The Bitcoin Standard Podcast

A lively look at trade as voluntary exchange that benefits everyone. Covers subjective valuation, marginal utility, and why differing preferences enable deals. Explains absolute and comparative advantage with Crusoe and Friday examples. Shows how specialization, division of labor, and larger markets boost productivity and build cities and civilization.

A deep look at why energy and power drive productivity, trade and modern living standards. Clear explanations of energy, work and power with vivid comparisons from humans to tractors. A historical tour of fuels, energy density and the hydrocarbon leap. A critical take on renewables, batteries, grid reliability and the political economy of energy.

A lecture about technology as non-material capital that raises productivity and fuels long-term growth. It explores why innovation creates new kinds of work instead of eliminating jobs. Historical examples like steam engines and aviation illustrate how tinkering and entrepreneurship drive breakthroughs. Topics include software as informational capital, population effects on innovation, and resistance to new tech.

A deep dive into capital as saved resources that lengthen production and boost productivity. Practical fishing analogies and Boeing 787 examples show how deferred consumption finances long projects. Discussion of capital’s costs, fragility, and the responsibilities of owners. Links between time preference, savings, and rising living standards are highlighted.

A deep dive into property as the practical solution to scarcity. Clear arguments for how ownership prevents conflict and enables saving, capital formation, and cooperation. A tour of property types and legitimate routes to ownership like homesteading and voluntary transfer. Historical examples illustrate what happens when property breaks down.

A clear breakdown of labor as choosing leisure now for future reward. Short scenes explain why wages reflect marginal output and how productivity and capital boost the value of human time. Historical links to the Industrial Revolution and how inflation, credit cycles, and minimum wage rules shape unemployment. A critique of labor exploitation theories and a defense of capital’s role in raising living standards.

A lecture on time as the ultimate scarce resource and why mortality creates opportunity cost. Discussion of how human time transforms matter into goods and drives proven reserves. Data-driven examples like oil and the Simon versus Ehrlich bet. Exploration of time preference, economizing time through labor and capital, and how trade, money, and markets scale those efforts.

Peter Schiff, economist and gold advocate known for promoting gold as sound money. He defends gold’s history, intrinsic uses, and tokenized gold claims. Rapid-fire debate covers supply math, custody of tokenized gold, cross-border value transfer, and whether bitcoin is speculative or a superior monetary technology. Tense back-and-forth on price thresholds and who would be proven wrong.

A lecture on subjective value and how people assign worth in their minds. Discussion of scarcity forcing choices and the need to economize. Exploration of marginal utility and how each extra unit meets less urgent needs. Contrast between price and value and rejection of labor-based theories of value.

This week, a free online lecture series kicks off with a deep dive into economics as a study of human action. Discover why purposeful behavior matters in economic reasoning, as well as the differences between Austrian and mainstream economic analysis. The lecture critiques quantitative methods, arguing they distort real-world complexities. Minimum wage impacts are explored through the lens of individual choices versus collectivist planning. Join for an insightful overview of economic principles and the intricacies of human decision-making!