David Golumbia's The Politics of Bitcoin: Software As Right-Wing Extremism

4 Pages Posted: 24 May 2017

See all articles by William J. Luther

William J. Luther

Florida Atlantic University; American Institute for Economic Research

Date Written: May 24, 2017

Abstract

Many see bitcoin as a clever piece of code; an alternative payment mechanism; or a proof-of-concept for the underlying blockchain technology. David Golumbia sees it as right-wing extremism. In his new book, The Politics of Bitcoin, Golumbia argues that bitcoin was designed to “satisfy needs that make sense only in the context of right-wing politics”; that “Bitcoin enthusiasts repackage material from [right-wing extremist] writers almost verbatim” and, as such, “Bitcoin serves […] to spread and firmly root” the right-wing ideology. But the overall narrative put forward by Golumbia breaks down when one scratches the surface.

Keywords: bitcoin, ideology, software, extremism, right-wing, poltics

JEL Classification: E40, E41, E42, E50, E51, E58

Suggested Citation

Luther, William J., David Golumbia's The Politics of Bitcoin: Software As Right-Wing Extremism (May 24, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2973059

William J. Luther (Contact Author)

Florida Atlantic University ( email )

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United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.wluther.com

American Institute for Economic Research ( email )

PO Box 1000
Great Barrington, MA 01230
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HOME PAGE: http://www.aier.org/staff/william-j-luther

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