In my third article I will review some of the principles and core philosophy that unite the people in the BitShares community and motivate them to work towards improving the platform.

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BitShares Philosophy

“Principles are the bedrock upon which the foundation of society are built. Without principles there is no guide or consistency nor measure of success or failure. If we are to create a libertarian utopia it must be engineered from the ground up to comply with a set of universal principles without compromise.” Daniel Larimer

Mr. Larimer is not only a technological innovator he is also a motivational leader. He inspires others through his depth of thought and the principles he lives by. He believes a society based on voluntary cooperative associations is the best option for humanity. It’s an option where all people have an opportunity to win and thrive to reach their utmost potential, unlike the shackles placed upon it by existing world financial systems.

Competition is antithetical to cooperation, they are polar opposites. Competition is win-lose, cooperation is win-win. That's not to say there's no place for competition, indeed we see it in the world all around us, predator and prey, eat or be eaten. It's intrinsic to a capitalist society, but it doesn't always have to be that way. How we frame competition is all in an attitude. Inherent in the attitude of competition is the concept of being better than something. To build a better mousetrap the focus need not be on anyone else trying to build one, but rather on the mousetrap itself. Those who excel at timed events focus on beating the clock to surpass their own best time, not the other contestants.

Mr. Larimer is very open about his personal philosophy and the principles he bases BitShares upon. In contrast to other crypto-currency projects BitShares stands alone in its reliance upon Austrian economics and the Silver Rule:

The Silver Rule is a more generalized form of the NAP, or Non Aggression Principal, both of which are universally preferred behaviors. Although it is more general it is also much stronger. Think about it. Irrespective of whether you may deserve it or not is there any punishment you would want to have inflicted upon you by someone else? Unless you're a masochist and enjoy punishment the answer to that is no. Do you enjoy paying taxes? If not why would you require your neighbors to pay them? See how that works? The logic and soundness of any system of morality must lie within its universality and applicability to everyone under all circumstances. The only moral justification for aggression is for self-defense. Self defense is never violence. Self defense is a protective response; it is not initiated or pre-emptive.

Universality is also the cornerstone of the scientific method. Without it reality becomes irrational and unpredictable. Although there are many influences today that seek to erode the degree of certainty that the scientific method provides, our shared reality in the world around us dictate that certain facts are treated as absolute truths. Our very survival depends on understanding that. Humans cannot breathe and survive as the fish do naked and underwater. We can't jump off a 1000 foot cliff and expect to fly like a bird to safety. Recognizing the limits of our shared reality does not destroy our ability to adapt and learn in order to overcome the obstacles we face; rather, using reason and logic we learn and we grow, inventing scuba gear and airplanes to overcome such limitations.

Often however, our limits are self-imposed. We must first be willing to look at our own faults before we externalize them onto others (projection), and this is far more difficult to do than most are willing to accept and bear the responsibility for. If we cannot overcome this obstacle that lives within each of us, the repetition of our violent past will continue into the future. We must put an end to this cycle!

Those that try to constrain Freedom find it is like a small balloon that is squeezed in the cup of their two hands. The more they press on one bulge to force it in the more it reacts somewhere else and expands through their fingers. Freedom is a strong force in the human psyche that resists tyranny, repression and control by others. Attempts to contain and control it just result in its expression and expansion elsewhere. I can't imagine the desire for freedom could ever be extinguished from mankind.

The economy is no different. Controls imposed on a free market economy will be resisted and will be expressed in an underground economy or in some other contrary manner. Just because the system can hobble along and appear to some to be perfectly fine, it is far from the truth. The only people it's working well for are the elite power hungry psychopaths who manipulate it, who seek to dominate and control the affairs of humanity. They prey upon the labor of the productive populace to sustain themselves, while contributing only pain and misery to the lives that support them.

The promise of blockchain technologies to overcome these tyrants and make them irrelevant must be based on sound principles to succeed. No other approach is adequate to the task. We must build upon a bedrock of uncompromising principles if we wish to overcome today's totalitarian governments and those who seek to use aggression and violence. Creating a true free market economy demands no less than this to be effective and sustainable.

A true free market global economy has yet to be realized in the known history of mankind. It is a massive undertaking but one which is on the verge of being realized. Let us focus on the goal, vanquish our obstacles, and cooperate with one another to perfect this technology. There is plenty of room in the blockchain crypto space for innovators and inventors using a multitude of different approaches to solve the problems that lie ahead. We must avoid petty disagreements that hinder and distract us. We must learn to work together where our combined strength is greater than the sum of the individual's contributions, where a powerful force of freedom will emerge to usher in prosperity the likes of which has never before been seen on this planet. Join us, and become part of the BitShares revolution!

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See the previous articles in the series:

Part 1 | Part 2