Network Histories Talk
Talk/lecture provided by Sterlin:
Network Histories: Past, Praxis, and Future of Parallel Governance
Problem:
I will speak about the history and emergence of the nation-state and government after the agricultural revolution, elaborating on how it developed and grew into Westphalian states. Will further unpack the social and philosophical nature of what nation states are. We will examine these issues in particular through the work of historian James C. Scott.
Praxis and Solutions:
I will delve into some of the first ideas about parallel governance, including Paul Emile De Puydt's "Panarchy" idea. I will describe "technological/crypto panarchy" as the earliest vision of network states through the lens of the cypherpunks in the 1990s...finally climaxing in Balaji's fleshed-out network state vision.
We will explore the praxis of how competitive network states help align incentives, unbundle governance services, modify human psychology, and improve our condition, mitigating species-wide corruption and violence.
The talk will last about an hour, with a Q&A and open discussion at the end.
To preemptively learn more about this subject matter, review one of my recent articles in advance:
https://sterlinlujan.substack.com/p/network-states-a-renegade-history
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"We are coming to the point: Nothing lasts if it is not based on liberty. Nothing that already exists can maintain itself or operate with full efficiency without the free interplay of all its active parts. Otherwise energy is wasted, parts wear out rapidly, and there are, in fact, breakdowns and serious accidents.
Thus I demand, for each and every member of human society, freedom of association according to inclination and of activity according to aptitude. In other words, the absolute right to choose the political surroundings in which to live, and to ask for nothing else."
-Paul Emile De Puydt
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Sterlin bio:
Sterlin has worked in cryptocurrency and blockchain for 10 years as a communication professional. Has worked in the network state space at Logos.co for 1 year. Author of the book, "Dignity & Decency: Rhapsodic Musings of a Modern Anarchist."
Past presentations:
A Return to Cypherpunk Values, Monerokon, Prague
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm978gqLUGA
The Evolution of Money, Sofia, Bulgaria:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBsGUjVliXE&t=30s