Bitcoin as UberMoney: Nietzsche's Missing Ingredient with Aleks Svetski (WiM414)
Dec 27, 2023
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Aleks Svetski, founder of The Bitcoin Times publication and The Spirit of Satoshi, joins the podcast to discuss topics such as the morality of political power, the apolitical nature of Bitcoin, and the significance of moral integrity. They also explore the relationship between Nietzsche and Bitcoin, the impact of cultural transmission, and the inefficiencies of the current monetary system that Bitcoin can eliminate.
Bitcoin has the potential to serve as a fundamental unit of power in human civilization, similar to energy in the universe.
Bitcoin eliminates wastage and inefficiencies compared to traditional systems, converting electricity directly into a monetary network.
Bitcoin incentivizes individuals to strive for excellence and optimize civilization by giving them ownership over their wealth.
Deep dives
Bitcoin as Energy Money
Bitcoin is often referred to as energy money due to its similarities with the concept of energy. Both energy and Bitcoin are conservative, cannot be created nor destroyed, have a direction and relationship to order and entropy, and have absolutes. Bitcoin has its own will to power, its own direction and heartbeat, which resembles something that is alive. Energy serves as the fundamental unit that powers all interactions, processes, and transformations in the universe, and Bitcoin has the potential to do the same in the world of human civilization. With Bitcoin, we enter a new age where energy is increasingly channeled, harnessed, and mastered.
Reducing Waste and Inefficiency
Bitcoin eliminates wastage and inefficiencies across multiple dimensions compared to traditional systems. The current system involves layers of intermediaries, payment processors, settlement providers, banks, and central banks, which require significant amounts of energy, time, and resources. In contrast, Bitcoin converts electricity directly into a monetary network that facilitates payments, issues money, and provides a unit of account, significantly reducing the pathway between energy expended and end utility. Additionally, under a fiat money standard, incentivizing overconsumption and excessive consumption leads to further waste and inefficiency.
Bitcoin as a Framework for Excellence
Bitcoin aligns us toward excellence because it puts a real and accurate price on time and energy. Those who waste and squander time and energy pay the price, while those who save, invest, and deploy time and energy wisely are rewarded. Bitcoin encourages a life-affirming approach to living and provides a framework for excellence.
The Power of Responsibility
Power is the capacity to channel energy. Those who can bear responsibility and channel their energy are considered strong and powerful. Bitcoin's ability to give individuals ownership over their wealth fosters responsibility and power. Bitcoin incentivizes individuals to strive for excellence and optimize civilization for those who can bear the greatest responsibility.
Imitating Excellence and Reaching for the Stars
Great men throughout history, such as Alexander the Great, Caesar, Christ, Newton, Tesla, Jobs, and Satoshi, have changed the course of history with their exceptional energy and power. Bitcoin is a call to action for individuals to find their purpose and plant seeds for greatness. By aligning with excellence and cultivating the soil of excellence, humanity can reach higher energetic standards and foster the emergence of the Ubermenschen, the next iteration of mankind.
Embracing Uncertainty and Tilt the Scales in Your Favor
Although luck plays an unknowable role in life, the pursuit of excellence and the cultivation of virtues like integrity, responsibility, and agency can tilt the scales in our favor. Life is a dynamic event, and by actively participating in history and organizing ourselves around excellence and quality, we can navigate the uncertainties and challenges of life more effectively and create a more rewarding and life-affirming civilization.
Aleks Svetski joins me to talk about his article UberMoney published in the Bitcoin Times Energy Edition. We discuss the conception of power, energy, and time, the morality of political power, the apolitical nature of Bitcoin, and the significance of moral integrity.
Aleks Svetski is the co-author of The UnCommunist Manifesto. He is also the founder of The Bitcoin Times publication and The Spirit of Satoshi.
// OUTLINE // 00:00:00 - Coming up 00:00:39 - Intro 00:02:12 - Helping Lightning Startups with In Wolf's Clothing 00:02:58 - Introducing Aleksandar Svetski 00:04:17 - Inspiration Behind UberMoney 00:09:08 - Dimensions of Nietzsche's Philosophy 00:15:00 - Propagating Cultural Transmission 00:19:09 - The Conception of Power, Energy, and Work 00:31:00 - Morality of Political Power 00:37:55 - Coercive Political Power 00:42:29 - Consensual Political Hierarchy 00:47:25 - Authoritarian Society and Bitcoin 00:49:31 - Apolitical Nature of Bitcoin 00:53:11 - Run Your Business from Anywhere with NetSuite 00:54:14 - Secure Your Bitcoin Stash with the iCoin Hardware Wallet 00:55:24 - The Nature of Energy, Bitcoin, and Time 01:04:26 - The Importance of Incentive, Quality, and Excellence 01:14:40 - Human Progression and Dating Psychology 01:16:28 - Responsibility Determines True Strength 01:24:56 - Equality of Outcome and Equality of Opportunity 01:30:18 - Enhance Your Brain Power with Mind Lab Pro 01:31:22 - Take Control of Your Healthcare with CrowdHealth 01:32:29 - Freedom and Responsibility 01:34:17 - Good Words, Bad Meanings 01:38:49 - Imitation of Excellence 01:43:19 - Power and Moral Integrity 01:54:39 - Self-Ownership and Responsibility 01:57:12 - Active Participation and the Element of Luck 02:03:21 - Conclusion and Upcoming Work 02:03:48 - How to Find Aleks' Work
