The blockchain: it is the smart, distributed ledger that allows any participant to come to consensus on the state of information without requiring an intermediary. It’s been called “consensus computers” & “trust machines”. They come in many forms (Bitcoin, Ethereum & private ones). Whatever platform succeeds (one or many) will leave society with a vast, distributed, public computer. It’s memory will be our shared, unchangeable historical record, and its power will allow us to forge new relationships with each other and with our technology.
This book extends onwards from the previous book I was writing about the blockchain (which can be found in the “old” folder, still available to read). The narrative has changed into a much grander vision.
The themes are subject to change, but will currently cover the following:
Blockchains & The Rise of The Automation of Truth (intro & context)
The Agents. Automating Programs & Empowering them.
Automating Organisations: Infinite Scarcity
Automating Markets: Predictions, Graphs & Abundance
Automating Law: Arbitration & Lex Cryptographia
Automating Reality: Transcension at the edge of black holes.
Conclusion: The Empathy Machines
I'm writing this in the open, following the lean publishing manifesto. Any contributions are welcome. I won't promise that they will be included, but I will consider all changes! All contributors will (at least) get an honourable mention.
This book is written under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International. You are free to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon it (as long as you credit). You are not allowed to do this for commercial purposes.
"The adjacent possible is a kind of shadow future, hovering on the edges of the present state of things, a map of all the ways in which the present can reinvent itself." - Steven Johnson.
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