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119. Networked Cities, Culture, and Democracy with Jonathan Hillis

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Oct 3, 2024

Guest

Jonathan Hillis

David talks with Jonathan Hillis, founder of Cabin, a collaborative space for creators and former Director of Product at Instacart. They delve into five principles that can strengthen communities and explore the evolving dynamics of centralization and decentralization in urban settings. Jonathan highlights the advantages of smaller neighborhoods and discusses how technology, particularly blockchain, can enhance community interactions. They also address the potential for Decentralized Autonomous Organizations to innovate governance and improve democracy.

39:08

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INSIGHT

Culture as an Emergent Process

Culture at Cabin isn't dictated top-down, but emerges from observed behaviors.
These "obvious truths" are iteratively refined and act as a signal to attract like-minded individuals.

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ANECDOTE

Cycles of Centralization

Western civilization demonstrates cycles of decentralized cities centralizing into states.
This has repeated across eras, driven by technological advancements.

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ADVICE

Scaling Out, Not Up

To prevent breakdown as organizations scale, scale out instead of up.
Keep the atomic unit small, like Cabin's neighborhood under Dunbar's number (150).

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Envisioning Networked Villages

03:08 • 12min

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The Evolution of Cities: Centralization vs. Decentralization

14:58 • 6min

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The Intersection of Community Models and Digital Technology

20:39 • 2min

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Revolutionizing Governance: The Role of DAOs and Blockchain

22:25 • 17min

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The Dawn of Everything

A New History of Humanity

David Wengrow

David Graeber

This book offers a dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging fundamental assumptions about social evolution, the development of agriculture, cities, the state, democracy, and inequality. Graeber and Wengrow argue that traditional theories of human history, such as those posited by Hobbes and Rousseau, are not supported by anthropological or archaeological evidence. Instead, they show that humans have lived in large, complex, but decentralized societies for millennia, often without ruling elites or hierarchical systems. The authors draw on extensive research in archaeology and anthropology to reveal a history that is more varied and hopeful than previously assumed, emphasizing human experimentation with different social arrangements and the potential for new forms of freedom and societal organization.

The End of History and the Last Man

Francis Fukuyama

In this book, Francis Fukuyama posits that human history is moving towards a state of idealized harmony through the mechanisms of liberal democracy. He argues that liberal democracy is the final form of human government, driven by two powerful forces: the logic of modern science and the struggle for recognition. Fukuyama draws on the philosophical ideas of Hegel and Kojeve, suggesting that liberal democracy meets the economic and psychological needs of humanity, including the desire for recognition and dignity. The book explores the implications of this thesis, including the potential paradox that the satisfaction of basic needs might lead to a lack of outlets for human striving and recognition[2][3][5].

David speaks with Jonathan Hillis, founder of Cabin, a place for creators to gather together to work on exciting projects 'IRL'. Prior to founding Cabin, he was Director of Product, Shoppers, and Marketplace at Instacart, where, during the pandemic, he grew their workforce of shoppers fivefold.

They talked about:

🏡 Five principles for stronger communities

🏙️ How cities have centralised and decentralised

❤️ Why smaller neighbourhoods are better

💻 The need for technology in communities

⚖️ The power of decentralisation

🧠 The importance of diverse governance

🌍 Can we make democracy better?

This is just one part of a longer conversation, and it's the second part. You can listen to the earlier episode here:

Part 1: 🎙️ Innovation, Technology, and Human Connection with Jonathan Hillis (Episode 116)

A brief history of decentralised cities and centralised states | https://jon.mirror.xyz/

Dunbar's number | https://www.newscientist.com/definition/dunbars-number/

Kibbutz | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibbutz

Blockchain | https://theknowledge.io/what-is-cryptocurrency/

Decentralised Autonomous Organization (DAO) | https://www.investopedia.com/tech/what-dao/

Liron Shapira | https://theknowledge.io/lironshapira/

Hollow Abstraction | https://x.com/liron/status/1562589538848874498

Peace of Westphalia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Westphalia

French Revolution | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution

Thomas Hobbes | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hobbes

Jean-Jacques Rousseau | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Rousseau

David Graeber | https://davidgraeber.org/

Francis Fukuyama | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Fukuyama

The End of History and the Last Man | https://amzn.to/4eq9wX7

Yamabushi Mountain Monks | https://theknowledge.io/issue34/

The Dawn of Everything | https://amzn.to/4ePxgUj

Çatalhöyük | https://www.catalhoyuk.com/

Uruk | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruk

Haudenosaunee | https://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/who-we-are/

Nebelivka | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebelivka

Garrett Jones | https://theknowledge.io/garettjones/

👤 Connect with Jonathan:

Twitter: https://x.com/JonathanHillis

Website: https://jonhillis.com/

Cabin: https://www.cabin.city/

👨🏾‍💻 About David Elikwu:

David Elikwu FRSA is a serial entrepreneur, strategist, and writer. David is the founder of The Knowledge, a platform helping people think deeper and work smarter.

🐣 Twitter: @Delikwu / @itstheknowledge

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Decision Hacker will help you hack your default patterns and become an intentional architect of your life. You’ll learn everything you need to transform your decisions, your habits, and your outcomes.

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119. Networked Cities, Culture, and Democracy with Jonathan Hillis

Culture as an Emergent Process

Cycles of Centralization

Scaling Out, Not Up

📜 Full transcript:

📹 Watch on Youtube:

🗣 Mentioned in the show:

👤 Connect with Jonathan: