcoin will encourage people to think long term and invest more
· Why the clearance mechanisms of central banks will ensure the fiat currency system’s survival
· Why profitable bitcoin mining in the future won’t be using fossil fuels
· Why Altcoins can’t compete with Bitcoin regardless of any current or future technical properties
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As Dr. Ammous explains in his presentation why this has far reaching implications for the world we live in, given that money is a competitive market at all times, meaning that all monies are in constant competition with each other. If history is any guide, the harder money always comes out on top at the end.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
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Saifedean Ammous previews his upcoming Austrian Economics project.
Visit his website at: www.Saifedean.com
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13 March 2019 Saifedean Ammous - Author and Economist As bitcoin enters its tenth year, Saifedean Ammous examines the unique economic properties of bitcoin, how bitcoin is scaling to meet growing demand, and the economic, political, and social impacts of the resort to a hard money like bitcoin.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
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Saifedean debates Peter Schiff on the merits of Bitcoin vs. gold.
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Michael Pento will debate Saifedean Ammous on Bitcoin as a form of money.
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Bitcoin meetup at Hong Kong.
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Recorded Live May 23, 2018.
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Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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This interview originally appeared on Anita Posch's Bitcoin & Co. Podcast.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Stephan interviews Saifedean Ammous, Austrian Economics Professor and author of The Bitcoin Standard. In this podcast episode we take a deep dive into the case for Bitcoin as sound money, and what is potentially the hardest money the world has ever seen.
We discuss:
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
It turns out the best book on Bitcoin was written by someone who thinks the cryptocurrency is not a particularly good form of payment, not particularly anonymous, and not a good investment for most people.
Saifedean Ammous, professor of economics at Lebanese American University, wrote 'The Bitcoin Standard' to cut through the hype and examine crypto technology through a rigorous Austrian lens. The result is a phenomenal book: pro-gold, pro-Mises, and optimistic about the crypto revolution's goal of creating truly private money. This is the guy you should listen to when it comes to Bitcoin.
He sits down with Jeff Deist for a thorough and entertaining interview. Welcome to the audio podcasting home of Saifedean Ammous and The Bitcoin Standard.
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
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Bitcoin Austria presents the book presentation and discussion of Saifedean Ammous: The Bitcoin Standard.
Organization: Johannes Grill, Harald Schilly (Bitcoin Austria)
Introduction: Constantin Veyder-Malberg (Capital Bank)
Discussion: Nikolaus Jilch (die Presse)
Venue: Capital Bank, Vienna, Austria
Video: Stefan Haselgruber, Isabelle Janda, Alexander Schagerl
Date: 2018-05-18
https://www.bitcoin-austria.at
https://saifedean.com/
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.
THE BITCOIN STANDARD TOOLKIT/SPONSORS
Cyphersafe - https://cyphersafe.io/
Welcome to the audio podcasting home of Saifedean Ammous and The Bitcoin Standard.
When a pseudonymous programmer introduced “a new electronic cash system that's fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party” to a small Online mailing list in 2008, very few paid attention. Ten years later, and against all odds, this upstart autonomous decentralized software offers an unstoppable and globally-accessible hard money alternative to modern central banks. The Bitcoin Standard analyzes the historical context to the rise of bitcoin, the economic properties that have allowed it to grow quickly, and its likely economic, political, and social implications.
While bitcoin is a new invention of the digital age, the problem it purports to solve is as old as human society itself: transferring value across time and space. Ammous takes the listener on an engaging journey through the history of technologies performing the functions of money, from primitive systems of trading limestones and seashells, to metals, coins, the gold standard, and modern government debt. Exploring what gave these technologies their monetary role, and how most lost it, provides the listener with a good idea of what makes for sound money, and sets the stage for an economic discussion of its consequences for individual and societal future-orientation, capital accumulation, trade, peace, culture, and art. Compellingly, Ammous shows that it is no coincidence that the loftiest achievements of humanity have come in societies enjoying the benefits of sound monetary regimes, nor is it coincidental that monetary collapse has usually accompanied the collapse of a civilization.
With this background in place, the book moves on to explain the operation of bitcoin in a functional and intuitive way. Bitcoin is a decentralized, distributed piece of software that converts electricity and processing power into indisputably accurate records, thus allowing its users to utilize the Internet to perform the traditional functions of money without having to rely on, or trust, any authorities or infrastructure in the physical world. Bitcoin is thus best understood as the first successfully implemented form of digital cash and digital hard money. With an automated and perfectly predictable monetary policy, and the ability to perform final settlement of large sums across the world in a matter of minutes, Bitcoin's real competitive edge might just be as a store of value and network for final settlement of large payments - a digital form of gold with a built-in settlement infrastructure.
Ammous' firm grasp of the technological possibilities as well as the historical realities of monetary evolution provides for a fascinating exploration of the ramifications of voluntary free market money. As it challenges the most sacred of government monopolies, bitcoin shifts the pendulum of sovereignty away from governments in favor of individuals, offering us the tantalizing possibility of a world where money is fully extricated from politics and unrestrained by borders.
Saifedean's Research Papers available on SSRN
Saifedean's blog: The Saif House
Linkedin Linkedin profile
Twitter Twitter profile
Saifedean's Udemy course (with a 50% discount)
Email Notifications - http://saifedean.com/
'The Bitcoin Standard' on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Standard-Decentralized-Alternative-Central-ebook/dp/B07BPM3GZQ/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1
Follow the best podcasts from the best minds in the Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency space on twitter.
https://twitter.com/bitcoinpodcasts</
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcom
Welcome to the audio podcasting home of Saifedean Ammous and The Bitcoin Standard.
When a pseudonymous programmer introduced “a new electronic cash system that's fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party” to a small Online mailing list in 2008, very few paid attention. Ten years later, and against all odds, this upstart autonomous decentralized software offers an unstoppable and globally-accessible hard money alternative to modern central banks. The Bitcoin Standard analyzes the historical context to the rise of bitcoin, the economic properties that have allowed it to grow quickly, and its likely economic, political, and social implications.
While bitcoin is a new invention of the digital age, the problem it purports to solve is as old as human society itself: transferring value across time and space. Ammous takes the listener on an engaging journey through the history of technologies performing the functions of money, from primitive systems of trading limestones and seashells, to metals, coins, the gold standard, and modern government debt. Exploring what gave these technologies their monetary role, and how most lost it, provides the listener with a good idea of what makes for sound money, and sets the stage for an economic discussion of its consequences for individual and societal future-orientation, capital accumulation, trade, peace, culture, and art. Compellingly, Ammous shows that it is no coincidence that the loftiest achievements of humanity have come in societies enjoying the benefits of sound monetary regimes, nor is it coincidental that monetary collapse has usually accompanied the collapse of a civilization.
With this background in place, the book moves on to explain the operation of bitcoin in a functional and intuitive way. Bitcoin is a decentralized, distributed piece of software that converts electricity and processing power into indisputably accurate records, thus allowing its users to utilize the Internet to perform the traditional functions of money without having to rely on, or trust, any authorities or infrastructure in the physical world. Bitcoin is thus best understood as the first successfully implemented form of digital cash and digital hard money. With an automated and perfectly predictable monetary policy, and the ability to perform final settlement of large sums across the world in a matter of minutes, Bitcoin's real competitive edge might just be as a store of value and network for final settlement of large payments - a digital form of gold with a built-in settlement infrastructure.
Ammous' firm grasp of the technological possibilities as well as the historical realities of monetary evolution provides for a fascinating exploration of the ramifications of voluntary free market money. As it challenges the most sacred of government monopolies, bitcoin shifts the pendulum of sovereignty away from governments in favor of individuals, offering us the tantalizing possibility of a world where money is fully extricated from politics and unrestrained by borders.
Saifedean's Research Papers available on SSRN
Saifedean's blog: The Saif House
Linkedin Linkedin profile
Twitter Twitter profile
Saifedean's Udemy course (with a 50% discount)
Email Notifications - http://saifedean.com/
'The Bitcoin Standard' on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Standard-Decentralized-Alternative-Central-ebook/dp/B07BPM3GZQ/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1
Follow the best podcasts from the best minds in the Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency space on twitter.
https://twitter.com/bitcoinpodcasts</
Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses and read chapters of his forthcom
En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.