Peter R no offense please, but I think this post is illogical, but I can't articulate until after I get some sleep.
I will make what I consider to be pessimistic assumptions: (1) No growth in GDP globally, ever. (2) 5% chance of bitcoin evolving to replace fiat currency and gold. (3) 20 year horizon for the replacement. (4) 8% discounting rate, 5.5% USD inflation. In that case there is a 5% chance that the net present value of a bitcoin spent 20 years from today is some number north of 500k. On those assumptions, a fair present price for a single bitcoin would be at least 25k. Bitcoin appears to be undervalued by a factor on ther order of 100x.
Since bitcoin is undervalued (for the reasons you point out), its price and user-base will continue to grow. The probability that it succeeds
increases with a growing user-base (all other variables held constant) such that your net present-value calculation remains greater than its present trading value. The dynamics of bitcoin growth represent an unstable feedback system with only two equilibrium points: becoming the dominant global currency, becoming nothing at all.
The only way I can imagine the bitcoin network would stop growing (over the long term) would be for it to become no longer useful. It would be no longer useful if secp256k1/sha256 was quickly broken, if the network was constantly under relentless 51% and Sybil attacks, if efficient and coordinated government action made it extremely onerous to use, or if a much better idea came around.
i also think you can wait quite a long time before the entire monetary system collapses and get replaced by anything. banksters and politics just wont let that happen. And if it happens, i'd be far less worry about BTC because of the chaos and madness it should generate.
I disagree.
I think we could transition from fiat to bitcoin reasonably peacefully and quickly. The important thing is that bitcoin can still facilitate the global trade required to provide a constant flow of goods and energy into the major cities (unlike a sudden transition to a gold standard). As long as global trade doesn't quickly break down, reasonable social order will be maintained.
Most people will benefit from the "collapse" and will work to make it happen.
1. The Average Joe will
win. He will be jealous of his friend who had the foresight to purchase coins at $10,000 / BTC, but he will see that a transition to bitcoin represents a jubilee for his unmanageable debt load.
2. The already rich will
win. They will retain ownership of the productive capital they already control. The will also read the writing on the wall before average Joe and possibly amplify their financial assets too.
3. The already politically-powerful will
win. Why fight to destroy bitcoin when you can stealthily work to make it grow and increase your independent power and wealth?
4. Established institutions like the IRS, Fed, NSA, IMF will
lose. However, many of the talented individuals currently working in such institutions will
win by hastening their demise and exploiting their insider knowledge.
5. People reliant on government entitlement spending for lavish pensions will
lose, but hopefully their kids were bitcoiners!
A few billionaires will be demoted to 100 millionaires, and a few (some from the forum no doubt) will take their place. But otherwise, the social mobility will be a lot less than what people imagine.
It's only money after all.