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A bitcoin education site


🫂 Welcome to Bitcoin Knows

Embarking on the journey to understand Bitcoin can be both exciting and transformative. This platform is designed to provide you with clear, essential insights into the world of Bitcoin, its significance, and its potential impact on our financial future.

🧠 Understanding Bitcoin

At its core, Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that introduces the concept of digital scarcity. Unlike traditional currencies, which can be printed at will, Bitcoin's supply is capped at 21 million, ensuring its rarity and value preservation. This scarcity is a fundamental shift in how we perceive and interact with money.

💡 Why Bitcoin Matters

In today's financial landscape, many individuals face challenges due to centralized monetary policies and inflation. Bitcoin offers an alternative—a system where you have full control over your assets without relying on intermediaries. It's more than just a currency; it's a movement towards financial sovereignty and inclusivity.

⚔️ Building Resilience

Bitcoin's design makes it antifragile, meaning it becomes stronger in the face of challenges. Its decentralized network is maintained by nodes—individuals like you running Bitcoin software—ensuring security and resilience. By participating, you contribute to a robust financial system that's resistant to centralized failures.

🚀 Join the Community

Whether you're a skeptic, a newcomer, or someone seeking deeper understanding, this resource is here to support your exploration. Dive into curated articles, engage with thought-provoking content, and discover how Bitcoin is redefining the concept of money in the digital age.

Unit 1: What problem does bitcoin solve? 

➡️ Bitcoin: The Escape from Monetary Manipulation

For centuries, inflation has been used as a hidden tax—an invisible force that erodes wealth without consent. It allows governments to fund war, ineffective programs, and unsustainable policies without direct taxation.

"By a continuing process of inflation, government can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens."
— John Maynard Keynes

"Inflation is taxation without legislation."
— Milton Friedman

As money loses its ability to store value, individuals become more dependent on the financial system. Wages stagnate, savings are drained, and economic instability follows. Inflation is not just an economic phenomenon—it is a tool of control.

"The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation."
— Vladimir Lenin

Bitcoin offers an alternative. With a fixed supply of 21 million coins, Bitcoin eliminates the possibility of monetary debasement. Its issuance is mathematically programmed, not dictated by political agendas or central banks.

"The fact that new coins are produced means the money supply increases by a planned amount, but this does not necessarily result in inflation. If the supply of money increases at the same rate that the number of people using it increases, prices remain stable."
— Satoshi Nakamoto

🤔 The Problems Bitcoin Solves

📉 1. Inflation & Currency Debasement

Governments devalue currency by printing more money, reducing individual purchasing power. Bitcoin restores scarcity to money—no one can arbitrarily increase its supply.

💸 2. Unchecked Government Spending

Fiat money allows governments to finance endless war, inefficiency, and debt accumulation. Bitcoin’s decentralized, hard money principles prevent manipulation for political gain.

👀 3. Financial Privacy & Sovereignty

Banks demand personal information and impose restrictions on how money is used. Bitcoin is permissionless and censorship-resistant, allowing individuals to transact freely without reliance on centralized intermediaries.

Bitcoin is not just another form of money—it is an exit from a broken system, a return to sound money principles, and a path to financial sovereignty.

✅ Fix the Money, Fix the World.

Recommended videos: 

Recommended articles: 

Recommended book:

Unit 2: Debunking bitcoin myths and misconceptions: 

Bitcoin disrupts the status quo, and with that comes fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD)—often spread by those who misunderstand it or stand to lose power. Let’s separate fact from fiction.

1️⃣ “Bitcoin Is Too Volatile to Be Money”

Truth: All new assets experience volatility as they establish market value. Bitcoin’s volatility is decreasing over time, while fiat silently loses purchasing power through inflation.

2️⃣ “Bitcoin Is Used for Crime & Ransomware”

Truth: Less than 1% of Bitcoin transactions are illicit—compared to trillions laundered through banks. Bitcoin’s transparent ledger makes it a terrible tool for criminals. Cash and offshore banking remain the preferred choice.

3️⃣ “Bitcoin Is Just for Gambling & Speculation”

Truth: Bitcoin is used globally for saving, remittances, and escaping oppressive regimes. Fiat is also used for speculation, but no one suggests banning the stock market or dollars.

4️⃣ “Bitcoin Is Bad for the Environment”

Truth: Bitcoin mining incentivizes renewable energy, capturing wasted power that would otherwise go unused. Traditional banking, gold mining, and military spending consume far more energy.

5️⃣ “Bitcoin Will Be Banned”

Truth: Bitcoin cannot be banned—only restricted. Countries that tried (China, Nigeria) only drove adoption underground. Just like encryption and the internet, Bitcoin is here to stay.

"It's hard to imagine the Internet getting segmented airtight. It would have to be a country deliberately and totally cutting itself off from the rest of the world."
Satoshi Nakamoto

6️⃣ “Bitcoin Is a Ponzi Scheme”

Truth: Bitcoin has no central authority, no promised returns, and no reliance on new investors. The real Ponzi scheme? Fiat currency, backed by endless debt and government manipulation.

7️⃣ “Bitcoin Has No Intrinsic Value”

Truth: Bitcoin’s value comes from scarcity, decentralization, and censorship resistance—just like gold. Meanwhile, fiat has no intrinsic value beyond government decree.

"Value is not intrinsic, it is not in things. It is within us; it is the way in which man reacts to the conditions of his environment."
Ludwig von Mises

8️⃣ “Quantum Computing Will Break Bitcoin”

Truth: Quantum computers are nowhere near breaking Bitcoin’s cryptography. Even if they advance, Bitcoin can be upgraded long before it becomes an issue.

9️⃣ “Government Control Over Money Makes Society Safer”

Truth: Government control over money has historically led to financial censorship, wealth confiscation, and economic manipulation.

Bitcoin ensures no government can arbitrarily freeze assets, debase money, or restrict financial participation. True safety comes from financial independence, not centralized control.

"Governments are good at cutting off the heads of centrally controlled networks like Napster, but pure P2P networks like Gnutella and Tor seem to be holding their own."
Satoshi Nakamoto

🔟 “I’m Too Late to Bitcoin”

Truth: You are not too late. Bitcoin adoption is still in its early stages—less than 2% of the world owns Bitcoin, and institutional adoption has barely begun.

The best time to buy Bitcoin was ten years ago. The second-best time is now.

1️⃣1️⃣ “Bitcoin Is Not Backed by Anything”

Truth: Bitcoin is backed by the most reliable economic forces—mathematics, decentralization, and energy. Unlike fiat, which is backed by government promises and military force, Bitcoin is secured by:

Fiat is “backed” by central banks, which can debase its value overnight. Gold is backed by physical properties and demand. Bitcoin is backed by mathematical certainty, network security, and trustless verification.

1️⃣2️⃣ “Bitcoin Can’t Scale (or Be Used for Payments)”

Truth: Bitcoin’s base layer is intentionally optimized for security and decentralization, not speed—but this does not mean it cannot scale.

Bitcoin is following the same proven model of technological scaling. The banking system settles transactions in batches, and Bitcoin does the same—but without the need for trusted third parties.

Scaling does not mean compromising security. Bitcoin scales in layers, just like every transformative technology before it.

1️⃣3️⃣ “Bitcoin Is Too Slow”

Truth: Bitcoin is slow by design—and that’s a good thing.

Bitcoin doesn’t need to be fast—it needs to be final.

By prioritizing security and decentralization, Bitcoin ensures it cannot be changed or corrupted, which is what gives it long-term value. Payments are handled by layered solutions (just like cash, credit cards, and wire transfers settle on different layers in traditional finance).

1️⃣4️⃣ “Bitcoin Competes With the Dollar (or Other National Currencies)”

Truth: Bitcoin doesn’t compete with national currencies—it competes with monetary debasement and financial control.

💡 Perspective: Bitcoin is a lifeline for those in collapsing monetary systems and a hedge for those in stable ones. It doesn’t have to replace the dollar to be valuable.

1️⃣5️⃣ “Bitcoin’s Fixed Supply Is a Flaw—It Needs Inflation to Work”

Truth: The idea that money must be inflationary is a Keynesian economic assumption—not a universal truth.

💡 Perspective: The economy doesn’t need inflation to grow—productivity and innovation drive real economic progress, not money printing.

1️⃣6️⃣ “Bitcoin Is Just Another Tech Fad”

Truth: Bitcoin is not a startup, an app, or a tech trend—it’s a fundamental rethinking of money.

💡 Perspective: If Bitcoin were just a fad, it wouldn’t still be here, stronger than ever, after 15 years of relentless attacks.

1️⃣7️⃣ “Bitcoin’s Code Can Be Changed to Increase the Supply”

Truth: Bitcoin’s 21 million cap is enforced by economic consensus, not just code.

💡 Perspective: Changing Bitcoin’s supply would destroy its entire purpose—no rational Bitcoin holder would ever support it.

1️⃣8️⃣ “Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) Will Replace Bitcoin”

Truth: CBDCs and Bitcoin are not competitors—they are opposites.

💡 Perspective: Governments will push CBDCs to maintain control, but people will adopt Bitcoin to preserve their financial sovereignty.

🛡️ Conclusion: Bitcoin Is Resilient

Bitcoin is not an experiment—it is a monetary revolution. It has survived attacks from governments, banks, media, and skeptics, yet it continues to grow. Why? Because it solves real problems.

Like the printing press, the internet, and encryption, Bitcoin cannot be uninvented. No matter how much opposition it faces, its decentralization ensures survival.

Bitcoin is not just about fixing money—it’s about securing financial freedom for future generations.

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."
Thomas Paine

Bitcoin represents personal sovereignty, protection against inflation, and an escape from a failing financial system. It is not perfect, but its continued survival proves its necessity.

Recommended articles: 

Unit 3: The allure of altcoins; why bitcoin stands alone:

Bitcoin is often grouped with thousands of cryptocurrencies, but this is a false comparison. Bitcoin is a one-time breakthrough in trustless value transfer, while most altcoins are speculative investments, scams, or centralized projects disguised as decentralized money.

“Bitcoin’s solution is to use a peer-to-peer network to check for double-spending. The network works like a distributed timestamp server, stamping the first transaction to spend a coin.”
Satoshi Nakamoto

Bitcoin solved digital scarcity and decentralized value transfer—something that had never been done before. Altcoins claim to improve Bitcoin on some metric (speed, block size, privacy, mining accessibility, etc.), but these trade-offs always come at the cost of decentralization, security, or censorship resistance.

“I don't believe a second, compatible implementation of Bitcoin will ever be a good idea. So much of the design depends on all nodes getting exactly identical results in lockstep that a second implementation would be a menace to the network.”
Satoshi Nakamoto

Altcoins sacrifice security for speed, decentralization for control, and immutability for governance. Thus far, no other project has been able to replicate Bitcoin’s trustless design, its global decentralization, and its permissionless final settlement layer.

🔍 Why Altcoins Fail as Money

1️⃣ There Are No Free Lunches – Everything Has Trade-Offs

Bitcoin prioritizes decentralization and security.
Altcoins optimize for speed, cost, or features at the expense of trustlessness.

💡 Example:

🔹 Bitcoin was engineered to be secure, decentralized, and permissionless—everything else is a compromise.

2️⃣ Most Altcoins Are Securities & Centralized Scams

Bitcoin was fairly launched with no pre-mine or insiders.
Most altcoins are pre-mined, enriching founders and early investors at the expense of retail buyers.

💡 Example:

🔹 If a project has a founder, marketing team, or insider allocation, it’s a security—not decentralized money.

3️⃣ Altcoins Ride Bitcoin’s Success & Collapse Without It

Bitcoin leads the market—altcoins are dragged along but eventually bleed against BTC.
Altcoins temporarily pump during speculative bubbles but collapse once the hype fades.

💡 Example:

🔹 Bitcoin is a long-term savings vehicle. Altcoins are short-term gambling schemes.

4️⃣ Bitcoin’s Network Effects Are Unmatched

Bitcoin has the strongest network, security, and adoption.
Altcoins struggle with liquidity, adoption, and decentralization.

💡 Example:

🔹 Bitcoin’s dominance is not accidental—it is the only digital asset designed to last.

 🚨 The “Cheap Coin” Illusion & Unit Bias

Newcomers often fall for unit bias—thinking owning 1,000 of a cheap coin is better than owning 0.01 BTC. This is a mental trap:

🚫 "Why buy 0.01 BTC when I can buy millions of Dogecoin?"
Answer: Because the number of units doesn’t matter—only the total market value and security of the network do.

Bitcoin is not expensive—altcoins are just worthless.

🛡️ Conclusion: There Is No Second Best

Many altcoins claim to be "the next Bitcoin", but Bitcoin is a one-time invention—like the internet itself.

“There is no second best.”
Michael Saylor

Most altcoins are vehicles for speculation and insider enrichment, not serious alternatives to Bitcoin.

💡 Ask yourself:

The answer, almost always, is that Bitcoin already does what’s needed.

🚀 Altcoins compete with each other. Bitcoin competes with central banks.Altcoins are distractions. Bitcoin is the revolution.

Recommended articles: 

Unit 4: bitcoin's origin story:  

Bitcoin did not appear out of nowhere. It was the culmination of decades of research and experimentation by cryptographers, mathematicians, and computer scientists—a movement known as the Cypherpunks.

For years, these pioneers had been trying to create trustless digital money, free from government control and centralized banks. The challenge was daunting: How do you create money that exists purely in digital form, yet cannot be copied, censored, or manipulated?

"Writing a description for this thing for general audiences is bloody hard. There's nothing to relate it to."
Satoshi Nakamoto

Bitcoin was the first and only solution that succeeded where all others failed.

🌍 The Cypherpunk Roots – A Fight for Privacy & Freedom

The Cypherpunk movement began in the 1990s, driven by a core belief: that privacy is essential for a free society. These pioneers saw how governments and corporations were moving toward mass surveillance, financial control, and digital authoritarianism.

"None are so hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free."
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

They worked on cryptographic tools like PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), anonymous remailers, and encrypted messaging, believing that strong encryption was the only way to protect individual freedoms in the digital age.

One of their biggest ambitions? A form of money that could exist outside government control.

💡 Early Attempts at Digital Money

Before Bitcoin, several attempts were made to create trustless, digital cash:

Each attempt had a fatal flaw—they either required trust in a central entity, or they lacked a way to prevent double-spending without a trusted third party.

"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
Isaac Newton

Satoshi Nakamoto built upon these ideas and introduced something new:

This was the missing piece—a truly trustless system that no one could control, change, or counterfeit.

⚡ The Genesis Block: Bitcoin Is Born

On January 3, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first Bitcoin block—the Genesis Block. Embedded inside was a message:

“The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks”

It was a clear statement—Bitcoin was created in response to the failures of the financial system.

Unlike fiat currency, which is printed at will, Bitcoin was designed to be scarce, verifiable, and resistant to political manipulation.

🕵️ Who Was Satoshi Nakamoto?

To this day, Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity remains unknown. He, she, or they disappeared in 2011, handing over Bitcoin’s development to the open-source community.

"To be left alone is the most precious thing one can ask of the modern world."
Anthony Burgess

Some believe Satoshi was an individual genius; others think it was a group of cryptographers. What matters is that Bitcoin was released without a central leader, company, or foundation—ensuring it remains truly decentralized.

"I don't know why people are so keen to put the details of their private life in public; they forget that invisibility is a superpower."
Banksy

Satoshi’s final act of brilliance was disappearing—leaving Bitcoin to the world, without a figurehead to control or corrupt it.

🛡️ Conclusion: A One-Time Discovery

Bitcoin wasn’t just another tech innovation—it was a monetary revolution decades in the making. It solved the hardest problem in digital trust and created the first truly scarce digital asset.

Unlike fiat money, which is printed recklessly…
Unlike altcoins, which are centralized experiments…
Unlike failed digital cash attempts before it…

Bitcoin is the only digital money that cannot be controlled.

Recommended videos: 

Recommended articles: 

For a more technical overview of bitcoin's origins and the problems it has solved in computer science, please visit: The Satoshi Nakamoto Institute

For more technical overview of bitcoin's inner-workings: Understanding the Technical Side of Bitcoin by Pierre Rochard 

Another beautifully written article by Der Gigi on the origins of bitcoin can be found here: Magic Internet Money 

Unit 5: How do I get started? 

Entering the world of Bitcoin can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Getting "off zero" is the most important step—you don’t need to know everything right away.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Lao Tzu

Bitcoin is about personal responsibility, and the key to protecting your wealth is self-custody—holding your own private keys. The goal is to use Bitcoin as savings and secure it properly so that no third party can take it from you.

"It might make sense just to get some in case it catches on. If enough people think the same way, that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."
Satoshi Nakamoto

This guide simplifies the process so you can start safely.

🔑 Step 1: Download a Bitcoin Wallet & Secure Your Private Key

1️⃣ Download a Bitcoin Wallet

2️⃣ Understand the Difference: Private Key vs. Public Key
Your private key (or seed phrase) is NOT your public key (or address).

🚨 Think of it like email:

3️⃣ Secure Your Private Key
DO

🚫 DO NOT

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
Confucius

Your private key = your Bitcoin. If you lose it, you lose access. If someone else gets it, they can steal your Bitcoin with no way to recover it.

“Blocks contain a history of the bitcoin addresses that a coin has been transferred to.”
Satoshi Nakamoto

Bitcoin transactions are etched into an immutable, public ledger, verifying ownership without needing a trusted third party.

💰 Step 2: Buy Bitcoin & Start Saving (DCA Strategy)

Best exchanges for beginners:
Strike & Cash App (simple and beginner-friendly)
River (trusted Bitcoin-only exchange)

💡 KYC vs. Non-KYC Bitcoin

🔄 Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA)
Instead of trying to time the market, simply buy Bitcoin regularly (weekly or monthly) and hold. This reduces stress and removes emotion from investing.

🔹 Bitcoin is savings, not a trade. Stack sats & hold long term.

“New transactions are broadcast to all nodes.”
Satoshi Nakamoto

Every Bitcoin transaction is verified by a decentralized network, ensuring no single entity can alter or block your transaction.

🛡️ Step 3: Take Custody – “Not Your Keys, Not Your Coins”

⚠️ Leaving Bitcoin on an exchange is dangerous.

Move your Bitcoin to your own wallet as soon as possible.

Bitcoin was invented so you could "be your own bank." Trusting an intermediary is the fastest way to lose it.

"The advantage of letting Bitcoin download and verify the blocks is that you do not have to trust the person you're downloading them from."
Satoshi Nakamoto

By running your own Bitcoin wallet (or even a Bitcoin node), you ensure your transactions are verified independently, removing the need to trust any institution.

💡 Try a Test Transaction for Confidence
Before moving a large amount of Bitcoin from an exchange to your wallet, first send a small amount (e.g., $5 worth). This helps:

🚫 Best Practice: Copy/Paste Bitcoin Addresses

🔒 Step 4: Upgrade to a Hardware Wallet (Cold Storage)

Once you’ve accumulated a meaningful amount, secure it with a hardware wallet.

Why?

🔹 Recommended Bitcoin-only hardware wallets:

💡 Best practices:

Bitcoin security is a lifelong practice—take it seriously.

🌍 Step 5: Run a Bitcoin Node – Verify, Don’t Trust

To achieve true financial sovereignty, consider running your own Bitcoin node. A node allows you to:
Verify transactions independently—you don’t have to trust third parties.
Improve privacy by broadcasting your transactions yourself.
Enforce Bitcoin’s rules—ensuring you are using real Bitcoin, not a forked or manipulated version.

🔹 Recommended software for running a node:

💡 How to run a node:

"Once a transaction is hashed into a link that's a few links back in the chain, it is firmly etched into the global history."
Satoshi Nakamoto

Running a node ensures you’re verifying Bitcoin transactions yourselfnot relying on anyone else to tell you what Bitcoin is.

🛡️ Conclusion: Take the First Step, Keep It Simple

Bitcoin is about personal sovereignty and financial freedom. Getting started is easier than you think—just take the first step.

“The enemy of good is perfect.”

Bitcoin doesn’t require perfection. Just start, secure your keys, and learn as you go.

“Once a transaction is hashed into a link that's a few links back in the chain, it is firmly etched into the global history.”
Satoshi Nakamoto

Every Bitcoin transaction is permanently recorded, ensuring a provable, immutable financial history that no government or bank can erase.

Recommended videos: 

Recommended wallets: 

Recommended exchanges

Unit 6: Other resources for a deeper dive: 

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.

“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.” - Alice in Wonderland

I recommend the following video series with Michael Saylor from the "What is Money?" Show by Robert Breedlove:

Websites: 

Podcasts:

Youtube Channels: 

Courses:

Books:

Interesting site with books recommended by well-known bitcoiners: Bitcoiner Books 

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