At the end of the day, power comes down to violence in the world. Our entire civilization is based on our relationship to it. I continue to believe that regulating our relationship to it, is best done through liberal democratic institutions. This nonsense that's becoming on trend in some corners of the internet, that we ought prefer absolute monarchies, is a deluded fairytale.
Discussion
I’ve heard such ideas in bitcoin clubhouse. Entertaining to listen but that’s as far as they should be taken.
They think they're going to be feudal lords in this society.
Yep, I sat in on many of those clubhouse conversations and it was cringeworthy. I didn’t speak much, but was a bit eye opening at the radical shift in discourse compared to when I first heard about Bitcoin in 2011.
There is an unfortunate connection that Brock highlighted about an hour ago. Many in this space are perfectly fine with authoritarians as long as they are able to get rich and ‘be left alone’. Beliefs strongly held with arguments that are clearly not well thought out.
The good news is, you can believe in bitcoin, nostr and the goodness of decentralized protocols, and not feel like you have to adopt kooky ideological positions!
You never know where the early adopters come from a new idea. For eg. someone created elastic rings (to replace gold rings) for people who go to the gym. But a lot of early adopters were pregnant women who loved the fact it was elastic due to swollen fingers. To become mainstream it has to go through an evolution.
The grass is always greener isn't it? Instead of fixing the inherent problems with our current system (which has brought us so much good) we rather try something else. It's easier to throw everything away then to fix what's broken. We need more proof of work, dedication and self-discipline in this world. We need to stop running away from our problems and tackle them head on like adults.
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L'un des meilleurs moyens est d'être sur le terrain, non pas tel que le font les plus nantis, qui n'est qu'un des moyens de diminuer leur taux d'imposition au regard de leurs gains et pourtant dans certains système il permet l'accès à des nécessités vitales dans certains pays. Je vois beaucoup de nantis faire oeuvre de donations, de création d'associations caritatives uniquement pour ne pas trop être contributeurs avec le concours de leurs très brillants gestionnaires juridiques etc..pour d'autres concourir à l'idée de création d'un système basé le revenu universel qui n'est malheureusement adapté à tout individu... l'oisiveté peut créer tant d'autres maux qui ne peut imaginer chez certains Humanis
Absolument
What do you think of Jason lowery’s idea (maybe I am butchering his idea) that since violence (power projection)is the base layer and more egalitarian process to determine resource control. It’s better we use that rather than the imaginary power systems that can create systemic abuses. So in this case it may be more important that we have the ability to physically defend ourselves with Bitcoin and guns rather than trying to use the imagined power systems of a liberal democracy by voting.
Yes i definitely prefer liberal democracies ; then, because of technology they have much greater power on citizens (properties, money, privacy) than before (absolute monarchies or tyrannies as well of course) and without violence (tyrannies use both). Bitcoin is a solution to be counter balance that non obviously violent power they have and tend to abuse
I’ve seen ancaps calling for absolute monarchies. fkn ancaps. as it’s basically what socialists also want, french revolution turns out to be a wicked ouroboros. robespierre writhes in his grave.
It’s funny, because they are often fans of Bastiat and the lesson of the seen and the unseen as it pertains to narrow economic arguments. But if they applied this epistemic lesson more broadly, they might be a little more modest in their pronouncements about the arc of liberal democracy being a complete failure, and maybe consider the unseen — in the form of their complete lack of imagination and counterfactual reasoning — might be leading them somewhat astray.
funniest thing is that it ain’t funny at all. but I’m suspect to say anything as an anarchist/libertarian (classical, please). it’d be way easier if we all (liberals, anarchists and socialists) remembered we once sit all together exactly to overthrow monarchy. but in times when not even liberals cling to the idea of a zero state, on the contrary, they seem to be more accustomed to state power, I really don't know what to expect from the future anymore.
The reality is this: Leviathan exists. The weird article of faith that exists amongst these people that Leviathan's internal contradictions mean it's going to unravel and an anarchistic capitalist society will rise from the ashes is bordering on religion. It's "Book of Revelations"-like thinking.
Personally, I think freedom minded people should be pretty focused on keeping the leash on Leviathan. Which is why I support things like Bitcoin and Nostr to begin with.
Vacating the arena and waiting for the fall is a bit crazy to me. The risk that authoritarians and totalitarians take the reigns of Leviathan, is very high. But these people have convinced themselves after reading a few fantastical books, that they will be inoculated from Leviathan's power. The risk of being wrong here is an unbounded risk. To have such overwhelming confidence this isn't going to happen is wacky to me.
Case in point: Germany had hyperinflation as its currency collapsed. But in a relatively short period of time later, with the rise of Nazism, Germany rose to have the most powerful Leviathan in the world. Thinking US power is on its last legs, and that the dollar collapsing would be some amazing celebratory moment, as opposed to a dark moment with potentially dark and existential consequences to the whole world is another wacky article of faith.
only seeing this now. what are your thoughts about AIIB?
I think China's debt diplomacy is already in the advanced stages of backfiring. 60%+ of these loans are basically in default right now.
agreed. which would make way to gold and any gov shitcoin?
CC P is bankrupt.
The economy is bad and requires a war to transfer the internal contradictions of CCP. It may fight Taiwan.
It is the amalgamation of power that is scary.
Separation of powers and regular succession are good principles for maintaining a free and fair society.
Anarcho systems are unstable vacuums that invite bad outcomes.
one never knows if one has never tried ;)
totally agree. the future most probably will be authoritarian, you dont have to make an effort to come to that conclusion. cbdc’s, carbon credits, digital IDs, IMF unicoin, WHO having a centralized and absolute power to dictate “health” policies… as I’ve been saying here: bitcoin/nostr will be resistance, not situation, not status quo. either we isolate ourselves in remote and independent communities or submit to the yoke of smart cities — and have out precious bitcoins confiscated.
I'm glad you brought up "IMF unicoin", because I actually think of the dollar were to collapse in short order, the likelihood that most of the world would immediately switch to the IMF SDR as the emergency backup reserve currency is about 95% likely.
bar none. it’s written. it is what always happens, it’ll be what it’ll end up happening. they wouldnt be issuing it otherwise.
I think over the next few decades, Bitcoin will rise in importance. It will be a very important reserve currency, I think. But those people thinking this future is in our immediate future, are living in a bubble.
I wish I were that optimistic. it could get there, sure, but imo not before confiscation.
It's not about optimism or cynicism. It's just about remembering that progress is not guaranteed. It's a struggle. You have to work for it.
a struggle in which the upper hand usually wins, from gunpowder to surveillance
We have seen power get pushed back by popular movements and through moral progress. It can happen again. But the people who are just sitting back and waiting for the whole thing to fall down are being useful idiots to the totalitarians-in-waiting.
we have too much circus nowadays, everywhere. what ends up making up for the lack of bread.
I feel like people are tiring of the circus and there's increasingly an opening for more moderate, non-insane people.
true people, working class, yeah. middle class? useful idiots wearing che t-shirts bought at amazon.
Actually think it's most people, at this point.
I kinda guide myself by elections on one hand. usa: 50/50. brazil: 50/50. brexit: 50/50. france, italy: 50/50. irony plays an important role. when you have no argument, irony is the answer. but this hipster generation raised it to maximum power. tô the point where they ended up needing a cause to call their own. though an empty cause, a che t-shirt, only to make them feel better, as if they were actually doing any good for the planet or society. circus. distraction. meanwhile, bread is more and more scarce. but they don’t care, they don’t even have to bake their own bread and wouldn’t know how to do it, anyways.
I’m a moederate.
En parlant de la révolution française, il semble qu'elle est devenue presqu' europenne bien avant la période pandémique laquelle rappelons a pu démontrer les méfaits de systèmes basés sur de la sous-traitance globalisée dans des secteurs stratégiques. Sans oublier quand même les tous autres retentissements psychocosiaux auxquels il n'eut de solutions palliatives financées à coûts d'endettements en plus d'un conflit dont on peut estimer l'issue.. Presque partout en Europe les foyers de révoltes peuvent à tout moment exploser du fait de ces périodes d'emprisonnement d'office dans laquelle l'Etat de droits devenait caduc ... Autres conséquences la cherté de la vie, les citoyens peinent à vivre décemment...parmi eux beaucoup d'actifs licenciés puisque ne travaillant pas dans des secteurs essentiels durant la COVID . Nos dirigeants actuels en Europe peinent à travailler ensemble, ne demeure que l'espace Schengen. Les citoyens ne trouvent dans une grande période d'incertitude de plus en plus anxiogène donc à tout moment il peut y avoir des mouvements révoltes sociales ....
europe is not alone. canadian and american truckers, brazilian truckers and farmers as well. anti-covid measurements in china. iran. the world is about to explode. and perhaps that’s exactly the escuse they want to endure control. thus: either it explodes for good or it implodes on the lap of people.
Real ancaps do not defend monarchies. That’s a mistake.
That’s probably due to a misunderstanding of Hoppe’s analysis of the structures of political power.
He argues that democracy < monarchy < aristocracy.
To learn more about it:
valeu! I’ll read it carefully, then we talk. but trust me: I’ve seen it a lot on twitter.
I feel you bro. Twitter and the social media as a whole is full of people that learn from youtube videos…
That’s the same people who are falling for Twitter “files” (that are not files at all, but screen shots curated by someone), ChatGPT as intelligence etc. Both are useful tools, but they do not represent truth AT ALL. “Do not trust. Verify.” is far from being the standard.
No wonder why human IQ is on the fall…
Few are like you that read some comment in the internet and go check the source for yourself. The world need more people like you sir.
#respect. ☺️💪🏼
Hans Hermann-Hoppe is a loon. A complete and literal loon. His argumentation ethics are also an epistemic and metaphysical mess.
Ok.
I’m happy to dissect his metaphysical claims, all the way down to the bedrock praxeology he inherits from Rothbard and others, if you’d like! This isn’t a drive by.
Yes Agree @brockm, Humans are working hard to destroy each other.