In this video, I discuss Cryptosovereignty by Erik Cason, a book exploring the political philosophy of Bitcoin and its challenge to traditional power structures. I highlight three key points from the book:
1. The Reversal of Hobbes’s Formula – Unlike Hobbes’s claim that “authority, not truth, makes law,” Bitcoin flips this by making truth, not authority, the foundation of law.
2. The Encrypted Meaning of “Crypto” – More than just cryptography, Bitcoin’s use of encryption changes the nature of sovereignty and power itself.
3. Computers Can’t Lie – In Bitcoin, there is no sovereign exception—no authority can suspend the law, because Bitcoin’s rules are absolute and enforced by code.
This is a fascinating take on Bitcoin that goes beyond economics into law, philosophy, and sovereignty itself. Further reading from the author Erik Cason: https://cryptosovereignty.org/the-encrypted-meaning-of-crypto/
*NOTE: the goal of this video is to share with you three ideas from the book. This is not a comprehensive defence of or criticism of Bitcoin, needless to say. It is my attempt at an exposition of three ideas from the book! OBVIOUSLY I did not say everything there is to say about the topic of bitcoin, the topic of political philosophy, or the topic of their relationship. So I would hope that no ignorant commentators waste all our time by pointing that out. Thanks for watching!
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