Value beyond price: Bitcoin, Marx, Menger, and MMT with Natalie Smolenski

In this episode, we dive into bitcoin's impact on the future global monetary order with Natalie Smolenski, an anthropologist and bitcoiner. We discuss her thoughts on how bitcoin challenges the state's monopoly on currency, invoking Karl Marx's unexpected agreement that gold, a commodity, originally embodied money—not the state-minted currencies. Natalie explains her fascination with the concept of the invaluable—elements of culture and society that transcend monetary value—and how bitcoin fits in today’s culture. We also tackle bitcoin's role as a deflationary currency in contrast to fiat's inflationary tendencies, highlighting its potential to redefine economic and social hierarchies. Join us as we explore bitcoin's potential to reshape not just economies but cultural identities. SUPPORT THE PODCAST: → Subscribe → Leave a review → Share the show with your friends and family → Send us an email [email protected] → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description → Buy bitcoin in an IRA—sign up today and get your first year free: unchained.com/frontier → Meet Natalie in Austin on April 16th: https://www.meetup.com/bitcoin-park-austin/events/306342336/ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro 01:12 - Natalie's journey into bitcoin 02:19 - Anthropology and the concept of value 06:06 - Modern monetary theory and social power 10:09 - Central banking and national economic performance 15:12 - The challenge of physical currencies and the role of central banks 20:27 - Money as the most salable good: Carl Menger's insights 26:17 - Debunking the myth: Bitcoin and collective hallucination 30:01 - Bitcoin as a protocol for new societal frameworks 34:10 - Bitcoin's potential impact on societal structures 38:23 - The state's interest in bitcoin and potential risks 42:27 - Legal challenges and the future of bitcoin ownership 45:24 - The future of privacy, property, and political action in the bitcoin era WHERE TO FOLLOW US: → Unchained Twitter: https://twitter.com/unchainedcom → Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital → Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD → Natalie Smolenski’s Twitter: https://x.com/NSmolenski