The Bitcoin Standard Podcast

Latest Episodes:

142. Why Bitcoin Miners Get Rekt Nov 19, 2022

Show notes

Why are so many bitcoin miners going bankrupt? We discuss the economics of bitcoin mining, how the difficulty adjustment works, why it makes bitcoin mining a zero sum game, and why it ensures bitcoin is optimized for the saver, not for the miner. Plus, what are the things you need to keep in mind if you are considering getting into mining?
Resources (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/142-why-bitcoin-miners-get-rekt)

Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard

Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

141. FTX: Beyond Ponzi Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

Join us as we take a close look at the amazing series of events in a week in which FTX went from being one of the biggest crypto exchanges in the world, to being exposed as a fraudulent ponzi scheme, and its founder went from being a globally acclaimed & highly politically influential successful genius entrepreneur and philanthropist to a reviled con artist, who lost his investors & clients billions of dollars. What lessons can we learn from this episode about bitcoin, sh*tcoins, DeFi, and exchanges?
Resources (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/141-ftx-beyond-ponzi)

Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard

140. Climate Alarmism with Professor Richard Lindzen Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

Richard Lindzen is professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he joins us to offer his scientific expertise on climate alarmism. He discusses how his background in physics and meteorology leads him to conclude that the alarmism around climate is unjustified, and we discuss how institutional and financial reasons have made fiat scientists so keen to promote an agenda of fear and panic. We discuss the problems with the academic publication industry, as well as Professor Lindzen’s experience as a lead author with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and where that led him. He also shares his most recent work on communicating his research ideas publicly.
References (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/140-climate-alarmism-with-professor-richard-lindzen)

Professor Lindzen’s recent paper ‘The Assessment of The Conventional Global Warming Narrative” for which he welcomes comments
Professor Lindzen’s profile on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology website.
Transcript of 2018 Prof Lindzen’s Global Warming Policy Foundation lecture.
Professor Lindzen speaking at the 2017 At the Crossroads IV: Energy and Climate Policy Summit.
CO2 coalition website
Article on 97% of scientists agree with consensus in WSJ
Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard

139. Fossil Future with Alex Epstein Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

Alex Epstein joins us again to discuss his excellent new book, Fossil Future, which makes a powerful case for why fossil fuels are essential for human flourishing, and why restricting them is the real crisis facing humanity. Alex explains how overhyped the supposed ‘alternatives’ to fossil fuels are, and how fossil fuels remain completely essential for our modern standards of living, and why their use is constantly growing. Why do fossil fuels represent the only realistic alternative to poverty and early death for everyone on earth? Why do carbonhysterics only focus on the supposed negative impacts of fossil fuels, but never their benefits? Why is it so hard to have an honest debate with carbonhysterics? We also discuss how the use of fossil fuels was instrumental in ending slavery and liberating women, and whether fiat inflation is the driver of the propaganda to vilify fossil fuels. We conclude with a discussion of whether fossil fuels really are from fossils, or if they are naturally occurring in earth.

Resources (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/139-fossil-future-with-alex-epstein)

Alex’s book Fossil Future
Get a free copy of Alex’s book from fossilfuture.com
Subscribe to Alex’s Substack “Energy Talking Points”
A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations by Robert Bryce
Three billion people use less electricity than the average American fridge.
Alex's podcast interview with Professor Mukul Sharma on fracking
18 spectacularly wrong climate predictions from the 1970s, including several made by Paul Ehrlich.
Alex’s Congressional Testimony, May 19, 2021
Alex eviscerates COP26 on GB News
Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard
Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard
Alex's previous appearances on The Bitcoin Standard podcast:
TBS16: Wholesome Hydrocarbons
TBS90: Climate Hysteria

138. Climate physics with Professor William Happer Oct 29, 2022

Show notes

Princeton Professor Emeritus in Physics, William Happer, joins us to discuss the impact of CO2 on the Earth's climate and the state of modern science. What is the scientific evidence on the relationship between CO2 and Earth's climate? Does CO2 drive the Earth's temperature, or does temperature drive CO2? What does the fossil record tell us about the state of the world's climate in the past? Is current warming unprecedented? Why don't scientists study the evidence of prehistoric forests in the Arctic, and what it implies for historical temperatures? Why is there little focus on the enormous benefits of CO2? What is the evidence for CO2 driving ocean acidification? How much better are scientists today from the scientists involved in the Salem witch hunt? How does politicization affect science, and why does Professor Happer think that the more policy-driven a field is, the less trustworthy its conclusions are?
References (All links available on saifedean.com/podcast/138-climate-physics-with-professor-william-happer)

Professor Happer’s 2014 paper Why has global warming paused?
The CO2 Coalition website.
Does ocean acidification alter fish behavior
Elsmere Island Mummified Forest
Professor Happer's editorial with Harisson Schmitt: In defence of Carbon Dioxide
Professors Lindzen and Happer's Comment on the SEC's Proposed Rule "The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors."
https://co2coalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Happer-Lindzen-SEC-6-17-22.pdf
Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard.
Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard.

137. Clown Continent Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

What on earth is going on in Europe and how did things get so bad? In this seminar, we discuss the double calamity of skyrocketing energy costs and plummeting pensions and currencies. While high time preference fiat media obsesses over the latest scapegoats, we look into the long-term drivers of these two problems: Decades of green hysteria leading to dismantling of reliable power sources & underinvestment in reliable power generation. And decades of Keynesian dogma convincing the people whose pensions are being destroyed their government can pay for everything at no cost. Does the UK really need to spend 10% of its GDP on public healthcare? What exactly is it about medical care that makes it have to be so expensive and always getting more expensive? Could it be the endless government financing? How bad would truly private healthcare be really?
Resources

Michael Shellenberger on German Nuclear Power Plants
Michael Shellenberger on German gas production
Alex Epstein on Europe's Energy Suicide
Surgery Center of Oklahoma
Surgery Center of Oklahoma's Keith Smith discusses his business model on EconTalk
Keith Smith's blog
Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard.
Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard.

You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming book, Principles of Economics, by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

135. Cholesterol Con with Malcolm Kendrick Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

Does high cholesterol really cause heart disease? Is there such as thing as “good” and “bad” cholesterol? What impact do statins – the most profitable drug in the history of medicine – have on human health? In this episode, Dr Malcolm Kendrick, author of The Great Cholesterol Con and The Clot Thickens, joins us to challenge the conventional wisdom on cholesterol. He shares his view on the diet-heart hypothesis, his intriguing alternative explanation for heart disease, and what he recommends to maintain a healthy heart. We also discuss how and why fiat medicine and economics have many “endlessly adaptable hypotheses" that refuse to die no matter how much reality assaults them.
References

Dr Kendrick on Twitter.
Dr Kendrick’s website.
Dr Kendrick’s books: The Great Cholesterol Con, Doctoring Data and The Clot Thickens
European cardiovascular disease statistics 2008 edition showing lower cardiovascular disease prevalence in countries with higher saturated fat in the diet. For more on this topic, see this blog post by Dr Kendrick.
Website of the International Network of Cholesterol Sceptics
Dr Kendrick's blog post on Carl von Rokitansky and Rudolf Virchow and the 1852 explanation of heart disease.
Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard.
Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard.

Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

134. Praxeology in One Lesson with Conza Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

What is praxeology and why does it matter? In this episode, Conza, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Australia, joins us to discuss the theoretical foundations of economics. He explains why praxeology – the science of human action – provides the value-free framework needed to reason about economic questions, and how its method differs from that of physical sciences such as biology. He and Saifedean discuss how praxeology can be used to analyse topics such as minimum wage, inflation and pandemics, and why the contrasting methods used by quantitative macroeconomists are flawed. They also defend Hoppe's argumentation ethics: a proof that arguing against the Non-Aggression Principle is logically incoherent.
References

Conza on Twitter.
Conza’s blog (where all the best economics quotes live).
Conza’s YouTube channel.
Website of the Austrian Mises Seminar.
Mises Wiki article on Mises’ Regression Theorem
BBC video on minimum wage being ‘a hurdle’ for disabled people.
Theory and History by Ludwig von Mises
Konrad Graf’s paper on Action-based Jurisprudence (see page 29 for Graf’s proposed model of praxeology).
Konrad Graf’s lectures on bitcoin.
Economic Science and the Austrian Method by Hans-Hermann Hoppe.
The Beef Initiative website.
For a biography of the life of John Maynard Keynes see Keynes the Man by Murray Rothbard.
Website of the Australian Mises Seminar.
Website of the Libertarian Party of Australia.
The Praxeological Science Group on Facebook.
The Law by Frédéric Bastiat
For a New Liberty by Murray Rothbard
The Ethics of Liberty by Hans Hermann Hoppe
Hans Herman Hoppe’s Four-Step Healthcare Solution.
Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard.
Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard.

133. Bitcoin Banks with Caitlin Long Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

Wall Street veteran and founder of Custodia Bank Caitlin Long joins us to discuss bitcoin banks, leverage and the macroeconomy. She explains how new “dollar and digital asset banks” like Custodia Bank are helping to bridge the gap between bitcoin and the US dollar, and why she has chosen to seek regulation rather than bypass it. She and Saifedean discuss financial leverage, its impact on bitcoin’s price and why people should be wary of companies promising risk-free yield on bitcoin. The conversation also covers recent developments in financial markets, including rising bond yields and the fall in the British pound. In the Q&A, Caitlin answers questions on Chinese inflation, stablecoin velocity and whether the path to hyperbitcoinization will be orderly.
References

Caitlin Forbes article introducing dollar and digital asset banks.
The Institutional Risk Analyst article on The Narrow Bank case against the Federal Reserve.
Explanation of Wyoming Special Purpose Depository Institutions by government of Wyoming.
Jameson Lopp tweet about not helping people to buy bitcoin.
Saifedean and Tone Vays debate Celsius’ business model with Alex Mashinsky in 2019.
Nik Bhatia article explaining the concept of the Lightning Network Reference Rate (risk-free rate).
Mises Wiki article on the Plaza Accord and relationship to monetary expansion in Japan.
When Money Dies by Adam Fergusson
See Human Action Chapter XXXI, 2. The Interventionist Aspect of Legal Tender Legislation, for a discussion of deflationary policy in Great Britain following inflationary war spending.
Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard.
Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard. See chapter 5 Fiat Balances: Universal debt slavery for a discussion of The Narrow Bank.
Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard.
Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard.

132. Expat Life with Mikkel Thorup Sep 27, 2022

Show notes

Mikkel Thorup, founder and CEO of Expat Money, joins us to make the case for becoming an expat. He discusses why people should consider moving their life offshore, which jurisdictions are most appealing and strategies listeners can pursue to mitigate tax obligations. Mikkel shares practical tips on finding quality healthcare, educating children, travelling comfortably and managing international finances. He also outlines his views on flag theory, the importance of geographical diversity in investment and the libertarian values that motivate him.
Resources

Saifedean’s viral tweet on "free" healthcare in Canada.
Website of Mikkel’s Expat International School of Freedom and Entrepreneurship.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford teaches people how to make cheesecake during lockdown.
The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice by Michael Strong
Website of Mikkel’s Expat Money Summit taking place in November.
Mikkel’s recommended charter flight service Villiers Jets.
Saifedean’s first book, The Bitcoin Standard.
Saifedean’s second book, The Fiat Standard.

Enjoyed this episode? You can take part in podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s courses – including his ongoing course ECO22: The Fiat Standard – and read chapters of his forthcoming books by becoming a Saifedean.com member. Find out more here.

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