“In order for the concept of “network states” to become viable, it is necessary to resolve two main issues – governance and membership. This was stated by Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum. During a speech at the Network State Conference 2024 in Singapore, he recalled that the “network state” involves the merging of online communities into physical ones with the goal of political autonomy. It is assumed that such socio-political organizations act as a potential successor to libertarianism, which combines individualism with the values of the participants. Buterin repeatedly mentioned […]”, — write: businessua.com.ua
In order for the concept of “network states” to become viable, it is necessary to resolve two main issues – governance and membership. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik stated this Buterin.
During a speech at the Network State Conference 2024 in Singapore, he recalled that the “network state” involves the merging of online communities into physical ones with the goal of political autonomy. It is assumed that such socio-political organizations act as a potential successor to libertarianism, which combines individualism with the values of the participants.
Buterin repeatedly mentioned his project “pop-up city” Zuzalu.
As part of the initiative, from March to May 2023, 200 people from the Ethereum community, crypto project managers, entrepreneurs in the biotechnology sector and scientific researchers came to Montenegro. Their goal was to solve collective problems such as human longevity.
“Put these people together for 60 days, try to become a city, and then see what happens,” Buterin commented.
Participants enjoyed the experience, which included healthy eating, cold immersion and yoga, as well as a focus on the human factor, he said.
Buterin noted that issues of management and further development of Zuzalu remained unresolved.
The co-founder of Ethereum explained that “network states” can have their own rules that serve their citizens. They are capable of rejecting excessive regulation that stifles progress, and at the same time the framework for their implementation remains uncertain, he added.
According to Buterin, “pop-up cities” are a new environment where you can “do fantasy” and think ten steps ahead. However, there must be a productive relationship between the two, as the tribalism currently seen on social media is “zero-sum and unproductive,” he said.
The co-founder of Ethereum concluded that “pop-up cities” are “fit for the market” but “must focus on solving governance and membership issues.”
“To go further, the path depends on the goal. We all need to collaborate much more, even if we have different goals, and we need to think carefully about how to do that,” he concluded.
It will be recalled that in May, Buterin supported X developer Wang Haofei’s idea of confidential likes and suggested transferring the initiative to the Farcaster social network. He proposed to “borrow” the ZK technology from Zupoll, a tool for anonymous voting.
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