Re:Ask HN: Am I going insane or is there genuinely no value ...
by FabHK on Saturday April 23, 2022 @06:54AM
(#31133118)
> The main purpose of blockchain is to attempt to replace the messiness of human governance with the certainty of algorithmic governance.
Right, and as is shown inevitably in real life (The DAO, BTC 0.7/0.8 fork, censoring of scam or Russia related BTC addresses, ...), the messiness of reasonably well understood and regulated human governance (law, elections, ...) is replaced by governance of the algorithm plus a bunch of unelected, unaccountable, and largely even unknown humans.
Re:Ask HN: Am I going insane or is there genuinely no value ...
by kimi on Saturday April 23, 2022 @07:40AM
(#31133381)
> I think that much of the philosophy around blockchain comes from the lack of faith in human governance—which is to say, a certain kind of misanthropy.
So the blockchain gets two things right: avoiding double-spending and an honest assessment on human nature.
Re:Ask HN: Am I going insane or is there genuinely no value ...
by e-dt on Saturday April 23, 2022 @08:36AM
(#31133749)
Replacing trust in humanity with trust in an algorithm created by humanity doesn't really get you anywhere. Like it or not, you are human, I am human, and we live a society of humans! Everything in society is created and run by humans! The blockchain cannot change this fundamental fact, it can only obscure it.
The notion of “single” entities in society is, I think, flawed. A bank is not a single entity, for instance—they are not just a single actor—they are governed by a board and bylaws and shareholders and government regulations and judges, etc. If something goes wrong, which is expected and built into the system process,there is due process. And the strength of that due process is governed by the self interest of all the parties at play.
The main purpose of blockchain is to attempt to replace the messiness of human governance with the certainty of algorithmic governance. But it is an illusion in many ways and dangerous, in a sense, to put so much trust in an algorithm. I think that much of the philosophy around blockchain comes from the lack of faith in human governance—which is to say, a certain kind of misanthropy.