Hi No need to Google to figure out that I run Bitcoin Nordic - it's right there in the video description. Also, my speaker description at the event had the website URL. But Bitcoin and Bitcoin Nordic is not the same. The first is a worldwide open source currency and community of dedicated people, which was what that segment of my talk was about. In the talk itself, I did not mention my company even once. [continued]
It's not threats of violence against people who disagree. It's simply the government telling people they have to pay their fair share, since they live in the society and benefit greatly from it. Since you cannot exist within a country's borders without benefiting from your fellow man in one way or another, you're obligated to pay taxes. If you didn't contribute, but only drove on the roads etc., then you're just a leech. You're in a symbiotic relationship with your fellow man, like it or not.
The beauty of this guy's speech is that it is one of the best cases for limited government I've heard in the intellectual community: Limited governments are not capable of doling out favors, because their power does not extend far enough into the private sector of an economy. In such an environment, lobbying firms shrink because there is less money to be gotten through talking to or swaying politicians, leaving far more resources devoted to actual production. Stop lobbyists; limit government.
[continued] Several people at the event spoke about subjects related to their professional work. Like Claus Meyer that makes a living selling distinguished food - or Klaus Phanareth who made the case for his newly developed commercial medical product. And there's nothing wrong with that! Also, let me know exactly what I said that infringes economic rules so I can respond. Best Lasse Birk Olesen
I don't think you understand Bitcoin. That's partially my mistake because I was responsible for explaining it in the talk, but I was of course under hard time constraints. Bitcoin is something like gold, and Bitcoin Nordic is something like a gold smith. It is totally possible for you to get bitcoins from somewhere else and use them without ever getting in contact with Bitcoin Nordic.
As long as there are bureaucratic governments and overregulated economies, where, for instance, in India it costs half a year of a typical income to register a business, "black markets" are the only practical solution right here right now. Streamlining the laws of these countries will take decades or centuries.
Because you can't 3d-print the hardened steel required for the barrel, receiver, and moving parts. Basically all you could print is the bare frame of a polymer-framed gun, "furniture" such as grips, forends and stocks, or the body of a magazine.
Yes, both of the economists I mentioned argued against all taxes on businesses and so do many other economists. But this shouldn't turn into a political discussion. I'm arguing for how Bitcoin in practice can help people out of poverty. And maybe, maybe, in the perfect world, there wouldn't be a need to do it outside of the regular economy. But the world is not perfect.
What Claus Meyer was saying was true. Junk food industries are ruining our life, ruining our planet. Klaus Phanareth's idea was also mainly for enhancing the system. What people will get essentially from them is a concept, which would not be profitable for Claus Meyer or Klaus Phanareth but the entire industry. And, I totally disagree that your speech was your "professional work". It was your "business", your "enterprise". You are the one, who is receiving profits directly from "Bitcoin".
I've never seen a private corporation, in the history of mankind, build a road that they themselves would never drive on, or build a sewer system, saving millions of people and thereby not only improving and most certainly prolonging the life of every citizen living in that city but also increasing the potential of growth. Based on that and the fact that the vast majority of corporations do not do things out of the goodness of their hearts, I conclude it wouldn't happen. Hardly unintelligent.
"Btw, most citizens aren't forced the way you say. They're overall happy w/ gov" Would most citizens voluntarily pay the taxes they currently do? My hunch is that they wouldn't. So no, the citizenry, even those who like the idea of a state, are forced.
"Furthermore, if you want to "live the way you want", good luck living without roads, protection by military, policemen, hospitals(if you live i a civilized country, of course), aid with disasters etc" I'm routinely surprised that people ignorant enough to be unaware that most of these things have actually been provided (quite successfully) by entities other than governments, are arrogant enough to dismiss the possibility that they ever could be!
I don't agree that the greatest technological innovations are a result purely of the profit motive. However, I do agree that technology is profoundly more influential on society than the institutions of false authority would have us believe they are.
"if given the choice between a complete breakdown of government and the continuation of a slightly flawed government, most would choose the latter." Irrelevant to the question of whether people are being forced. If people would not _voluntarily_ pay the taxes they are currently compelled by force to pay, and you'd have to be incredibly naive to suppose that they would continue, then they are being forced. Can you admit that people are in fact being forced and that you were wrong?
No, it hasn't. They printed a polymer lower receiver for an AR15. That is not a gun. It is a small part of a gun. You cannot 3d print hardened steel to make the barrel, bolt, and moving parts required for a complete gun.
I don't want to move to another mafia's area. The option to leave doesn't justify government's violence against peaceful citizens. I don't want to live without the services you mentioned, I just want to choose who I buy them from, just like my cell phone operator. The society should be based on voluntary interaction, not force and violence against peaceful citizens.
The short google search I did I was only able to find privately OPERATED roads. I know that private companies build most roads but they are of course financed by the government.
I see you've given up on using arguments and now just claim stuff without backing it up. I realize praising "black markets" is very controversial to most and the case for it will therefore take time for people to accept. Nonetheless, looking at history, it's pretty clear that often the solution to certain problems isn't the one most people are expecting. And luckily, these markets will continue to grow and feed people even if most first world citizens argue against it. Thanks for commenting.
"Move to another country then." The appeal to 'like it or leave', that you're involing here, depends on the assumption that the state is the rightful owner of the land it claims. There's no question tha the state exercised control and possession of most land, but I'm curious how you came to the conclusion that its the land's rightful owner (if it's not, the state is in no position to offer the 'deal' of the so called social contract).
I'll have to look into that. Still, the government has supplied or funded essential things that wouldn't have emerged on their own - concrete example being the sewer system of London. Projects like these can be risky and require tremendous funding, something the private enterprise shuns.
If people want to uphold the government, then they accept paying taxes. Therefore, it's not irrelevant to the question, it's quintessential. I realise few people love paying taxes, but since they like and make use of the services a good or even decent government provides, they have to pay taxes - just like I have to work out to maintain a fit body. I don't love it, but I don't want to be without the result.
"I don't want to move to another mafia's area." Too bad bro. You know the free market principle, where the majority of people choose which product is the best? That happened with the form of government, or lack thereof, many years ago. Still happening to this day. If there was enough of people with your view, you'd be able to have your own country. As it is, there isn't, so your product isn't popular enough to survive Btw, most citizens aren't forced the way you say. They're overall happy w/ gov
It's not at all free market if the majority chooses a product that everyone is forced to buy. It's true that most people don't question the need for government by force. That's what I'm hoping to change, by asking people if they really support violence against peaceful citizens. But like the video says, technology moves society better than agitation.
You're saying that slaves choose to be slaves because they don't just stop being slaves. But that's because they're never given the option. Yeah, maybe some think slavery is cool, but most people never even question it because it's always been like that. Slavery is NOT voluntary and you know it! Also, I don't think a slave accepts his position if he takes a "free" meal from his master. (Replace "slavery" with "government" if you like.)
I am not talking of abolishing, simply using our resources (time/energy) in more effective less destructive ways. Removing my approval (via tax or patriotism) completely of any Federal agency isn't much, but if many did it we may have a gov't that actually works for the people and not for the fame or money.
If your subjective opinion is that someone benefits from your work, it doesn't justify using threat of violence to collect a "fair share" of money from them. You need to change your business logic so that people pay you voluntarily. Taxation is similar to the mafia collecting protection money, even if the money is often used better.
Your implicit claim was that roads are impossible without the state. To paraphrase Rothbard, ignorance itself is no crime but it is totally irresponsible to have a loud and vociferous opinion on a matter you're ignorant about. 1. Google "private roads work", short article which mentions a couple of examples, 2. Admit that you were mistaken that only the state can provide roads. 3. Acknowledge you might also be mistaken about all the other things you tell people are impossible without the state.
"I don't see private companies building roads." And because you don't see that, you've concluded it must never have happened and could never happen. I hope one day you understand the flaw in your reasoning here.
"the government has supplied or funded essential things that wouldn't have emerged on their own - concrete example being the sewer system of London." Again you're engaging in the pretense of knowledge. You don't know that something equivalent to the sewer system of london, or superior to it, could not have emerged without state involvement. Remember that domains claimed by the state become unavailable for the emergence of voluntary solutions.
What did Karl Marx say about vanadium steel? It is curious that neither the Left nor the Right advocate mandatory accounting/finance in the schools. Where does planned obsolescence and the depreciation of durable consumer goods fit into this.
I don't see private companies building roads. I didn't see private corporations build the sewer system when it was so incredibly, painfully needed. I very rarely see private corporations do anything that doesn't affect their bottom line. I love how you put blind faith in private corporations and ignore the cold hard factual results. No, the government is the backbone of a society and helps not only individuals but also businesses. Good luck shipping stuff without a road to drive on.
We live in a competitive system because it, very fittingly, drove other system types out of existence. It doesn't mean that it's the system people are happiest in. However, since we all live under it, we are also shaped by it, so we tend to favor it. If I could start a country (which people like me can't, because we don't have anything), people would just be given whatever they needed to live comfortable in a sustainable system, and they could do and build whatever they wanted. Of course, the most competitive country with the most insane working culture would eventually dominate, and my country would be picked apart and sold as scraps. That's just how the world works, sadly. People like this guy likes to glorify the competitive system and ascribe everything good to it, such as technology. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that we have had the technology and ressources to change the world for DECADES, and all we need is a little less selfishness and a little more empathy. I have some ideas for consumer oriented apps and services that could make it practical, but it's hard to find a marked it and I can't profit from them because, you know... I'm a commie ;(
we dont "glorify" the system. we just realize that life is based on competition over resources. Maybe one day we will figure out how to change the universe so as to give everyone what they want at the same time. I highly doubt that can ever be achieved due to Einstein's 1st law - energy can neither be created nor destroyed. in the meantime we can use our brain to figure out ways to give people more for less.
If I were in your position I would definitely look into it. When you realize that nothing done by a gov't as a we see them today is done out of the the sole good for the people, you will see the world a little clearer friend. Power and Control are the goals of anyone who seeks to govern, test that and see. Men aren't made to be governed like livestock by other livestock. Governments take taxes by force and claim that it is a good deed done for you. It seems heavy, but there is freedom in truth.
Their birth is irrelevant. The vast, vast majority chooses to have a government. Therefore, the majority has spoken - your product was simply not good enough to survive. At every turn you rely on the government in some way - roads, safety, laws, making sure workers are alive through regulation and healthcare so they can stay healthy for work. Even if you're some rugged individual, you can't do every single thing alone. The second you deal with another person, government has had a finger to play
Oh yes, let's put our trust in something that has never happened and within all reason most likely will never happen. I hope one day you understand the flaw in your reasoning here.
Sure. And more people not eating fast food is more business for Meyer. Nothing wrong with that. Pradeep may be able to pay those taxes, or maybe not. But these "white market" rules are not relevant to a many people. Actually, HALF of the entire population of the world are fed by black markets, and this number continues to rise. Bitcoin can help these markets grow, raising the living standard for the majority of the earth. In my heart I feel great about that! Lives are more important than laws.
The bit where he tries to sell a decentralized fake money that isn't backed on anything and doesn't have a stagnant price lost me. Capital with constantly fluctuating value doesn't sound like a stable basis for an economy.
1 Bitcoin = 11 dollars :-) ...in october 2012 Today (october 2013) 1 bitcoin is worth 137 dollars, in year 2014 = 500 dollars? in 3-5 years 5000-10000 dollars?
That's hard to say really, because few people love paying taxes, and the government always does some things they dislike, but I'm certain that if given the choice between a complete breakdown of government - which the person I was arguing with was practically proposing - and the continuation of a slightly flawed government, most would choose the latter. I for sure wouldn't want people to pay for their own education or healthcare. That'd just be retarded and ineffectual, as proved many times.
Oh please, spare me your false indignation at society. I'm not a slave - i just love my fellow man, and so I recognize government is, mostly, positive.
This is a false choice/comparison. Not everything that glitters is gold. Don't get blinded by the glitter. You said in the comments, "But this shouldn't turn into a political discussion.". Well sorry, YOU did that when you put it in your title. Ted Talks, are by nature TALKS. And, talks are more political than technological. You can't remove the political nature of this talk. Just because you're smitten by technology, doesn't mean that it should rule your life. We have Guided Missiles, but misguided men.
Were you democratically elected by my peers? Is this conversation particularly important in any way? Have you got the law on your side? Will I be tried before a judge paid by society to uphold said laws? No. This is what happens when I break the law in society. If the government creates too wacky laws, the people finds out and elects new leaders. I realise this doesn't happen as smoothly as I portray here, but this is the basic principle. Everything the government does, the people has allowed.
He should have put down Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, or Dennis Ritchie instead of Steve Jobs. Sure Steve Jobs made the smart phone popular, but Bill Gates "put a computer in every house and on every desk" and I feel like that is way more important than the smartphone space because before that the only people that had computers were rich individuals or universities. I mean honestly... If you wanted some prolific technology pioneers as examples, you should have chosen some other people.
If you can afford healthcare, then you lift more than saving your life costs. If you can't afford healthcare, then using the services of doctors in spite of that drags everything else down, because medicaments and doctors don't just magically appear.
Benefiting from each other's work and helping each other is called free market, and government has nothing to do with that. I'm comparing to government to slavery, because both are involuntary. Government is more efficient than outright slavery, because people are allowed to choose their occupation and keep about half of their income for themselves.
we can print plastic things but he is crazy we cannot print meat or food stuff i don't know where in the world he got this idea it not possible no more than i can transport my self to mars idiot
Exactly. So more Bitcoin user (especially in Nordic countries), bigger potential for your business. I do not fight against your talk. I respect any entrepreneurs. I just think, this talk was totally not worth to be taken by TEDxCopenhagen.
I haven't asked you to put your trust in anything. You, on the other hand, have asserted that without the government many things aren't possible--while you cannot know this to be true (and in some cases we know it is false). It's a shame you lack the intellectual honesty to acknowledge your mistake.
Does anyone agree there should be no taxes during business processes? Don't twist their opinions! Regulations are never perfect does not mean we should get rid of them! Black markets are growing. It is just a fact. A fact is not a "trend" for us to follow! According to your logic, more and more people are diagnosed as HIV-positive because they live upon drugs and prostitution, we should support their dirty business while the virus gets spread? My last words: human rights come with obligations!
"It's not at all free market if the majority chooses a product that everyone is forced to buy." Imagine 99.9999999999999% of people buy Coke. Pepsi will be out of business then and shuts down. That's what's happened to your form of government. No one wanted or cared for it, so it died. Now you're forced to buy Coke, because all the other brands were simply too shitty to survive on their own. I don't see you really acting on your views, as you still enjoy the many benefits of lifting together.
I do not think I have that much space to explain you how your "Bitcoin" would infringe economic rules. I just retort your speech, or "Bitcoin" idea with one question. When you were saying, that Indian guy can just sit in a café and sell his goods globally without paper and bank account, did you have any consciousness about import tax, export tax, customs inspections, postage cost, etc? There is a word called "smuggle", right?
Hey man, great if it works for you, but would you let me and others live the way we want. I'm not happy with the system and I don't want to participate, but I'm under threat of violence if I refuse to pay.
His smashing/chewing with the mouth is soooo annoying, but hes sooooo right. And please, SteveJobs did NOTHING, come on... An english man working for him invented every single I-product out there.
Move to another country then. Letting people just opt out would mean that you'd just stop paying the taxes if you got very wealthy, even if you received aid from the government. Furthermore, if you want to "live the way you want", good luck living without roads, protection by military, policemen, hospitals(if you live i a civilized country, of course), aid with disasters etc. I seriously doubt you're some rugged individual who don't ever need any help ever, but I'm sure you'll try to persuade me
Good luck with that, when you realize how wrong you are I hope you will remember the only reason people elect the wardens now is because men and women fought to be free of tyrant kings. Do you not see the horrible tortures and oppression that taxes have been used for? Taxes have been a detriment to society lifting together. People who help their neighbor for free, feed the hungry, or cloth the cold lift. We are all teachers and students. Anything I say/write I have learned from someone else.
The government's gunmen will shoot you too if you draw a weapon in self-defense when they come to kidnap you. How would you like it if I came to your house with my armed buddies, demanding payment because I have (in my opinion) amused you with this discussion and you now owe me?
When your school recommended this video in the syllabus
Hi, Lasse from the video here. That sounds really cool, which school are you in?
its the best ted talks of all time, front of his time, thank u Lasse and congratulations !!! salute from Brazil
Thank you. You just made the best RUclips comment of all time!
Hi
No need to Google to figure out that I run Bitcoin Nordic - it's right there in the video description. Also, my speaker description at the event had the website URL.
But Bitcoin and Bitcoin Nordic is not the same. The first is a worldwide open source currency and community of dedicated people, which was what that segment of my talk was about. In the talk itself, I did not mention my company even once.
[continued]
It's not threats of violence against people who disagree. It's simply the government telling people they have to pay their fair share, since they live in the society and benefit greatly from it. Since you cannot exist within a country's borders without benefiting from your fellow man in one way or another, you're obligated to pay taxes. If you didn't contribute, but only drove on the roads etc., then you're just a leech. You're in a symbiotic relationship with your fellow man, like it or not.
The beauty of this guy's speech is that it is one of the best cases for limited government I've heard in the intellectual community: Limited governments are not capable of doling out favors, because their power does not extend far enough into the private sector of an economy. In such an environment, lobbying firms shrink because there is less money to be gotten through talking to or swaying politicians, leaving far more resources devoted to actual production.
Stop lobbyists; limit government.
[continued]
Several people at the event spoke about subjects related to their professional work. Like Claus Meyer that makes a living selling distinguished food - or Klaus Phanareth who made the case for his newly developed commercial medical product. And there's nothing wrong with that!
Also, let me know exactly what I said that infringes economic rules so I can respond.
Best
Lasse Birk Olesen
Great TEDx talk
I don't think you understand Bitcoin. That's partially my mistake because I was responsible for explaining it in the talk, but I was of course under hard time constraints.
Bitcoin is something like gold, and Bitcoin Nordic is something like a gold smith. It is totally possible for you to get bitcoins from somewhere else and use them without ever getting in contact with Bitcoin Nordic.
The purpose of government is to organize and manage the people, innovation comes from the people ( you, scientists, architects, engineers, etc...).
As long as there are bureaucratic governments and overregulated economies, where, for instance, in India it costs half a year of a typical income to register a business, "black markets" are the only practical solution right here right now. Streamlining the laws of these countries will take decades or centuries.
Days when 1 bitcoin was equal to $11.
Great TEDx talk is my opinien
Because you can't 3d-print the hardened steel required for the barrel, receiver, and moving parts. Basically all you could print is the bare frame of a polymer-framed gun, "furniture" such as grips, forends and stocks, or the body of a magazine.
Yes, both of the economists I mentioned argued against all taxes on businesses and so do many other economists.
But this shouldn't turn into a political discussion. I'm arguing for how Bitcoin in practice can help people out of poverty. And maybe, maybe, in the perfect world, there wouldn't be a need to do it outside of the regular economy. But the world is not perfect.
What Claus Meyer was saying was true. Junk food industries are ruining our life, ruining our planet. Klaus Phanareth's idea was also mainly for enhancing the system. What people will get essentially from them is a concept, which would not be profitable for Claus Meyer or Klaus Phanareth but the entire industry.
And, I totally disagree that your speech was your "professional work". It was your "business", your "enterprise". You are the one, who is receiving profits directly from "Bitcoin".
I've never seen a private corporation, in the history of mankind, build a road that they themselves would never drive on, or build a sewer system, saving millions of people and thereby not only improving and most certainly prolonging the life of every citizen living in that city but also increasing the potential of growth. Based on that and the fact that the vast majority of corporations do not do things out of the goodness of their hearts, I conclude it wouldn't happen.
Hardly unintelligent.
"Btw, most citizens aren't forced the way you say. They're overall happy w/ gov"
Would most citizens voluntarily pay the taxes they currently do? My hunch is that they wouldn't. So no, the citizenry, even those who like the idea of a state, are forced.
"Furthermore, if you want to "live the way you want", good luck living without roads, protection by military, policemen, hospitals(if you live i a civilized country, of course), aid with disasters etc"
I'm routinely surprised that people ignorant enough to be unaware that most of these things have actually been provided (quite successfully) by entities other than governments, are arrogant enough to dismiss the possibility that they ever could be!
I don't agree that the greatest technological innovations are a result purely of the profit motive. However, I do agree that technology is profoundly more influential on society than the institutions of false authority would have us believe they are.
Great TEDx talk. Seasteading and Bitcoins... I love it.
Wow. Awesome speech.
"if given the choice between a complete breakdown of government and the continuation of a slightly flawed government, most would choose the latter."
Irrelevant to the question of whether people are being forced. If people would not _voluntarily_ pay the taxes they are currently compelled by force to pay, and you'd have to be incredibly naive to suppose that they would continue, then they are being forced. Can you admit that people are in fact being forced and that you were wrong?
Just watching it now, I was a child back then, so anyway, 50k views, we can know that the true knowledge is like mining gold.
Meanwhile, everyone who doesn't like the title and subject of this presentation uses their smartphone or computer to comment against it.
No, it hasn't. They printed a polymer lower receiver for an AR15. That is not a gun. It is a small part of a gun. You cannot 3d print hardened steel to make the barrel, bolt, and moving parts required for a complete gun.
I don't want to move to another mafia's area. The option to leave doesn't justify government's violence against peaceful citizens.
I don't want to live without the services you mentioned, I just want to choose who I buy them from, just like my cell phone operator.
The society should be based on voluntary interaction, not force and violence against peaceful citizens.
I think it's crazy that a ted convention in Copenhagen speaks English
The short google search I did I was only able to find privately OPERATED roads. I know that private companies build most roads but they are of course financed by the government.
I see you've given up on using arguments and now just claim stuff without backing it up.
I realize praising "black markets" is very controversial to most and the case for it will therefore take time for people to accept. Nonetheless, looking at history, it's pretty clear that often the solution to certain problems isn't the one most people are expecting. And luckily, these markets will continue to grow and feed people even if most first world citizens argue against it.
Thanks for commenting.
"Move to another country then."
The appeal to 'like it or leave', that you're involing here, depends on the assumption that the state is the rightful owner of the land it claims. There's no question tha the state exercised control and possession of most land, but I'm curious how you came to the conclusion that its the land's rightful owner (if it's not, the state is in no position to offer the 'deal' of the so called social contract).
speech audio is annoying
If threats of violence against people who disagree equals love, then I guess so.
Top-ranked commenter is bitbutter, because bitbutter is the best commenter on the internet. Check out his videos.
I'll have to look into that. Still, the government has supplied or funded essential things that wouldn't have emerged on their own - concrete example being the sewer system of London. Projects like these can be risky and require tremendous funding, something the private enterprise shuns.
So basically, anyone can do a Ted Talk now a days?
someone is a politician and didn't like to hear the truth.
If people want to uphold the government, then they accept paying taxes. Therefore, it's not irrelevant to the question, it's quintessential. I realise few people love paying taxes, but since they like and make use of the services a good or even decent government provides, they have to pay taxes - just like I have to work out to maintain a fit body. I don't love it, but I don't want to be without the result.
"I don't want to move to another mafia's area."
Too bad bro. You know the free market principle, where the majority of people choose which product is the best? That happened with the form of government, or lack thereof, many years ago. Still happening to this day. If there was enough of people with your view, you'd be able to have your own country. As it is, there isn't, so your product isn't popular enough to survive
Btw, most citizens aren't forced the way you say. They're overall happy w/ gov
It's not at all free market if the majority chooses a product that everyone is forced to buy.
It's true that most people don't question the need for government by force. That's what I'm hoping to change, by asking people if they really support violence against peaceful citizens. But like the video says, technology moves society better than agitation.
Awesome. Excellent talk.
You're saying that slaves choose to be slaves because they don't just stop being slaves. But that's because they're never given the option. Yeah, maybe some think slavery is cool, but most people never even question it because it's always been like that. Slavery is NOT voluntary and you know it! Also, I don't think a slave accepts his position if he takes a "free" meal from his master. (Replace "slavery" with "government" if you like.)
I am not talking of abolishing, simply using our resources (time/energy) in more effective less destructive ways. Removing my approval (via tax or patriotism) completely of any Federal agency isn't much, but if many did it we may have a gov't that actually works for the people and not for the fame or money.
If your subjective opinion is that someone benefits from your work, it doesn't justify using threat of violence to collect a "fair share" of money from them. You need to change your business logic so that people pay you voluntarily. Taxation is similar to the mafia collecting protection money, even if the money is often used better.
Your implicit claim was that roads are impossible without the state. To paraphrase Rothbard, ignorance itself is no crime but it is totally irresponsible to have a loud and vociferous opinion on a matter you're ignorant about.
1. Google "private roads work", short article which mentions a couple of examples,
2. Admit that you were mistaken that only the state can provide roads.
3. Acknowledge you might also be mistaken about all the other things you tell people are impossible without the state.
"I don't see private companies building roads."
And because you don't see that, you've concluded it must never have happened and could never happen. I hope one day you understand the flaw in your reasoning here.
"the government has supplied or funded essential things that wouldn't have emerged on their own - concrete example being the sewer system of London."
Again you're engaging in the pretense of knowledge. You don't know that something equivalent to the sewer system of london, or superior to it, could not have emerged without state involvement. Remember that domains claimed by the state become unavailable for the emergence of voluntary solutions.
Great speech
For an example of privately built and operated roads google: "st. louis private streets", first result.
What did Karl Marx say about vanadium steel?
It is curious that neither the Left nor the Right advocate mandatory accounting/finance in the schools. Where does planned obsolescence and the depreciation of durable consumer goods fit into this.
I don't see private companies building roads. I didn't see private corporations build the sewer system when it was so incredibly, painfully needed. I very rarely see private corporations do anything that doesn't affect their bottom line.
I love how you put blind faith in private corporations and ignore the cold hard factual results.
No, the government is the backbone of a society and helps not only individuals but also businesses. Good luck shipping stuff without a road to drive on.
We live in a competitive system because it, very fittingly, drove other system types out of existence. It doesn't mean that it's the system people are happiest in. However, since we all live under it, we are also shaped by it, so we tend to favor it. If I could start a country (which people like me can't, because we don't have anything), people would just be given whatever they needed to live comfortable in a sustainable system, and they could do and build whatever they wanted. Of course, the most competitive country with the most insane working culture would eventually dominate, and my country would be picked apart and sold as scraps. That's just how the world works, sadly. People like this guy likes to glorify the competitive system and ascribe everything good to it, such as technology. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that we have had the technology and ressources to change the world for DECADES, and all we need is a little less selfishness and a little more empathy. I have some ideas for consumer oriented apps and services that could make it practical, but it's hard to find a marked it and I can't profit from them because, you know... I'm a commie ;(
we dont "glorify" the system. we just realize that life is based on competition over resources. Maybe one day we will figure out how to change the universe so as to give everyone what they want at the same time. I highly doubt that can ever be achieved due to Einstein's 1st law - energy can neither be created nor destroyed. in the meantime we can use our brain to figure out ways to give people more for less.
If I remember correctly English is taught in Denmark.
If I were in your position I would definitely look into it. When you realize that nothing done by a gov't as a we see them today is done out of the the sole good for the people, you will see the world a little clearer friend. Power and Control are the goals of anyone who seeks to govern, test that and see. Men aren't made to be governed like livestock by other livestock. Governments take taxes by force and claim that it is a good deed done for you. It seems heavy, but there is freedom in truth.
Their birth is irrelevant. The vast, vast majority chooses to have a government. Therefore, the majority has spoken - your product was simply not good enough to survive.
At every turn you rely on the government in some way - roads, safety, laws, making sure workers are alive through regulation and healthcare so they can stay healthy for work. Even if you're some rugged individual, you can't do every single thing alone. The second you deal with another person, government has had a finger to play
Oh yes, let's put our trust in something that has never happened and within all reason most likely will never happen. I hope one day you understand the flaw in your reasoning here.
Sure. And more people not eating fast food is more business for Meyer. Nothing wrong with that.
Pradeep may be able to pay those taxes, or maybe not. But these "white market" rules are not relevant to a many people. Actually, HALF of the entire population of the world are fed by black markets, and this number continues to rise. Bitcoin can help these markets grow, raising the living standard for the majority of the earth. In my heart I feel great about that! Lives are more important than laws.
I had to stop and check the date of this...
9 years ago? Damn!
Haven't seen the sea countries yet, but he was on the money otherwise.
The bit where he tries to sell a decentralized fake money that isn't backed on anything and doesn't have a stagnant price lost me. Capital with constantly fluctuating value doesn't sound like a stable basis for an economy.
Both statements are true. But I see no connection between them :)
1 Bitcoin = 11 dollars :-)
...in october 2012
Today (october 2013) 1 bitcoin is worth 137 dollars,
in year 2014 = 500 dollars?
in 3-5 years 5000-10000 dollars?
YUP! :)
2017 1 bitcoin= 4405.02
Haha, good guess. $12000 today.
Guess what?
03/2024 = almost 74k US$
That's hard to say really, because few people love paying taxes, and the government always does some things they dislike, but I'm certain that if given the choice between a complete breakdown of government - which the person I was arguing with was practically proposing - and the continuation of a slightly flawed government, most would choose the latter.
I for sure wouldn't want people to pay for their own education or healthcare. That'd just be retarded and ineffectual, as proved many times.
Oh please, spare me your false indignation at society. I'm not a slave - i just love my fellow man, and so I recognize government is, mostly, positive.
No, nobody will ever be able to download a file and print a gun.
This is a false choice/comparison. Not everything that glitters is gold. Don't get blinded by the glitter. You said in the comments, "But this shouldn't turn into a political discussion.". Well sorry, YOU did that when you put it in your title. Ted Talks, are by nature TALKS. And, talks are more political than technological. You can't remove the political nature of this talk. Just because you're smitten by technology, doesn't mean that it should rule your life. We have Guided Missiles, but misguided men.
Were you democratically elected by my peers? Is this conversation particularly important in any way? Have you got the law on your side? Will I be tried before a judge paid by society to uphold said laws? No. This is what happens when I break the law in society. If the government creates too wacky laws, the people finds out and elects new leaders. I realise this doesn't happen as smoothly as I portray here, but this is the basic principle. Everything the government does, the people has allowed.
He should have put down Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, or Dennis Ritchie instead of Steve Jobs. Sure Steve Jobs made the smart phone popular, but Bill Gates "put a computer in every house and on every desk" and I feel like that is way more important than the smartphone space because before that the only people that had computers were rich individuals or universities.
I mean honestly... If you wanted some prolific technology pioneers as examples, you should have chosen some other people.
If you can afford healthcare, then you lift more than saving your life costs. If you can't afford healthcare, then using the services of doctors in spite of that drags everything else down, because medicaments and doctors don't just magically appear.
Benefiting from each other's work and helping each other is called free market, and government has nothing to do with that. I'm comparing to government to slavery, because both are involuntary. Government is more efficient than outright slavery, because people are allowed to choose their occupation and keep about half of their income for themselves.
HELLO MGA KA-STS HAHAHAHAHA
i see u, raffy HAHAHAHAAHAH -rosh
@@남주혁의신부 WOW STUDIOUS HAHAAH
« I can't wait to be living on a Seastead, paying my rent in bitcoins, and having a 3D-printed steak for dinner » LOL +1
we can print plastic things but he is crazy we cannot print meat or food stuff i don't know where in the world he got this idea it not possible no more than i can transport my self to mars idiot
+paul meier yes I agree. I was puzzled trying to even imagine printing food or meat for that matter and to eat it edible from... cells?
not now in the future.
I'd say that the Soviet Union was a rather newer experiment than the US one. But then again not all political inventions turn out equally well :)
Exactly.
So more Bitcoin user (especially in Nordic countries), bigger potential for your business.
I do not fight against your talk. I respect any entrepreneurs. I just think, this talk was totally not worth to be taken by TEDxCopenhagen.
stefbot's video on questions like "who would build the roads": watch?v=VDVNL0VyaEI
I haven't asked you to put your trust in anything. You, on the other hand, have asserted that without the government many things aren't possible--while you cannot know this to be true (and in some cases we know it is false). It's a shame you lack the intellectual honesty to acknowledge your mistake.
Oh yes, and it's been done allready.
Aged well
Does anyone agree there should be no taxes during business processes? Don't twist their opinions! Regulations are never perfect does not mean we should get rid of them!
Black markets are growing. It is just a fact. A fact is not a "trend" for us to follow!
According to your logic, more and more people are diagnosed as HIV-positive because they live upon drugs and prostitution, we should support their dirty business while the virus gets spread?
My last words: human rights come with obligations!
cool guy, cool ideas. I totally agree, politicians have only made us more poor. Visionaries, entrepreneurs and hard work makes us richer!
"It's not at all free market if the majority chooses a product that everyone is forced to buy."
Imagine 99.9999999999999% of people buy Coke. Pepsi will be out of business then and shuts down. That's what's happened to your form of government. No one wanted or cared for it, so it died. Now you're forced to buy Coke, because all the other brands were simply too shitty to survive on their own.
I don't see you really acting on your views, as you still enjoy the many benefits of lifting together.
seasteading....
Why not? ^^
But science and technology breakthroughs are political and policy fostered.
Bitcoin is trading at $30 today. I am drinking Lasse's Kool-Aid
I do not think I have that much space to explain you how your "Bitcoin" would infringe economic rules.
I just retort your speech, or "Bitcoin" idea with one question. When you were saying, that Indian guy can just sit in a café and sell his goods globally without paper and bank account, did you have any consciousness about import tax, export tax, customs inspections, postage cost, etc? There is a word called "smuggle", right?
Hey man, great if it works for you, but would you let me and others live the way we want. I'm not happy with the system and I don't want to participate, but I'm under threat of violence if I refuse to pay.
His smashing/chewing with the mouth is soooo annoying, but hes sooooo right.
And please, SteveJobs did NOTHING, come on... An english man working for him invented every single I-product out there.
the only thing that bothers me about this speech is when his smacks his lips 92301902 times. Other than that, its outstanding
Thanks! I think the mic was too close to my mouth or something. Haven't experienced this in other recordings.
In fact, only a very small share of the 1 million Bitcoin users worldwide has ever been in contact with my company.
printing guns? now we can never go to the movies!!!
Move to another country then. Letting people just opt out would mean that you'd just stop paying the taxes if you got very wealthy, even if you received aid from the government. Furthermore, if you want to "live the way you want", good luck living without roads, protection by military, policemen, hospitals(if you live i a civilized country, of course), aid with disasters etc.
I seriously doubt you're some rugged individual who don't ever need any help ever, but I'm sure you'll try to persuade me
Good luck with that, when you realize how wrong you are I hope you will remember the only reason people elect the wardens now is because men and women fought to be free of tyrant kings. Do you not see the horrible tortures and oppression that taxes have been used for? Taxes have been a detriment to society lifting together. People who help their neighbor for free, feed the hungry, or cloth the cold lift. We are all teachers and students. Anything I say/write I have learned from someone else.
Venus Project -country would be nice ^^
Then you are preparing for an upcoming exam.
that man totally sounds like Thor
If only that is all they did...
So what? With all the money it steals it must invent something sometimes.
Dennisnritchie
1 Bitcoin = 11 dollars...
The government's gunmen will shoot you too if you draw a weapon in self-defense when they come to kidnap you. How would you like it if I came to your house with my armed buddies, demanding payment because I have (in my opinion) amused you with this discussion and you now owe me?
naive, but nonetheless, interesting.