The Blockchain Socialist

OTNS: Maximum Freedom in Complex Social Organizations

Apr 2, 2023

01:11:33

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Introduction

3min

The Importance of Human Governance in Blockchain

3min

The Differences Between Formal and Informal Institutions

3min

The Importance of Community Driven Governance

5min

The Role of Network States in Public Governance

2min

The Problem With Network State Governance in the 21st Century

3min

The Importance of Risk Diversification in Modern Society

3min

The Trade-Off Between Personal and Impersonal Relationships

3min

The Impersonality of the Network State

4min

10.

The Dangers of Creating an Impersonal Real

3min

11.

The Limits of a Private Network State

5min

12.

The Impersonal Institutional Fix for Minorities

4min

13.

The Trade-Offs of Crypto Leftists

2min

14.

The Complexity of the State

6min

15.

The Importance of Layered Digital Interaction

3min

16.

The Importance of Contract Law

3min

17.

The Importance of Interdependency in the Future of Freedom

4min

18.

The Ontological Distinction Between the Network State and the Coordination Mechanism

5min

19.

The Inevitability of Conflict

5min

20.

The Role of Language in National Identity

3min

For this episode of OTNS, Primavera and I spoke to Eric Alston (@IncompleteRules), a researcher at Block Science and Scholar-in-Residence at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder, focused on the study of institutions, namely property, constitutions and blockchains. During the interview we spoke about formal vs inform institutions, organizational complexity, and the issues of maximum freedom.

Overthrowing the Network State (OTNS) is a series in collaboration with Blockchaingov where we critique The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan while also pulling out the salvageable parts and concepts in discussion with a variety of guests. We are overall critical of Balaji’s specific ideas in the book, but we want to discuss it with intellectual honesty and highlight the larger concepts around how these technologies are and could subvert state structures. You can find the first episode of OTNS where we give our initial criticisms and alternatives here.

Blockchaingov is a 5-year long, transdisciplinary research effort aimed at restoring trust in institutions at the community and global levels, by promoting better on chain and off chain distributed governance practices. Throughout the series, each discussion will include me and a member of Blockchaingov with either a new guest each episode or just a discussion between us to tackle various topics from the book.

If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you find content like this important consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. It takes quite a lot of my time and resources so any amount helps. Follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist) Mastodon (@theblockchainsocialist@social.coop) or Lens and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit and Discord to join the discussion.

Send me your questions or comments about the show and I'll read them out sometime.

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ICYMI I've written a book about, no surprise, blockchains through a left political framework! The title is Blockchain Radicals: How Capitalism Ruined Crypto and How to Fix It and is being published through Repeater Books, the publishing house started by Mark Fisher who’s work influenced me a lot in my thinking.

The book is officially published and you use this linktree to find where you can purchase the book based on your region / country.