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> Bitcoin appears to have greater staying power than most nations and currencies in history. I would not make that statement so soon. Bitcoin has only existed

> Bitcoin appears to have greater staying power than most nations and currencies in history. I would not make that statement so soon. Bitcoin has only existed for 10 years. Most nations and currencies, at least in recent history, have lasted for much longer than that.

cs702 7y ago
Agree! I edited this sentence so it would be a question, which better reflects what I actually intended to write.
- wyldfire 7y ago
  Ten years down, millennia to go.
  - shabda 7y ago
    NO currency has survived a millennia. Almost all currencies backed only by their governments, and not by physical gold, are at most a century old.
    - pmiller2 7y ago
      Not true. The pound sterling has been in continuous use since around 800 CE.
      - thechao 7y ago
        That's a ship-of-Theseus fallacy. The pound sterling of 2019 is more related to the American dollar of 2019 than it is to the pound sterling of even WWII, nonetheless 800CE.
        rpz 7y ago
        And additionally the American dollar is not the same as it was pre bretton woods, or pre federal reserve, etc.
        zajd 7y ago
        The ship of Theseus isn't a fallacy, it's a thought experiment.
        pmiller2 7y ago
        Not really. It’s just a matter of changing times and prices. Pounds and pennies have been a thing for 1200 years. What they buy has changed dramatically.
      - Rmilb 7y ago
        And lost 99% of its value!
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
  - cs702 7y ago
    Countries and currencies cease to exist regularly. Here's an incomplete list of countries that have disappeared in recent history: https://www.thoughtco.com/missing-countries-1435425 https://www.thoughtco.com/missing-countries-1435425
whb07 7y ago
So let’s go down the list of some of those currencies: 1. USD ~ is markedly different post breaking from gold standard so 40-50 years 2. EUR - created 1999 3. Russian ruble - post fall of Soviet Union. I mean what’s the standard here? One way or another maybe the longest running one is the British pound but even then, one can easily argue like with the USD that breaking from the gold standard is a different currency altogether. But if “age” is what we’re talking about, it has to be closing in to what the Euro was at on 2009!
ekianjo 7y ago
> at least in recent history That's precisely the weak point of your argument. Give it another 20-30 years and let's then count again how many currencies are still as strong as they were or merely still exist. The USD is in a special place since it's the default currency for worldwide exchanges, so what matters is all other currencies out there.

cs702 7y ago

Agree! I edited this sentence so it would be a question, which better reflects what I actually intended to write.

wyldfire 7y ago
Ten years down, millennia to go.
- shabda 7y ago
  NO currency has survived a millennia. Almost all currencies backed only by their governments, and not by physical gold, are at most a century old.
  - pmiller2 7y ago
    Not true. The pound sterling has been in continuous use since around 800 CE.
    - thechao 7y ago
      That's a ship-of-Theseus fallacy. The pound sterling of 2019 is more related to the American dollar of 2019 than it is to the pound sterling of even WWII, nonetheless 800CE.
      - rpz 7y ago
        And additionally the American dollar is not the same as it was pre bretton woods, or pre federal reserve, etc.
      - zajd 7y ago
        The ship of Theseus isn't a fallacy, it's a thought experiment.
      - pmiller2 7y ago
        Not really. It’s just a matter of changing times and prices. Pounds and pennies have been a thing for 1200 years. What they buy has changed dramatically.
    - Rmilb 7y ago
      And lost 99% of its value!
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
- cs702 7y ago
  Countries and currencies cease to exist regularly. Here's an incomplete list of countries that have disappeared in recent history: https://www.thoughtco.com/missing-countries-1435425 https://www.thoughtco.com/missing-countries-1435425

whb07 7y ago

So let’s go down the list of some of those currencies: 1. USD ~ is markedly different post breaking from gold standard so 40-50 years 2. EUR - created 1999 3. Russian ruble - post fall of Soviet Union. I mean what’s the standard here? One way or another maybe the longest running one is the British pound but even then, one can easily argue like with the USD that breaking from the gold standard is a different currency altogether. But if “age” is what we’re talking about, it has to be closing in to what the Euro was at on 2009!

ekianjo 7y ago

> at least in recent history That's precisely the weak point of your argument. Give it another 20-30 years and let's then count again how many currencies are still as strong as they were or merely still exist. The USD is in a special place since it's the default currency for worldwide exchanges, so what matters is all other currencies out there.