What Bitcoin Did

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Bitcoin & Absolute Freedom with Junseth

Peter McCormack

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Bitcoin & Absolute Freedom with Junseth - WBD499 Peter McCormack

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Junseth is a OG bitcoiner and the former co-host of Bitcoin Uncensored. In this interview, we discuss government being the logical extent of libertarianism, the evolution of news media, falling for conspiracies, admitting when you’re wrong, opinion versus fact, and the return of Trump.

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Our lives are full of examples of infective institutions, inefficient governance, waste, want, and an eagerness to wage war. It is hard to argue in defence of the state. Yet, any popular movements against the actions of the state are ignored. In these times, libertarian arguments are powerful and persuasive: the state, shielded by coercion, is ineffective so we need to tear it down.

However, we don’t need to be fans of the state to be worried about the alternatives. In a world of 8 billion people, with increasing complexity, specialisation, and disagreement, is it rational to think that we can organise ourselves into voluntary and agreeable groups? History lacks examples of such structures working to support advanced functioning societies.

So, why are we so ready to accept at face value vague promises that a better world can be achieved through radical means? Is it that uncertainty and nuance aren’t rewarded by today’s click-bait driven media? Like moths to a light, are we all drawn towards more exciting, adventurous, and confident narratives built on conspiracy and anarchy?

In a small way, podcasting is an attempt to provide airtime for the truth. Whilst it’s true that those who take extreme positions can build strong audiences, the biggest audiences are drawn to the more honest explorations of subjects. Despite attacks from MSM, the popularity of Joe Rogan shows there is a huge demand for authentic and reasoned debate. People want the truth.

The question is, as MSM becomes increasingly unwilling to provide such a service, are we going to have to rely on a community of independent content creators to meet this demand?

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00:04:10: Introductions
00:07:19: The difficulty with absolute freedom
00:12:21: Libertarian views, coercion and property rights
00:26:14: First being introduced to libertarianism
00:29:04: Different people and different opinions
00:33:17: Lack of nuance, and opinions of the left vs the right
00:43:37: The evolution of news media and the destruction of dialectic
00:53:39: Climate change
01:03:28: Nuanced conspiracy theories
01:06:49: Living from crisis to crisis
01:11:55: 24-hour news vs long-form conversation, and the impact of podcasts
01:18:48: Falling into conspiracy rabbit holes, and admitting you're wrong
01:26:24: Social media cohorts and mitigating the effects of COVID
01:34:25: The value of podcasts and it's okay to be wrong
01:37:28: Reflecting on the Trump Administration
01:44:20: The post-truth world, and interpretation vs fact vs opinion
01:55:59: Final comments

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