Why decentralization is emminant, but not Utopia.
A quick flyover look at the history of Open Source Software makes it easy to see how we have the proliferation of amazingly useful free tools that exist today, and maybe where we will go in the near future.
It started with the software.
Some might say that Usenet in the early '80's was an open source project, but it was never described as one at the time. More of an open collaboration that precluded the the Internet, I put it on the list because I believe it had an effect on what comes next.
Software appears to have been the first open source project when Richard Stallman started the GNU Project in 1983.
Linux came in 1991 and in the mid nineties, Red Hat showed us how giving away free stuff can be very profitable.
By the early 2000's, we see freely available open source software such as the Apache web server and the Firefox web browser dominating the Internet. GitHub and open operating systems become mainstream.
Software became money
Then, Bitcoin was released in 2009, unleashing blockchain technology and what creator Satoshi Nakamoto called a peer-to-peer, decentralized "cash system". It is more that that.
Or is it contracts?
Now we are seeing blockchain technology bring new ideas such as smart contracts and peer-to-peer, decentralized governance.
There is more to come, and we will decentralize everything.
We can call it open source, peer-to-peer, or decentralized. Maybe there are even better words. These principles can apply to anything. Beyond the above mentioned things, what about: the roads, real estate and other properties, hardware and manufacturing processes, food production and distribution, defense...
The possibilities are probably boundless.
I think we are in the most transformative moment in human history.
Time to move on, but Utopia is not a human condition.
Frankly, the State is now a dinosaur. It is struggling to survive under it's own weight, and now that a much better animal is here, it will not be able to continue competing. There are several metaphors available, but we have seen the jugular cut. Now we have to stay clear during its death throws and be ready for a new way of structuring society.
I'm not saying oppression is necessarily going away. Humanity seems doomed to continue its barbaric ways, but I do think the forces that would oppress others will have a much more difficult time doing so. We have a lot to do.
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Like you suggested, I'm thinking 'decentralization' seems like a really poor word. Maybe certain aspects are decentralized. But other aspects are centralized - like all the data and all the procedures/mechanics of the system (i.e. the source code). This kind of centralization seems like a huge step forward from the existing systems of writing down laws (using natural languages), having courts interpret the laws and police enforce them. The centralization of data also means tremendous possibilities for automation and better coordination of governance-related activities.
Great post! It reminds me: I forget which country it was, but somewhere, people set up a huge network of hand-held radios that let them communicate clear across the country. I tried googling it briefly but found nothing. Another thing to think about is LiFi networks. I see no technical reason why a person couldn't have a lamp in their home, set by a window, subtly change in brightness so that people within line of sight could pick up on the "broadcast" by pointing a telescope with some sort of light sensor attached.
Oh, and I decided to follow your blog. I think we have some things in common.
Interesting. I'll have to look into those techs. I imagine there are good reasons for specific tech to be used in certain situations.
The LiFi thing sounds similar in structure to a mesh net. With proper routing, that could have a lot of value.
... and thanks for the follow! Steem on!