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Let a thousand societies bloom

vitalik.eth.limo

21–28 of 28 posts

Re: Let a thousand societies bloom

#21
post #20
post #13

I like many of these attempts at creating new communities. One thing I have noticed with many of them is that none of them have progressed to the point where there is a first follower - someone who isn't part of the originating culture but is induced by something to join. As an example of one that I find interesting is the Esmeralda project, led by Devon Zuegel. These things select for the kind of people who will att…

> I don't mean in a non-participatory sense. This is the issue I've seen in new communities. Although my framing is from seeing mixed digital nomad and local communities. But ones that have the ambition to start a tribe or even a hub, if we’re going by Vitalik's terminology. If you allow in more “non-believers”, just anyone that can join a group chat and physically go to a Google Map pin, more often that not most peo…

Yeah, that makes sense. They're just too early in the religion for the laymen, to keep that analogy going. Right now it's just Jesus and his Disciples. Well, I can't wait to see what they come up with. I think there's lots of new kinds of cities we could build.

Re: Let a thousand societies bloom

#22
post #13

I like many of these attempts at creating new communities. One thing I have noticed with many of them is that none of them have progressed to the point where there is a first follower - someone who isn't part of the originating culture but is induced by something to join. As an example of one that I find interesting is the Esmeralda project, led by Devon Zuegel. These things select for the kind of people who will att…

It's not hard to start a community but it does take a certain minimal amount of capital, physical space and sufficient population density.

I've done it on a shoe string in the past, but I don't have the space to do it currently. Getting off the ground is the hardest part. Considerably harder than software unless certain resources align.

Re: Let a thousand societies bloom

#23
post #13

I like many of these attempts at creating new communities. One thing I have noticed with many of them is that none of them have progressed to the point where there is a first follower - someone who isn't part of the originating culture but is induced by something to join. As an example of one that I find interesting is the Esmeralda project, led by Devon Zuegel. These things select for the kind of people who will att…

It's not hard to start a community but it does take a certain minimal amount of capital, physical space and sufficient population density. I've done it on a shoe string in the past, but I don't have the space to do it currently. Getting off the ground is the hardest part. Considerably harder than software unless certain resources align.

What did you start? If you happen to already have it written down somewhere, I'd be eager to read.

Re: Let a thousand societies bloom

#24

What crypto purists don’t appreciate is that money, commerce and economic activity is all a social function they’re not “technical problems” When I first read the Satoshi white paper the immediate response I had as somebody who has studied political economics is that “this will never work because governments will never allow for disintermediation of their currency because it’s one of, if not THE, primary sources of c…

> this will never work because governments will never allow for disintermediation of their currency because it’s one of, if not THE, primary sources of control over a population So, has trump coin and world liberty financial proven your friend wrong? What about El salvador or the cayman islands? It seems that it was you who misunderstood human nature. Greed always wins.

Keep in mind the definition of 'work': Bitcoin was originally intended to be a day-to-day medium of exchange, not a 'long term store of value'. It's much more of a threat to governments as the former but that really hasn't actually panned out (including in the places you mention), and it's just a random speculative asset which financial systems will toy with like any other.

Re: Let a thousand societies bloom

#25
These aren't communities; they're resorts. Where would my kids go to school? Who picks up yard waste? Who do I see for antibiotics and flu shots? Who do I report crimes to? That's right, a real society with a real government in a real country. We don't need more stuff for rich single people (mostly dudes).

Re: Let a thousand societies bloom

#26
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not hard to start a community but it does take a certain minimal amount of capital, physical space and sufficient population density. I've done it on a shoe string in the past, but I don't have the space to do it currently. Getting off the ground is the hardest part. Considerably harder than software unless certain resources align.

What did you start? If you happen to already have it written down somewhere, I'd be eager to read.

An insolvent co-working space my company took over after the founders offered it to us as we were the only reliable paying members, we turned into to a ethos driven local community social club and co-working space, I come from multi generational missionary family though I myself am no longer theistic.

Most people don't have the experience of seeing one person turn into 200+ in a geographically co-located place.

My family has probably planted more churches than any living group, they range from 10,000.

There are transitional stages at every growth milestone, the hardest part is the first 15 people and you need capitalization to get over early humps, that's why missionary organizations exist.

Eventually you can hit break even or even being able to start a rainy day fund, but people aren't willing to capitalize communities the way they capitalize companies even though in the end they have way more socio-political power.

As a fellow SWE engineers and tech people really underestimate the writing, training and empiricism for polity and growth that non-coercion community building entails.

Even people who are vaguely exposed to missionary work are typically exposed to force-coercion oriented groups.

Re: Let a thousand societies bloom

#27
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What did you start? If you happen to already have it written down somewhere, I'd be eager to read.

An insolvent co-working space my company took over after the founders offered it to us as we were the only reliable paying members, we turned into to a ethos driven local community social club and co-working space, I come from multi generational missionary family though I myself am no longer theistic. Most people don't have the experience of seeing one person turn into 200+ in a geographically co-located place. My fa…

Thank you for sharing that. Yeah, I was curious if someone has put in the work to talk about the mechanistic aspects to making a successful community space. It's an evolving thing, but I'm sure there are many details that one can just get right. Would be a cool book to read.

Re: Let a thousand societies bloom

#28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>What about El salvador or the cayman islands? What do these prove? some people dodge taxes?

A country, accepting it as legal currency... the exact scenario that the OP said "Could never happen"

The Caymans are just a Tax haven and El Salvador is a concentration camp. Not sure they're great examples.
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