Lex Fridman Podcast

#239 – Niall Ferguson: History of Money, Power, War, and Truth

Nov 8, 2021

Niall Ferguson, a historian at the Hoover Institution and author of 16 books, dives into fascinating discussions on the evolution of money and the transformative potential of cryptocurrencies. He explores the impact of historical catastrophes on leadership and decision-making, drawing parallels to contemporary crises, including recent public health responses. Ferguson emphasizes the importance of fostering free thought in academia through the establishment of the University of Austin, while also reflecting on the lessons history provides for navigating today's challenges.

02:48:49

Creator website

Episode guests

Sir Niall Ferguson

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Role of Atheism and Christian Ethics in One's Life

01:44

Bitcoin's Role

00:57

Evolution of Money

01:31

The Idiot From Prince Mishkin, From Destoevski

01:05

Intro

2min

The Joy of Connection Over Wine and Conversation

3min

Exploring the Evolution and Future of Money and Cryptocurrencies

4min

Championing Free Thought: The University of Austin

19min

Envisioning the University of Austin

31min

Innovating Higher Education

9min

The Evolution and Future of Money

26min

Navigating Crypto and Regulation

16min

Lessons from Historical Catastrophes

22min

10.

Leadership and Crisis Management in History

18min

11.

Literary Landscapes and Personal Identity

11min

12.

Exploring the Meaning of Life Through an Atheistic Lens

3min

13.

The Fragility of Civilization and the Lessons of History

3min

14.

Applying History: Lessons for the Present and Future

2min

Niall Ferguson is a historian at Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is the author of 16 books on the history of money, war, power, and catastrophe. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Niall’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfergus
Niall’s Website: https://www.niallferguson.com
University of Austin: https://uaustin.org/
Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe (book): https://amzn.to/3wt7AI8
Kissinger: The Idealist (book): https://amzn.to/3CVXvGc
The Ascent of Money (book): https://amzn.to/3kCK0Ev
The Square and the Tower (book): https://amzn.to/307YfK8
The Age of AI (book): https://amzn.to/3BUgTSH

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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(09:14) – University of Austin (UATX)
(42:09) – Sam Harris
(1:00:36) – Elon Musk
(1:08:55) – Money
(1:18:50) – Hyperinflation
(1:24:15) – Bitcoin
(1:40:57) – Ethereum and smart contracts
(1:49:43) – Worst disasters in human history
(2:11:41) – How history will remember the current pandemic
(2:25:16) – Hope for the future
(2:33:46) – Love
(2:40:24) – Meaning of life

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