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The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)

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Re: The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)

#51

Post by dragonwriter »

optimuspaul wrote: post #48
Ajedi32 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As the saying goes: information wants to be free. In a world where everyone can interact with each other completely anonymously that becomes even more true, since governments cannot effectively penalize people for distributing said information. For example, imagine a version of The Pirate Bay hosted as a Tor hidden service, combined with a completely anonymous torrent-like P2P file sharing system.

Ugh, I hate that "information wants to be free" nonsense. Information doesn't want anything, it isn't a thing that can want. People want information and very rarely do people actually want it to be free.

People generslly want information they don't currently have but want to be free for then to acquire. People often also want information they do currently have to be expensive to other people to acquire.

Re: The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)

#52

Post by dragonwriter »

Ajedi32 wrote: post #33
blurbleblurble wrote: post #3

I don't understand the barbed wire metaphor. Couldn't crypto have the effect of putting content that would otherwise be freely available in the current internet behind monetary barriers? Couldn't cryptocurrencies enable further control by monopolizing media industries? The technology is powerful, whether or not it will be liberating is to be determined. Edit: didn't realize this was from 1993! Amazing to read that pe…

As the saying goes: information wants to be free. In a world where everyone can interact with each other completely anonymously that becomes even more true, since governments cannot effectively penalize people for distributing said information. For example, imagine a version of The Pirate Bay hosted as a Tor hidden service, combined with a completely anonymous torrent-like P2P file sharing system.

> As the saying goes: information wants to be free.

Don't anthropomorphize abstractions; they hate that.

Re: The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)

#53

Post by MichaelBurge »

Ajedi32 wrote: post #33
blurbleblurble wrote: post #3

I don't understand the barbed wire metaphor. Couldn't crypto have the effect of putting content that would otherwise be freely available in the current internet behind monetary barriers? Couldn't cryptocurrencies enable further control by monopolizing media industries? The technology is powerful, whether or not it will be liberating is to be determined. Edit: didn't realize this was from 1993! Amazing to read that pe…

As the saying goes: information wants to be free. In a world where everyone can interact with each other completely anonymously that becomes even more true, since governments cannot effectively penalize people for distributing said information. For example, imagine a version of The Pirate Bay hosted as a Tor hidden service, combined with a completely anonymous torrent-like P2P file sharing system.

Free as in beer, not as in freedom. That already happened decades ago.

Re: The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)

#54

Post by Ajedi32 »

dragonwriter wrote: post #51
optimuspaul wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ugh, I hate that "information wants to be free" nonsense. Information doesn't want anything, it isn't a thing that can want. People want information and very rarely do people actually want it to be free.

People generslly want information they don't currently have but want to be free for then to acquire. People often also want information they do currently have to be expensive to other people to acquire.

> People often also want information they do currently have to be expensive to other people to acquire.

I don't think that's necessarily true. For example, pirated copies of media are typically created when someone legally purchases a copy of the work and then publishes it for others to use entirely for free. I find it very hard to believe that the people posting these pirated works want those works to be expensive for others to acquire.

Re: The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)

#55

Post by dwe3000 »

bjl wrote: post #38
rama_dan wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a mode of 'voluntary' interaction that others, myself included, argued is indistinguishable from feudalism Good thing you've got The State extorting and enslaving you then, to protect you from that "feudalism".

I'd rather a democratically elected state than a cabal of wealthy warlords.

Interesting that you see a difference. Who do you think the democratically elected are? "Wealthy ..."

Re: The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)

#56

Post by bjl »

dwe3000 wrote: post #55
bjl wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd rather a democratically elected state than a cabal of wealthy warlords.

Interesting that you see a difference. Who do you think the democratically elected are? "Wealthy ..."

Its telling that you don't see a difference.

And An-Caps never seem to understand why nobody takes them seriously.

Re: The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)

#57

Post by moneytide1 »

neaden wrote: post #25
moneytide1 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Certainly, but crypto has the advantage of being counterfeit-proof.

I have never in my life been concerned about counterfeit dollars. While I may have unknowingly handled one at some point it's never come up or negatively impacted me making that benefit marginal at best.

The government printing more money can also be considered counterfeit. Rather,an irresponsible patch job rather than isolating the underlying cause of economic woes.

Re: The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)

#58

Post by clarkmoody »

bjl wrote: post #38
rama_dan wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a mode of 'voluntary' interaction that others, myself included, argued is indistinguishable from feudalism Good thing you've got The State extorting and enslaving you then, to protect you from that "feudalism".

I'd rather a democratically elected state than a cabal of wealthy warlords.

What about a democratically elected state that creates wealthy warlords with tax dollars and then wages war on their behalf?

Re: The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)

#59

Post by vageli »

Ajedi32 wrote: post #54
dragonwriter wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People generslly want information they don't currently have but want to be free for then to acquire. People often also want information they do currently have to be expensive to other people to acquire.

> People often also want information they do currently have to be expensive to other people to acquire. I don't think that's necessarily true. For example, pirated copies of media are typically created when someone legally purchases a copy of the work and then publishes it for others to use entirely for free. I find it very hard to believe that the people posting these pirated works want those works to be expensive f…

It's the original publishers of the information that want to set a high premium, in this case movie studios.

Re: The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto (1988)

#60

Post by duncan_bayne »

bjl wrote: post #38
rama_dan wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a mode of 'voluntary' interaction that others, myself included, argued is indistinguishable from feudalism Good thing you've got The State extorting and enslaving you then, to protect you from that "feudalism".

I'd rather a democratically elected state than a cabal of wealthy warlords.

I'm not an anarchist myself. But what exactly do you think we have now, in many Western countries? There is more than one way to end up with a Rumsfeld or Cheney in power.
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