Chris DeRose: Lessons from Bitcoin's Civil War. Blockchains as a social contract

Door opening: 18:30
Talk Start: 19:00

The talk:

In the aftermath of Bitcoin's civil war, we're left with some hard lessons on the nature of decentralization. Who gets to bear a rightful claim on what Bitcoin is? And what is the value of decentralization, if a vacuum of leadership merely leaves the community vulnerable to chaos? While many in the blockchain community believe decentralization to be a new phenomenon, decentralized movements have been consistent throughout history. Who is the true Conservative? Who is the true American? Who is the true Christian? Bitcoin has thus far relied on organic solutions towards the goals of reducing risk. But looking at the efforts of prior decentralized movements, it is clear that we have lessons to learn from their mistakes. What opportunity costs, and what advantages, do we balance when we declare community tenants? And how do we enforce and propagate these community values?

Constructing and maintaining a hierarchy of specialized laborers doesn't have to be antithetical to the goals of 'decentralization'. But in just what manner can the efficiencies of order be maintained, while still comporting with the goals of a loose collective? And to what degree do regulatory concerns prohibit such endeavors? If a blockchain's rules are a defacto implementation of a community social contract, then Governance, leadership, and community virtue will be the deciding components of tomorrow's blockchain successes.

Regardless of which side of this debate you may be on, this discussion steps outside the moral matrix, and takes a hard look at what went wrong. How community cohesion can and should be achieved. And what can prevent other cryptocurrencies communities from becoming derailed in the future.

About the speaker:

Chris DeRose is one of the oldest, and most controversial speakers in the Bitcoin space. As a avid writer, podcaster, and political commentator - Chris has been involved with cryptocurrency in one way or another after reading Bitcoin's earliest announcement on slashdot.

Unlike most of bitcoin's adherents, Chris' advocacy takes a skeptical and critical approach to the problems, solutions, and difficulties of the Internet's "wild west". Chris has lectured at numerous universities, written for many industry's journals, and produced a weekly podcast and youtube show dedicated to the subject matter. Guided by a strong belief in EMH, and an agnostic approach to public policy, Chris' exploration of the field may best be described as "regrettably reasonable" and "principled irreverence". Chris DeRose is passionate about the amazing technology of blockchain, and the intersection of finance and computer science, that decentralized technology has brought us.

Organisation:

Bitcoin Association Switzerland http://bitcoinassociation.ch/