Hook: What if money is less a thing and more a technology that reshaped human thought, society, and power? This 5-minute summary (from a 2-hour Armchair Expert episode) distills economist David McWilliams’ tour of the history of money with hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. You’ll learn how money began in Mesopotamian credit, how coinage and accounting fostered rational markets, why state-backed currency underpins trust and taxation, and how monetary collapse destroys political legitimacy. Key takeaways: money as technology and social glue, credit as “spending tomorrow’s profits today,” accounting and the zero enabling modern commerce, currency as a weapon in war and revolution, and where crypto fits (an ideological experiment lacking sovereign backing). Topics covered include history of money, credit, inflation, state power, and cryptocurrencies. Dax Shepard and Monica Padman guide McWilliams’ insights into how money shapes culture, mobility, and institutions. Listen now to get the key ideas in minutes.
