97 sats \ 4 replies \ @kepford 20 Jun 2023 \ on: BTC & Monarchy: Why am I noticing a trend of pro-monarchism among bitcoiners? bitcoin
This is what I would guess is happening
First, I'd recommend reading "Democracy: The God That Failed" by Hans Hoppe to better understand where this is coming from. I'm not a monarchist and neither is the author but he points out the tradeoffs between the two systems. Some who have read this book also have followed the writings of Curtis Yarvin who I believe describes himself as a neo-monarchist.
I can see why some bitcoiners would fall for this because one key difference between democracy and monarchy is that elected officials are only care takers. They have no skin in the game. A king will be able to pass his wealth and nation down to his sons. Elected officials can screw things up and they still get paid. Which one is closer to proof of work? Additionally, when a king wants to go to war he must raise taxes to fund it. Well, the people see this for what it truly is. Theft. In a democracy we are told we are the government. For the people by the people and that nonsense. Well, how can you steal from yourself? The logic is flawed but that is one of the many mental tricks/traps of democracy. That book is great at comparing the two systems but Hoppe doesn't recommend monarchy. Hoppe recommends decentralization and smaller more local governance. Not a state.
I see the neo-monarchist view as flawed and honestly I'd rather focus on individual sovereignty. The time of kings is over. The time of democracy is coming to an end. The era of the sovereign individual may be the next phase.
Hope that helps.
I like to try to find silver linings. I'd rather seem people coming out of the democracy delusion and maybe missing the mark a bit than people staying asleep under the spell. We aren't going back to monarchy. No way that is happening for many reasons but it is good to see people thinking about alternatives.
Everyone that is seeking to learn is on a journey. I hope they find their way. We are surrounded by second handers (See Ayn Rand). I enjoy chatting with people that think. Those that think can learn. The rest will follow as they always do.
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Thank you! Was helpful to filter each system through the lens of PoW
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Proof of work is such a great mental model. The book predates bitcoin and IIRC doesn't focus on fiat currency much but it does talk about incentives as well as how the growth of the state has led to larger, longer, and more bloody wars than during the era of monarchy. It is hard to read this book and not think and for that reason alone it is worth it.
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The thing I like about individual sovereignty is that it's bottom-up rather than top-down.
It's not a system. It's something you decide to pursue, regardless of the system. Moreover, the decision is yours solely, without anyone having to cooperate with you, although cooperation helps, but it can be done at any scale and any level, not just political and "51%" like democracy. And the further you get and the more people follow suit, the less powerful the system becomes.
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