At 11:48 PM -0700 4/22/01, Ray Dillinger wrote:
>I have been studying cryptographic protocols for consensus action
>of late, and I have come to a somewhat startling conclusion.
>
>If a society is sufficiently rich in cryptographic protocols, there
>is no need for anyone to work for a government.
Cf. crypto anarchy.
>
>The point is, people could pick and choose the policies they
>wanted in terms of law and governance, implement them as
>protocols, and run them free of the prejudices, fears, and
>reinterpretations of human officials other than the governed
>themselves. The kick is that there can even be a protocol for
>changing the set of protocols and enforcing the change against
>holdouts (a variation on the 'byzantine generals' protocol).
>
>But anyway, my conclusion is that it is possible to get basic
>business taken care of -- whatever 'basic business' means to
>the people living there -- without creating a priveleged
>class or a class 'more equal' than anyone else in the form
>of politicians, judges, etc. Basically, if the people are
>rich enough in cryptographic protocols, computing power, and
>communications infrastructure, then government employees are
>not necessary.
Cf. crypto anarchy.
>
>I think AP may have contained the germ of this idea; but
>Bell was perhaps too much of a nihilist to develop it in
>this direction, and more bent on destruction than creation.
Crediting Bell with this idea, when he only "arrived on the scene" in
the mid-90s, is absurd. Read some history.
--Tim May
--
Timothy C. May [EMAIL PROTECTED] Corralitos, California
Political: Co-founder Cypherpunks/crypto anarchy/Cyphernomicon
Technical: physics/soft errors/Smalltalk/Squeak/agents/games/Go
Personal: b.1951/UCSB/Intel '74-'86/retired/investor/motorcycles/guns
