Ep90[2/2]: Brian Hanley: The False Premises and Promises of Bitcoin.

Welcome to episode 90 of Activist #MMT. Today's part two of my two-part conversation with author, researcher, and entrepreneur, Brian Hanley, about his paper, The False Premises and Promises of Bitcoin. The paper, published in 2013 and last updated in 2018, is essentially a summary of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency through an MMT lens. (Here's a link to part one.) Brian and I continue with his list of several important claims made by Bitcoin's creators and advocates, and why they're wrong – and in fact, bitcoin and cryptocurrency are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how modern economic and banking systems work (coupled with anti-government ideology). We also go in depth into why Bitcoin makes credit impossible, and why that's so critical. We end today's episode with the decidedly non-MMT topic of nuclear power. Brian has done research on the biological effects of radiation, and is a strong supporter of nuclear power being a primary ingredient in dealing with the climate crisis. He talks about how nuclear power and radiation are badly misunderstood by the public and media. Now let's get right back to my conversation with Brian Hanley.