
Big Ideas The history of money — with Irish economist David McWilliams
11 snips
Feb 5, 2026 David McWilliams, Irish economist and author of The History of Money, explains money as a social technology. He traces money’s rise with writing, maths and cities. He links coinage to Greek thought, explores zero and bookkeeping, critiques crypto, and celebrates innovations like M-Pesa — ending with a playful take on dance clubs as signs of advanced civilization.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Urbanization Drove Money And Maths
- Urbanization after the Ice Age triggered inventions: money, writing and mathematics evolved together.
- These social technologies solved the problems of coordinating far larger populations.
Monetization Enabled Greek Thought
- The Greeks became the first fully monetized society and that monetization fuelled numeracy and rational thought.
- McWilliams links monetization to the rise of Greek philosophy, science and democracy.
Religion As A Counter to Monetary Upheaval
- Christianity may have arisen as a counter-narrative to money's disruption and social mobility.
- Jesus's message appealed to those who lost status as money reshaped society.






