Part 6/17:
Cyprian critically examines the initial incentive mechanisms embedded in Bitcoin’s white paper, especially the “proof of work” system. Satoshi invented a game—mining—where participants are encouraged to expend energy (electricity, computing power) to validate transactions and secure the network.
However, this initial incentive, even if innocuous at first, opens the door to greed and speculation. Cyprian describes how the “number go up” narrative has become a dominant mythos—many Bitcoin stakeholders are primarily motivated by market appreciation rather than the core philosophical purpose of removing intermediaries.