Money
by Jacob Goldstein · first published 2020
88% recommend13% neutral
"What is money anyway, and where and why did it originate? According to Jacob Goldstein, this made-up thing has evolved over centuries and takes different forms based on technological advances, the needs of society, and often the crazy ideas of outliers on the fringes. Told through witty, historical anecdotes, Goldstein demystifies this ever-evolving tool from the invention of the first coins in Mesopotamia, to how China invented paper money centuries before it appeared in the west, how at one point in Sweden men carried giant "coins" on their backs to pay for goods, to the gold standard, poun
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Money only works because we all agree to believe in it. The book Money by Jacob Goldstein is the best thing I have read on this. It covers the useful fiction that is money and how it has has shaped societies.…
on “Nassim Taleb: Bitcoin failed as a currency and became a speculative ponzi scheme” ↗I recommend the recent "pop" book about Money as an intro: https://www.amazon.com/Money-True-Story-Made-Up-Thing/dp/154...
on “Shelling Out: The Origins of Money (2002)” ↗> The book Money by Jacob Goldstein is the best thing I have read on this. It covers the useful fiction that is money and how it has has shaped societies. Thank you! This is the book I've been looking for. I've recently…
on “Nassim Taleb: Bitcoin failed as a currency and became a speculative ponzi scheme” ↗Some good books on the general topic that I've read over the years are Debt: The First 5000 Years by Graeber: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt:_The_First_5000_Years Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing by Goldstein (also of NPR's Planet Money): * https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50358103-money * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Goldstein And The Power of Gold:…
on “What is money, anyway?” ↗> There he argues that moving off the gold standard was a bad idea in many ways apparently unrelated to money. See Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing by Jacob Goldstein (of NPR's Planet Money): * https://bookshop.org/books/money-the-true-story-of-a-made-up... * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Goldstein…
on “How Iran Uses Bitcoin Mining to Evade Sanctions and “Export” Oil” ↗…convenience. See The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession by Bernstein: * https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249245.The_Power_of_Gold * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_L._Bernstein And Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing by Goldstein: * https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/50358103-money * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Goldstein
on “Inflation is differential and restructuring (2021)” ↗+1 for Money by Jacob Goldstein. An easy read and no degree in economics needed to understand. Re bitcoin, he makes the argument that all currencies face a moment of crisis and only survive when Govt's do 'whatever…
on “Nassim Taleb: Bitcoin failed as a currency and became a speculative ponzi scheme” ↗> It has definitely changed my view on what money is and how it came to be. You may be interested in Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing by Jacob Goldstein (of NPR's Planet Money). * https://bookshop.org/books/money-the-true-story-of-a-made-up...
on “After the pandemic, we can’t go back to sleep (2020)” ↗Check out the book “Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing“ by Jacob Goldstein. It explores this topic and more.
on “Ask HN: Can someone explain these documentaries about USD or fiat money to me?” ↗> the book “Debt: The First 5,000 Years” by David Graeber Also would recommend Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing: > Money only works because we all agree to believe in it. In Money, Jacob Goldstein shows how money is a useful fiction that has shaped societies for thousands of…
on “How I think about debt” ↗Indeed, the book Money by Jacob Goldstein, co-host of NPR podcast Planet Money, talks precisely about this in regards to the gold standard. One reason that it was taken off the gold standard was because monetary policy could…
on “Luna Cryptocurrency Collapse: How UST Broke” ↗