The Peter McCormack Show #121 - Curtis Yarvin PT.2 - From Caesar to Satoshi: Why Political & Economic Systems Fail
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Oct 20, 2025 
Curtis Yarvin, a thought-provoking software engineer and political thinker known for founding Urbit, dives deep into the failures of political and economic systems. He discusses the merits of monarchy as a genuine form of governance and critiques the flaws in free-market libertarianism. Evaluating the origins of money, he argues that personal net worth reveals true inflation levels. Yarvin contrasts Bitcoin and gold, highlighting the need for a fixed-supply currency in modern economies, while sharing insights from his involvement in digital property innovations.
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Things Have Been Hosed Since The 17th Century
- Curtis Yarvin argues many political and legal systems have been compromised since the 17th century and that accepting this is the first brutal truth.
- Real change requires confronting long-standing rot, not nostalgic or superficial fixes.
Monarchy As An Engineering Choice
- Yarvin favors monarchy as an engineering solution because it concentrates power and has historic precedent.
- He stresses designing systems to capture good rulers while preventing tyrants like Commodus.
Build Big, Nerdy Reforms Not Just Complaints
- Yarvin advises populists must build something new, big, and nerdy rather than only being negative.
- He recommends revising constitutional history deliberately and with expert staff to implement durable reform.
