Quote from: MPOE-PR on December 22, 2013, 04:34:04 PM

Quote from: reloaded on December 22, 2013, 12:22:34 PM

Bitcoin is made to be used by people, so if it fails to account for basic human characteristics, it fails as a popular currency.
"It works for the knowledgeable and those willing to constantly be on guard" pretty much excludes the majority of people. If I have to consult WOT before buying a stick of gum, I simply won't buy it. Ease of use is pretty important for a currency.

Bitcoin isn't for the masses. Things that've been dumbed down to ensure nobody will have to adapt include child-proof pill caps and cleaning products plastered with warnings. Such things don't belong in the world of finance.

Inasmuch as "basic human characteristics" consist of blindly groping at everything without taking a moment to read or think, that which is good will fail to account for them, yes. Those who insist on keeping such characteristics intact so as to not have to change and grow will just add to bitcoin's fossil record.

Quote from: reloaded on December 22, 2013, 12:22:34 PM

If the "expert user" defense works, it works much too well. It would show, for instance, that coding in assembler should obsolete every other language, since a knowledgeable coder, given sufficient time and motivation, would produce the tightest code.

Taking responsibility for yourself and understanding what bitcoin is before doing anything with it aren't exactly insurmountable tasks. Sure, there are brokers, data aggregators, and so forth out there to put some distance between people and the heart of the machine. That doesn't mean it's alright to stop paying attention and flagellate wildly, throwing coins wherever everyone else seems to be doing it. There's no getting around the fact that in order to act in finance, at some point people will have to learn shit. If they can't be bothered, they'll simply stay poor.

If you feel that bitcoin is not for the masses, you have a tenable viewpoint. Of course, it pretty much precludes bitcoin's mass adoption, on which the success of any currency is predicated. Those who "...blindly grop[e] at everything without taking a moment to read or think" are the essential demographic here, one which must be catered to. This must be done not from misplaced love for the mentally weak, but because their wellbeing is a basic economic necessity.

The problem with the "let them eat cake" attitude is things tend to end badly for everyone involved.