Bitcoin Standard : The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking by Saifedean Ammous (2018, Hardcover)

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About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherWiley & Sons, Incorporated, John
ISBN-101119473861
ISBN-139781119473862
eBay Product ID (ePID)240419571

Product Key Features

Book TitleBitcoin Standard : the Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking
Number of Pages304 Pages
LanguageEnglish
TopicBanks & Banking, Entrepreneurship, E-Commerce / General (See Also Computers / Electronic Commerce)
Publication Year2018
IllustratorYes
GenreBusiness & Economics
AuthorSaifedean Ammous
FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.2 in
Item Weight17.6 Oz
Item Length8.9 in
Item Width6.4 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade
LCCN2018-003946
TitleLeadingThe
Dewey Edition23
Dewey Decimal332.404
Table Of ContentAbout the Author xi Foreword xiii Prologue xv Chapter 1 Money 1 Chapter 2 Primitive Moneys 11 Chapter 3 Monetary Metals 17 Why Gold? 19 Roman Golden Age and Decline 25 Byzantium and the Bezant 28 The Renaissance 29 La Belle Époque 34 Chapter 4 Government Money 41 Monetary Nationalism and the End of the Free World 43 The Interwar Era 47 World War II and Bretton Woods 53 Government Money's Track Record 60 Chapter 5 Money and Time Preference 73 Monetary Inflation 81 Saving and Capital Accumulation 90 Innovations: "Zero to One" versus "One to Many" 96 Artistic Flourishing 98 Chapter 6 Capitalism's Information System 105 Capital Market Socialism 109 Business Cycles and Financial Crises 113 Sound Basis for Trade 126 Chapter 7 Sound Money and Individual Freedom 135 Should Government Manage the Money Supply? 136 Unsound Money and Perpetual War 145 Limited versus Omnipotent Government 149 The Bezzle 155 Chapter 8 Digital Money 167 Bitcoin as Digital Cash 168 Supply, Value, and Transactions 177 Appendix to Chapter 8 191 Chapter 9 What Is Bitcoin Good For? 193 Store of Value 193 Individual Sovereignty 200 International and Online Settlement 205 Global Unit of Account 212 Chapter 10 Bitcoin Questions 217 Is Bitcoin Mining a Waste? 217 Out of Control: Why Nobody Can Change Bitcoin 222 Antifragility 230 Can Bitcoin Scale? 232 Is Bitcoin for Criminals? 238 How to Kill Bitcoin: A Beginners' Guide 241 Altcoins 251 Blockchain Technology 257 Acknowledgements 273 Bibliography 275 List of Figures 282 List of Tables 284 Index 285
SynopsisWhen a pseudonymous programmer introduced a new electronic cash system that s fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party to a small online mailing list in 2008, very few paid attention., A comprehensive and authoritative exploration of Bitcoin and its place in monetary history When a pseudonymous programmer introduced "a new electronic cash system that's fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party" to a small online mailing list in 2008, very few people paid attention. Ten years later, and against all odds, this upstart autonomous decentralized software offers an unstoppable and globally accessible hard money alternative to modern central banks. The Bitcoin Standard analyzes the historical context to the rise of Bitcoin, the economic properties that have allowed it to grow quickly, and its likely economic, political, and social implications. While Bitcoin is an invention of the digital age, the problem it purports to solve is as old as human society itself: transferring value across time and space. Author Saifedean Ammous takes the reader on an engaging journey through the history of technologies performing the functions of money, from primitive systems of trading limestones and seashells, to metals, coins, the gold standard, and modern government debt. Exploring what gave these technologies their monetary role, and how most lost it, provides the reader with a good idea of what makes for sound money, and sets the stage for an economic discussion of its consequences for individual and societal future-orientation, capital accumulation, trade, peace, culture, and art. Compellingly, Ammous shows that it is no coincidence that the loftiest achievements of humanity have come in societies enjoying the benefits of sound monetary regimes, nor is it coincidental that monetary collapse has usually accompanied civilizational collapse. With this background in place, the book moves on to explain the operation of Bitcoin in a functional and intuitive way. Bitcoin is a decentralized, distributed piece of software that converts electricity and processing power into indisputably accurate records, thus allowing its users to utilize the Internet to perform the traditional functions of money without having to rely on, or trust, any authorities or infrastructure in the physical world. Bitcoin is thus best understood as the first successfully implemented form of digital cash and digital hard money. With an automated and perfectly predictable monetary policy, and the ability to perform final settlement of large sums across the world in a matter of minutes, Bitcoin's real competitive edge might just be as a store of value and network for the final settlement of large payments a digital form of gold with a built-in settlement infrastructure. Ammous' firm grasp of the technological possibilities as well as the historical realities of monetary evolution provides for a fascinating exploration of the ramifications of voluntary free market money. As it challenges the most sacred of government monopolies, Bitcoin shifts the pendulum of sovereignty away from governments in favor of individuals, offering us the tantalizing possibility of a world where money is fully extricated from politics and unrestrained by borders. The final chapter of the book explores some of the most common questions surrounding Bitcoin: Is Bitcoin mining a waste of energy? Is Bitcoin for criminals? Who controls Bitcoin, and can they change it if they please? How can Bitcoin be killed? And what to make of all the thousands of Bitcoin knockoffs, and the many supposed applications of Bitcoin's 'block chain technology'? The Bitcoin Standard is the essential resource for a clear understanding of the rise of the Internet's decentralized, apolitical, free-market alternative to national central banks., THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO BITCOINS HISTORY, PROPERTIES, USES, AND FUTURE "Bitcoin has no owner, no authority that can decide on its fate. It is owned by the crowd, its users. And it now has a track record of several years, enough for it to be an animal in its own right. Its mere existence is an insurance policy that will remind governments that the last object the establishment could control, namely, the currency, is no longer their monopoly. This gives us, the crowd, an insurance policy against an Orwellian future." From the Foreword by Nassim Nicholas Taleb In The Bitcoin Standard , economist Saifedean Ammous walks readers through the fascinating history of the technologies of money and explores what gave these technologies their monetary role, how they lost it, what that teaches us about the desirable features of money, and how Bitcoin is designed to improve on these technologies. Ammous elucidates the economic, social, cultural, and political benefits of sound money over unsound money to allow for an informed discussion of the potential role Bitcoin could play in the digital economy of the future. Rather than as a currency for criminals or a cheap mass consumer payment network, this book argues Bitcoin is emerging as a decentralized, politically neutral, free-market alternative to national central banks, with potentially enormous implications for individual freedom and prosperity. For anyone looking for a clear understanding of this new digital money, The Bitcoin Standard is the essential resource., When a pseudonymous programmer introduced "a new electronic cash system that's fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party" to a small online mailing list in 2008, very few paid attention. Ten years later, and against all odds, this upstart autonomous decentralized software offers an unstoppable and globally-accessible hard money alternative to modern central banks. The Bitcoin Standard analyzes the historical context to the rise of Bitcoin, the economic properties that have allowed it to grow quickly, and its likely economic, political, and social implications. While Bitcoin is a new invention of the digital age, the problem it purports to solve is as old as human society itself: transferring value across time and space. Ammous takes the reader on an engaging journey through the history of technologies performing the functions of money, from primitive systems of trading limestones and seashells, to metals, coins, the gold standard, and modern government debt. Exploring what gave these technologies their monetary role, and how most lost it, provides the reader with a good idea of what makes for sound money, and sets the stage for an economic discussion of its consequences for individual and societal future-orientation, capital accumulation, trade, peace, culture, and art. Compellingly, Ammous shows that it is no coincidence that the loftiest achievements of humanity have come in societies enjoying the benefits of sound monetary regimes, nor is it coincidental that monetary collapse has usually accompanied civilizational collapse. With this background in place, the book moves on to explain the operation of Bitcoin in a functional and intuitive way. Bitcoin is a decentralized, distributed piece of software that converts electricity and processing power into indisputably accurate records, thus allowing its users to utilize the Internet to perform the traditional functions of money without having to rely on, or trust, any authorities or infrastructure in the physical world. Bitcoin is thus best understood as the first successfully implemented form of digital cash and digital hard money. With an automated and perfectly predictable monetary policy, and the ability to perform final settlement of large sums across the world in a matter of minutes, Bitcoin's real competitive edge might just be as a store of value and network for final settlement of large payments--a digital form of gold with a built-in settlement infrastructure. Ammous' firm grasp of the technological possibilities as well as the historical realities of monetary evolution provides for a fascinating exploration of the ramifications of voluntary free market money. As it challenges the most sacred of government monopolies, Bitcoin shifts the pendulum of sovereignty away from governments in favor of individuals, offering us the tantalizing possibility of a world where money is fully extricated from politics and unrestrained by borders. The final chapter of the book explores some of the most common questions surrounding Bitcoin: Is Bitcoin mining a waste of energy? Is Bitcoin for criminals? Who controls Bitcoin, and can they change it if they please? How can Bitcoin be killed? And what to make of all the thousands of Bitcoin knock-offs, and the many supposed applications of Bitcoin's 'blockchain technology'? The Bitcoin Standard is the essential resource for a clear understanding of the rise of the Internet's decentralized, apolitical, free-market alternative to national central banks.
LC Classification NumberHG1710

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  • Great review of sound money principles

    Love this book. Gets straight to the point. Only worth reading if you are wanting to learn a little bit about why Fiat moneys have failed in the last couple hundred years.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: New

  • BITCOIN STANDARD

    Most comprehensive book written about the top digital asset in the world. Read the book and find out why every person should hold at least a small piece of Bitcoin.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • Great title

    Heavy reading, but put together nicely. from the origin and down fall of different currencies through out time. How bit coin is different.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • Good

    Good book. A bit of a challenging read, but very informative.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • Great book

    Great book. I love the hard cover.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: New

  • It is where the world is going. Great historical insight.

    Great book

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • I loved it highly recommend it :)

    I loved it highly recommend it :)

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • Gotta have.

    On the "gotta have" BTC reading list.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • Wake up call

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: New

  • Quick S&H times, and great price!

    Quick S&H times, and great price!

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned