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July 19, 2024 · 6m

If I Were the Devil and Fiat Money was my Tool

"If I were the devil, I would promote a system where money, the lifeblood of an economy, is controlled not by tangible assets, but by mere promises and the whims of policymakers."

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THE BITCOIN PODCAST WITH WALKER

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2 If I were the devil, I would promote a system where money, the lifeblood of an economy, 3 is controlled not by tangible assets or real work, but by mere promises and the whims of 4 policy makers.

5 I would persuade people to trust in paper, convincing them that these printed notes represent 6 real value, despite being backed by nothing more than government decrees, ever-growing 7 debt, and the threat of violence for non-compliance.

8 Then I would further abstract those flimsy paper notes, turning them into ones and zeros 9 that could be printed digitally, with a few entries in the central bank spreadsheet, without 10 the nuisance of a physical printing press.

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If I were the devil, and fiat money was my tool.

If I were the devil, I would promote a system where money, the lifeblood of an economy,

is controlled not by tangible assets or real work, but by mere promises and the whims of

policy makers.

I would persuade people to trust in paper, convincing them that these printed notes represent

real value, despite being backed by nothing more than government decrees, ever-growing

debt, and the threat of violence for non-compliance.

Then I would further abstract those flimsy paper notes, turning them into ones and zeros

Show notes & resources

In this bonus episode of THE Bitcoin Podcast , I adapted " If I Were the Devil" -- a 1965 radio broadcast by Paul Harvey.

If you like this sort of short-form bonus episode, share it with your friends, family, and strangers on the internet (and tag me).