The Bitcoin Standard: Two Books, One Protocol | Ep. 4

15/07/2025 23 min

Listen "The Bitcoin Standard: Two Books, One Protocol | Ep. 4"

Episode Synopsis

Is Bitcoin the future of money or just a speculative asset? This episode dives deep into two foundational books that argue for a new financial world built on the Bitcoin protocol: "The Bitcoin Standard" by Saifedean Ammous and "Layered Money" by Nik Bhatia. While both authors see Bitcoin as the base for a new monetary system, they present their cases from unique perspectives. We'll explore Ammous's economic principles of "hard money" and Bhatia's detailed, historical analysis of how money has always been structured in layers.What you’ll learn in this episode:The concept of "hard money" and the "stock-to-flow" ratio that made gold the historical monetary standard.Nik Bhatia's core idea of "layered money" and how our current system, with the US dollar at its center, is built on a fragile, multi-layered structure.How Bitcoin can serve as the "first layer" of a new system, acting as a final settlement layer much like gold once did.Why second-layer solutions like the Lightning Network are crucial for making Bitcoin a viable medium for everyday transactions, addressing criticisms about its speed and cost.A potential future where even Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) could be built as a second layer on top of the Bitcoin protocol.Ready to question everything? While the money printer goes brrrr, find out what a new standard could look like. For more information and the original written content, visit ⁠⁠www.zknihydohlavy.cz⁠⁠.