Why Max Weber matters DUNCAN KELLY Peter Ghosh MAX WEBER AND “THE PROTESTANT ETHIC” Twin histories 424pp. Oxford University Press. £30 (US $49.95). 978 0 19 870252 8 Published: 11 February 2015 Max Weber, c.1900Photograph:AKG We hope you enjoy this free piece from the TLS, which is available every…

“Any error may vitiate the entire output of the device. For the recognition and correction of such malfunctions intelligent human intervention will in general be necessary.” — John von Neumann, First

On the flat lava plain of Reykjanesbaer, Iceland, near the Arctic Circle, you can find the mines of Bitcoin. To get there, you pass through a fortified gate and enter a featureless yellow building. After checking in with a guard behind bulletproof glass, you face four more security checkpoints,…