> gold and the paper currency is printed on is only worth something because people think they are worth something
Gold has value. It can be used by dentists. It can be used in electronics. It has been inherently valuable for millennia.
As I said, paper currency is too complex a topic to go into fully here. Unlike gold, it obviously is not inherently valuable. You can look at Weimar German marks, Confederate dollars etc. to see that. Or even a US 1978 dollar versus a US 2014 dollar, to some extent. People who think Bitcoins can be worth something because the dollar seems to have some value are going to learn a hard lesson.
Gold has value. It can be used by dentists. It can be used in electronics. It has been inherently valuable for millennia.
As I said, paper currency is too complex a topic to go into fully here. Unlike gold, it obviously is not inherently valuable. You can look at Weimar German marks, Confederate dollars etc. to see that. Or even a US 1978 dollar versus a US 2014 dollar, to some extent. People who think Bitcoins can be worth something because the dollar seems to have some value are going to learn a hard lesson.