Nathaniel Popperâ??s Digital Gold is a wonderfully researched, fast paced narrative of the beginnings of Bitcoin. As its subtitle, The Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money, suggests, its emphasis is on the colorful cast of characters who got Bitcoin off the ground. In my last post, I described the mechanics of Bitcoinâ??a potential instrument of freedom from the state. In this post, I describe how the development of Bitcoin itself exemplifies another aspect of libertyâ?? spontaneous order. Different individuals with different interests combine in ways no central planner could direct to transform an idea into a valuable commodity that may someday represent a sufficiently stable source of value to become a currency. It is the story of a Platonic form becoming a reality in the messy cave that is our world.
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