History, economics, and game theory
Place Bitcoin in its cypherpunk, monetary, and institutional context.
Follow these 8 lessons in order, or choose the topic you need. Each lesson combines an explanation, a worked example and practice inside the Guild.
Digital cash before Bitcoin
Earlier digital cash projects solved pieces of the puzzle, including private payments and costly computation. None combined ownership, public ordering, and open validation in Bitcoin's way.
35 minutes · Open lessonThe genesis and early network
Bitcoin began with a public paper, public software, and a first block. The launch sequence matters because nobody received private control of the ledger rules.
45 minutes · Open lessonScarcity and issuance
New bitcoin enters circulation through block rewards that fall over time. Mining difficulty adjusts to production speed, and transaction fees increasingly pay miners.
55 minutes · Open lessonAustrian and competing monetary views
Different schools disagree about money, debt, falling prices, and the role of institutions. The lesson separates testable claims from economic values.
65 minutes · Open lessonIncentive compatibility
Bitcoin participants do not all want the same thing. The system works when following valid rules usually pays better than attacking or accepting invalid history.
35 minutes · Open lessonAdoption and network effects
A payment network becomes more useful when more people and businesses can use it, but reliability, cost, custody, law, and coordination can slow adoption.
45 minutes · Open lessonFork history
A fork occurs when participants follow different histories or rule sets. Past disputes show how software rules, mining work, businesses, and individual validation interact.
55 minutes · Open lessonCritiques and falsifiable claims
A useful critique states a mechanism, measurable variables, a time horizon, and evidence that could prove it wrong. This lesson applies that discipline to Bitcoin debates.
65 minutes · Open lesson