Money provides such an advantage over barter, that it is indispensable for a functioning economy today. Modern civilization has been accustomed to a government or pseudo-government entity creating and maintaining a money supply. Indeed, these currencies have dominated the economy across the globe throughout living memory. Recently, cryptocurrencies have been on the rise, but they are far from replacing dollars, pounds, and yuan. In a truly free society, how would money be provided for the economy?
Tag: value
Shut Up and Stand on Command
What makes America different from North Korea or Communist China or Thailand? In all three countries, criticism of the government is forbidden, and worship of the symbols of state is mandatory.
Individuals are Better than Movements
Self-interested individuals creating and doing and thinking and talking about what they value are more effective at altering the course of the world than an organized movement of them.
The Same Philosophical Premises Regarding the Flag
In some ways, I think shitting on the flag is worse than loving the flag. If you hate your tribe so much, choose a different tribe.
Bravery Isn’t Easy, and It’s Overrated
You are brave when you will lose stuff you deeply desire in order to live by principles you believe in, with no other immediate perceived reward. That being said, bravery is overrated.
Why The Degree is Dying (and Being Replaced by Something Better)
What is a degree? It purports to be a bundle of goods – knowledge, network, social experience, and a permission slip to compete for certain jobs. It’s only one of these. The permission slip, or credential, intended to signal your ability to employers, is the product. That is the thing being bought and sold. The rest is window dressing.
Jamie Dimon is Right to Fear Cryptocurrency
When JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon called Bitcoin a “fraud,” what ensued looked a lot like a “poop and scoop” con: The practice of driving down a thing’s price by saying bad things about it, then buying up a bunch of it before the price bounces back.
Trump’s Americanized Fascism
Sure, Trump says: “In America, the people govern, the people rule, and the people are sovereign. I was elected not to take power, but to give power to the American people, where it belongs.” But that cliched claptrap cannot withstand scrutiny. “The people” neither govern nor rule. Only persons act, and only certain persons rule. There is no way everyone can rule — unless all people individually rule their own lives. That’s not what Trump means.
“I Dropped Out, Now What?”
I see a lot of questions like this on Quora. It always strikes me as odd to be asking “What should I do” only in light of being a dropout. As if sitting on the education conveyor belt doesn’t require you to ask this same question.
Why Most Homeschooling Systems Devolve, and Why You Can’t Plan a Startup
The notion of a year-long plan created in an Ivory Tower and imposed on all students of the same age without deviation no matter what market feedback is coming is absurd and tyrannical. Imagine an incubator like Y-Combinator paying some smarties to come up with The One True Business Model, roll-out schedule, target market, hiring strategy, budget, and action plan, and imposing it upon every one of the startups in their program. Oh, and demanding every company produce and sell the exact same product.