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porcupineadvocate comments on General Bitcoin discussion thread (May 2011) - Less Wrong
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I haven't seen Cowan's argument, but wouldn't the argument apply just as well to gold and silver, which were used for thousands of years as currencies?
Well, no. Concisely put, the problem is under-determined money demand because of readily available money or money-like substitutes (in the theoretical framework of money demand/money supply). This is an issue limited to the period of readily available new money, of which Bitcoin itself is one, really. For those thousands of years there were few such substitutes, and substitution would have been costly anyway, so the problem does not apply there.
Thanks.
(The problem does apply to gold speculation in this day and age, though, right? I will BTW readily concede that gold speculation in this day and age is high risk.)
It would apply if gold were legally enforced and usable as a currency, but I don't think it is.
It does apply to forex speculation, though.
OK, so investors buying and holding gold do not cause the problem.