A lot of folks post about historical figures in the context of saying that they would be a Bitcoiner if they were alive today (for example: Thomas Jefferson).
These make for interesting thought experiments — and I think it would also be interesting to extend that to the realm of fiction.
So I'll start.
I’m currently reading through Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey & Maturin Series, and in Master and Commander, there’s a really great discussion between Stephen Maturin and one of the book’s other characters:
‘I have had such a sickening of men in masses, and of causes, that I would not cross this room to reform parliament or prevent the union or to bring about the millennium. I speak only for myself, mind - it is my own truth alone - but man as part of a movement or a crowd is indifferent to me. He is inhuman. And I have nothing to do with nations, or nationalism. The only feelings I have - for what they are - are for men as individuals; my loyalties, such as they may be, are to private persons alone.’'Patriotism will not do?’'My dear creature, I have done with all debate. But you know as well as I, patriotism is a word; and one that generally comes to mean either my country, right or wrong, which is infamous, or my country is always right, which is imbecile.’
In addition to being a great character all around, I (naturally) couldn’t resist thinking that Stephen would likely be quick to grasp the benefits of Bitcoin (mainly, empowering the sovereign individual) were he around today — in the “real” world, as it were 🙂