Sublime

If, as in a social network, we knew with whom we were dealing in economic exchange, we could perhaps base this communication in the simpler medium of trust than in money. But since we mostly do not, the specific social scalability conferred by money allows for what Szabo calls “trust minimization,” or, “reducing the vulnerability of participants to

Elemental gold approximates what Nick Szabo called unforgeable costliness. Brilliantly anticipating contemporary pushback against “wasteful” Bitcoin mining, in Shelling Out, Szabo explains, At first, the production of a commodity simply because it is costly seems quite wasteful. However, the unforgeably costly commodity repeatedly adds value by