Presentation by Economist William Luther To Ask “Will Bitcoin Survive?”

April 23, 2014 – Economist William Luther will present a talk on the past, present and future of bitcoin at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29 in Quigley Hall auditorium at Allegheny College. The talk — titled “Will Bitcoin Survive?” — is open to the public.

Four years ago, the cryptocurrency bitcoin was little more than a curiosity among techno-utopians, anarcho-capitalists and monetary economists. Today it is commonly the subject of mainstream media reports. What is bitcoin? Why do people accept it? And will bitcoin survive? Luther will consider the prospects of the most widely accepted cryptocurrency to date–and the digital alternatives it has spawned.

William Luther teaches in the Department of Economics at Kenyon College. He holds a B.A. from Capital University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from George Mason University. He has been a fellow with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and the American Institute for Economic Research. He is primarily interested in questions of currency acceptance and the role governments play in determining commonly accepted media of exchange.