This week’s guest is Paul Vigna.

Paul Vigna is an author and former reporter for The Wall Street Journal, and has been a journalist for more than 30 years, as a reporter, editor, and photographer. He currently writes the Substack newsletter PofV and posts on TikTok under his name. Vigna covered the equity markets and economics for the journal across its blogs, podcasts, and live video programs. In 2013 he began writing about bitcoin, pioneered coverage of bitcoin and the cryptocurrency sector. In 2015, he co-wrote "The Age of Cryptocurrency" with Michael J. Casey and published by St. Martin's Press, the first book about bitcoin from a Big Five publisher. They followed that up with "The Truth Machine" in 2018. He also covered arts and entertainment while at the Journal, and in 2017 published "Guts: The Anatomy of The Walking Dead," with Dey Street Books. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News, and MIT Technology Review. He has spoken at South By Southwest and Comic Con New York, as well as many other conferences. He starred in the 2016 documentary "Banking on Bitcoin." Vigna is a native of New Jersey and a 1990 graduate of Fairfield University in Connecticut.

His newest book is The Almightier: How Money Became God, Greed Became Virtue, and Debt Became Sin.

In this conversation we dive into the intricate relationship between money, morality, and society. We explore the historical evolution of wealth, the moral implications of capitalism, and the cultural narratives that shape our understanding of money today. From the Renaissance to modern America, this conversation challenges conventional wisdom and invites you to rethink the role of money in our lives.

Our sponsor is The Brueggeman Center for Dialogue at Xavier University, here in Cincinnati, which is dedicated to deepening understanding across faiths and promoting systemic change.

Avenue M is produced by Bespoken Live with music by Zach Swelber, who plays in Circle It and Mosant.