We might continue
An essential feature of the dialogue group is that it is able to reveal assumptions. These assumptions are actually making us ill. And in that sense, it is therapy to reveal them. The content here, then, is more in that direction and eventually moving toward being free of those assumptions, and exploring something new beyond the assumptions. The point is not to establish a fixed dialogue group forever, but rather one that lasts long enough to make a change. If you keep holding it for too long, it may become caught up in habits again. But you have to keep it up for awhile, or else it won’t work.
So isn't the really question here, in another form, whether or not Satoshi is an Alchemist? Or whether or not they have turned something that is not gold into gold? And that this is not so true unless there is some limited block size that means bitcoin wouldn't be the highly transactable good some expect it to be. Interesting this "religion" or "myth" about what we call "alchemy" that certain peoples might be so knowledgeable they could do such an impossible task. Much like the solution to the byzantine generals problem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy“The word alchemy was borrowed from Old French alquemie, alkimie, taken from Medieval Latin alchymia, and which is in turn borrowed from Arabic al-kīmiyā’ (الكيمياء) ‘philosopher’s stone’. The Arabic word is borrowed from Late Greek chēmeía (χημεία), chēmía (χημία)[25] ‘black magic’ with the agglutination of the Arabic definite article al- (الـ).[26] This ancient Greek word was derived from[27] the early Greek name for Egypt, Chēmia (Xημία), based on the Egyptian name for Egypt, kēme (hieroglyphic khmi, lit. ‘black earth’, as opposed to red desert sand).[26]”
“Technology – The dawn of Western alchemy is sometimes associated with that of metallurgy, extending back to 3500 BCE.[33] Many writings were lost when the emperor Diocletian ordered the burning of alchemical books[34] after suppressing a revolt in Alexandria (292 CE). Few original Egyptian documents on alchemy have survived, most notable among them the Stockholm papyrus and the Leyden papyrus X. Dating from 300 to 500 CE, they contained recipes for dyeing and making artificial gemstones, cleaning and fabricating pearls, and manufacturing of imitation gold and silver.[35] These writings lack the mystical, philosophical elements of alchemy, but do contain the works of Bolus of Mendes (or Pseudo-Democritus) which aligned these recipes with theoretical knowledge of astrology and the Classical elements.[36] Between the time of Bolus and Zosimos, the change took place that transformed this metallurgy into a Hermetic art.[37]”
And this is interesting I think in relation to what is called the philosophers stone, "sometimes believed to be an elixir of life", in relation to what the ramifications might be of a single global currency standard (if the community came to a consensus that bitcoin should be a "gold").
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher%27s_stone“The philosophers’ stone or stone of the philosophers (Latin: lapis philosophorum) is a legendary alchemical substance said to be capable of turning base metals such as lead into gold (chrysopoeia, from the Greek χρυσός khrusos, “gold,” and πoιεῖν poiēin, “to make”) or silver. It was also sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality; for many centuries, it was the most sought-after goal in alchemy. The philosophers’ stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection at its finest, enlightenment, and heavenly bliss. Efforts to discover the philosophers’ stone were known as the Magnum Opus (“Great Work”).[1]”
“Mention of the philosophers’ stone in writing can be found as far back as Cheirokmeta by Zosimos of Panopolis (c. 300 AD).[2] Alchemical writers assign a longer history. Elias Ashmole and the anonymous author of Gloria Mundi (1620) claim that its history goes back to Adam who acquired the knowledge of the stone directly from God. This knowledge was said to be passed down through biblical patriarchs, giving them their longevity. The legend of the stone was also compared to the biblical history of the Temple of Solomon and the rejected cornerstone described in Psalm 118.[3]”
Many religions seem to have this lore:
The equivalent of the philosophers’ stone in Buddhism and Hinduism is the Cintamani.[13]
I do have an interesting insight into the squaring of the circle as well, but I should save it for a later post, and reference it here:
“”Squaring the circle”: an alchemical symbol (17th century) of the creation of the philosopher’s stone”
Gold can actually be synthesized (interesting word "syn-thesis), apparently it is costly (for now):
“As a heavy element, the cosmogenic origin of gold must be in extremely energetic nuclear reactions, which occur only in high-mass stars. It has been proposed that most of heavy elements like gold are produced in neutron star collisions.[11] Thus, all gold on Earth was accreted on Earth during the formation of the Earth and the solar system, and no new gold is being created.
Very small amounts of gold can be created artificially with particle accelerators or nuclear reactors, see Gold in synthesis. However, these methods produce radioactive isotopes and are extremely costly, requiring rare precursor isotopes and expensive product separation and purification. Thus, synthesis of gold by nuclear reaction does not appear commercially viable.”
Particle accelerators have sparked another insight, in relation to our mastery of circles/squares (specifically Pi) and in relation to building the pyramids:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher%27s_stoneSynthesis from other elements
Gold was synthesized from mercury by neutron bombardment in 1941, but the isotopes of gold produced were all radioactive.[98] In 1924, a Japanese physicist, Hantaro Nagaoka, accomplished the same feat.[99]
Gold can currently be manufactured in a nuclear reactor by irradiation either of platinum or mercury. Only the mercury isotope 196Hg, which occurs with a frequency of 0.15% in natural mercury, can be converted to gold by neutron capture, and following electron capture-decay into 197Au with slow neutrons. Other mercury isotopes are converted when irradiated with slow neutrons into one another, or formed mercury isotopes which beta decay into thallium.
Using fast neutrons, the mercury isotope 198Hg, which composes 9.97% of natural mercury, can be converted by splitting off a neutron and becoming 197Hg, which then disintegrates to stable gold. This reaction, however, possesses a smaller activation cross-section and is feasible only with un-moderated reactors. It is also possible to eject several neutrons with very high energy into the other mercury isotopes in order to form 197Hg. However such high-energy neutrons can be produced only by particle accelerators.[clarification needed]