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Re:Ask HN: Why crypto is rising so fast when its not creatin... by generalizations on Saturday November 06, 2021 @10:25PM (#29135963)
If someone was willing to pay for it, it had value to them. That's value.
Re:Ask HN: Why crypto is rising so fast when its not creatin... by philosopher1234 on Saturday November 06, 2021 @10:29PM (#29135987)
If I want to murder people does murdering people have value?
Re:Ask HN: Why crypto is rising so fast when its not creatin... by lifekaizen on Saturday November 06, 2021 @11:09PM (#29136212)
The net value to society is likely negative since the impact on the target is large, and a society that allowed such things may see time horizons constrict.

You raise some good points, though. I personally am probably coming with an unspoken understanding that 'given that something fits into a legal and moral structure, and we accept a certain definition of using something by choice as value' then paying more for that thing implies more value. Facebook is probably a good example of something in the grey area, connecting people has value, but generating demand is questionable, spreading misinformation is likely a large net negative.

Re:Ask HN: Why crypto is rising so fast when its not creatin... by philosopher1234 on Saturday November 06, 2021 @11:51PM (#29136405)
Monetary value reflects demand, but demand does not always reflect utility or goodness. There is a demand for atrocity.

The construction “NFTs are highly priced, thus they are desired, thus they are good” is full of holes. If I have a phobia of spiders, and a corresponding desire to eradicate them, does it follow that eradicating spiders is good? If I got my wish, I and the rest of the world would be worse off for it, but my desire exists none the less.

Re:Ask HN: Why crypto is rising so fast when its not creatin... by medvezhenok on Saturday November 06, 2021 @10:43PM (#29136074)
It can definitely have value. That's why bounties exist (or imagine a market for someone to assassinate Hitler).

I think there's a conflation of value and value in a particular moral dimension here.

Re:Ask HN: Why crypto is rising so fast when its not creatin... by philosopher1234 on Saturday November 06, 2021 @10:45PM (#29136079)
If the original comment was saying “crypto has value because people are willing to pay for it” that is tautological. There is a conflation, but it’s a motte and Bailey.