hylomorphic (nprofile…0w9j) ‘s “Modern Chains”
quoting
naddr1qq…x32hThe premise of this non-fiction book caught my attention from the first time I heard of it. Its author states his intentions clearly from the first page: he is on a mission to help make visible the insidious mechanisms at play that have trapped people into modern day slavery.
THE LAYERS OF DECEIT
The book starts with the awareness of how using the word "slavery" to describe the current situation of the average worker may seem like an exaggeration, and that is why it requires a deep dive into the thought process that led the author to believe it.
Neal Flesher sets the stage by going into the key concepts, philosophical foundations and the historical precedents of slavery and how they were rationalized. He takes us into a relentless journey through history and the justifications at the heart of the most horrible acts of humanity. Inviting the reader to understand the layers of slavery and the nuances of how the term represents more than the image of the plantation shackles that immediately comes to mind. There are invisible chains in our society holding people down and being hidden by rationalizations just as dark as the ones that preceded them.
"If you want to see your chains, you must learn to spot the story that makes them seem like freedom"
THE ECONOMIC MACHINERY OF ENSLAVEMENT
The role of the economic machinery cannot be underestimated when it comes to people's constant loss of purchasing power that progressively enslaves them into a trap race they can't break out of.
The argument in the book is clear in how inflation has empowered this subtle form of enslavement, that materializes in shrinking paychecks and rising costs of survival. And it is the fact that this is by deliberate design that makes the moral transgressions so evident.
Neal Flesher does an excellent job of trying to undo his own point of view and challenge his biases, steel-manning some of the most common arguments we are used to hearing "in favor" of the current system. And one by one he dismantles them, showing the cracks in the story and the consequences of this pernicious monetary debasement that siphons wealth away from us day after day.
"Monetary debasement and inflation are not inevitable economic forces to be endured; they are shackles to be broken."
ENTER BITCOIN, THE TOOL FOR RESISTANCE
After the thorough diagnostic of the enslavement mechanisms the book enters the block that offers Bitcoin as a potential escape valve. To most Bitcoiners the arguments in favor of this magic internet money will be familiar: the fact that it's trust-less, that it is a hedge against currency manipulation, how it presents itself as the ultimate form of money and invites people who understand it to view the world through different eyes.
To readers new to Bitcoin, this section of the book is a concise introduction to the promise of the decentralized protocol. And the best way the author presents it is by steel-manning all the famous arguments against it. He doesn't shy away from the fud but tackles each attack, one after the other, giving nuanced answers about how "Bitcoin is not a financial trend or a speculative asset; it is a paradigm shift. It is the first tool in human history that renders trust obsolete and empowers individuals to reclaim their economic sovereignty, without asking for permission."
CONCLUSION
"Modern Chains" is a great book for people who want to understand better the hidden mechanisms of our society. It offers a great diagnostic of the ailments of today, and points blankly at the architecture that enables it under the promise of growth and prosperity. It gives the individual a new perspective on the concept of slavery and how its consequences can ripple through different kinds of chains and be felt for generations. And most importantly, it offers an option to break the shackles.
"We are not the first generation to face tyranny, nor will we be the last. History will judge us: not by the comforts we clung to, but by whether we confronted oppression or cowered in our chains."