Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Encryption When Max Weber wrote his book "Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism" in 1905, he attempted to understand why capitalism emerged in specific regions and environments. If he were still alive today, he might be fascinated by cryptocurrency. Not because of the crazy price increase, but also because of the striking similarities between the two, it cannot be just a coincidence. 1. Kill the middleman The core innovation of Protestantism is not theological - it is structural. It removed the middleman. You no longer need a priest to converse with God. You can read the Bible by yourself. Cryptocurrencies have done the same for money. You don't need a bank to store value or send payments. You can become your own bank. The private key is your direct connection to the network, just like personal prayer is a direct connection between Protestants and God. This is not just about efficiency. This is about power. When intermediaries are removed, fundamentally, it changes the power structure. 2. Take responsibility for oneself The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. Protestants must find their own path to redemption. That's why Calvinists have developed such strict moral principles - when you're alone, you need rules. Cryptocurrency users face the same responsibility towards themselves. The private key is your money, losing the private key means losing your own assets. No customer service. No password reset. This level of responsibility changes behavior. It makes people more cautious, more paranoid, but also more powerful. 3. The best way to practice faith is to create wealth Protestants not only love creating wealth through work - they sanctify it: work is the spiritual life itself, and commercial success becomes a sign of God's grace. Hodlers of cryptocurrencies, such as many holders of Bitcoin and Ethereum, do not just buy and hold; They spread consensus, participate in construction, and constantly learn. They write code, run nodes, and constantly improve. Like Protestants, they see financial success as a validation of their faith. 4. HODL mentality The Protestant ethics emphasize savings rather than consumption. Accumulate capital, engage in productive reinvestment, and avoid extravagance. This is not stingy - it's about building something beyond oneself: a city on a mountain top. The 'HODL' culture of cryptocurrency follows a similar logic. Don't sell, don't panic. Think in terms of ten years, not days. This meme, born from spelling errors, has become a philosophy: true believers can delay gratification and even avoid monetization. 5. The Chosen Few Calvinists believe in predestination - God has chosen who will be saved, so you cannot strive for redemption, but worldly success may be a sign that you already possess it. Cryptocurrencies have their own versions. Early adopters didn't just think they were smart; They believe they have 'understood' the future in a way that others do not have. This is not entirely predestination theory, but it is the same self reinforcing belief system. 6. Code is law Protestants have replaced the arbitrary authority of the church with the systematic authority of the Bible. Everything must be rational, documented, and verifiable. Cryptocurrencies have replaced the arbitrary authority of governments and banks with the systematic authority of mathematics. Smart contracts execute entirely according to the way they are written. Blockchain doesn't care about your intentions, just like Protestant doctrine doesn't care about your excuses. 7. Gradual change, slowly then suddenly Both movements combine the goal of change with a progressive approach. Protestants did not attack the Vatican; They established parallel institutions. They created their own churches, schools, and ultimately the entire society. Cryptocurrencies are doing the same thing. It is not directly attacking banks, but rather establishing a parallel financial system. Decentralized finance is not an attempt to reform traditional finance, but to depart from it. 8. Collective consensus The Protestant Church is an autonomous community, without the Pope specifically telling you how to do it. Decisions are made collectively based on a common interpretation of the Bible. Blockchain governance operates in the same way, without a CEO, decisions are made through consensus mechanisms, and going on chain becomes a protocol. 9. Everything is just beginning The Protestant Reformation took centuries to manifest its impact, but it fundamentally changed the world. It not only created a new church; It has created a new population. The 'Protestant work ethics' are so deeply ingrained in contemporary capitalist culture that we take them for granted. Cryptocurrencies are doing the same thing. Not just creating new currency, but new demographics. People who think about trust, value, and responsibility in different ways. The interesting question is not whether cryptocurrency will succeed - but what kind of society it will create if it succeeds. If this parallel relationship holds, what we see is not just a financial revolution. What we see is the reform of human organizational methods. Just like the Protestant Reformation, it began with a small group of true believers who were considered crazy by others. From 'In God We Trust' to 'In Code We Trust' - the objects of trust are becoming increasingly abstract, but the power is becoming more concrete.