Saifedean Ammous

The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking

19:30 min
Economics, Politics
304 pages, 2018

Money shapes every aspect of our lives, yet few understand how our current monetary system weakens economies and restricts individual freedom. In this short, Saifedean Ammous examines the evolution of money from primitive currencies to modern fiat systems, revealing how government control over money creation leads to economic instability and erosion of wealth. Through detailed analysis of historical monetary systems, from the Rai stones of Yap to the gold standard, Ammous demonstrates why Bitcoin represents a revolutionary solution to the problems of centralized banking. The short explains how Bitcoin's fixed supply and decentralized structure offer a digital alternative that combines the best properties of traditional sound money with the advantages of modern technology.

Saifedean Ammous

Saifedean Ammous is an economist and professor who has focused extensively on Austrian economics, particularly as it relates to monetary theory and bitcoin. He holds a PhD in Sustainable Development from Columbia University and has served as a professor of economics at Lebanese American University. Through his academic work and public discourse, Ammous has become known for applying Austrian economic principles to analyze modern monetary systems and digital currencies, while also providing critical perspectives on fiat currency systems and central banking.

Chapters

Money has evolved from primitive forms through fiat currency, with Bitcoin emerging as a revolutionary decentralized alternative to address fundamental problems in central bank-controlled monetary systems.
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Cover of The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking