Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

> I broadly agree with the author on Bitcoin, but I do not agree on what was said about the gold standard being bad.

The gold standard is/was bad. It could help turn economic downturns in things like the Great Depression:

* https://www.nber.org/books-and-chapters/financial-markets-an...

And it does little/nothing to help economic stability, as measured by things like the CPI:

* https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/08/why-the...

* https://archive.md/FWKcL

And when it's not doing much for stability, shortages can actually stunt economic growth:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Bullion_Famine

Further, adherence to the gold standard also tends to lend itself to austerity which leads to economic suffering (e.g., deflation) which has often people to more extreme politics:

* https://www.nber.org/papers/w24106

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austerity:_The_History_of_a_Da...

For all of its problems, the current credit-based monetary system is better than past systems. For a (popular) history of money through the ages:

* https://bookshop.org/books/money-the-true-story-of-a-made-up...




Consider applying for YC's Spring batch! Applications are open till Feb 11.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: