In this unit, direct discussion of Bitcoin is minimal. Saylor and Breedlove focus on laying the historical and intellectual foundation for our understanding of energy, anthropology, and technology, specifically how they provide a lens through which we can interpret human history. Bitcoin did not spring up out of nowhere; it's the natural result of a long series of developments, a capstone innovation to and an inheritor of centuries of human ingenuity employed in the efficient capturing and wielding of energy. All these elements converge and reach an apotheosis in Bitcoin. Be ready and willing to think abstractly about these themes and how they impact the very basics of our survival.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.