Is Blockchain Still a Revolution or Becoming Another Upgrade? Ep.621

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

As blockchain tech gets co-opted by legacy players for efficiency gains, has the revolution lost its edge? Crypto philosopher Paul Dylan-Ennis and Jito's Head of Governance, Dr. Nick Almond, join Friederike to probe this shift from 2017's visionary DAOs to today's Telegram-negotiated votes and whale capture.

Rooted in philosophy and complex systems, they unpack mind-hacking risks via data micro-targeting, the polycentric bulwarks (full nodes, prediction markets) shielding against cultural flips, and why epistemic tools could fortify crypto against real-world censorship.

Their call: Reclaim the ethos through event evangelism and normie outreach for grassroots empowerment.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• 0:00 - Introduction
• 1:32 - Nick's journey: Physics to DAOs
• 3:59 - Paul's path: Philosophy to crypto counterculture
• 5:54 - Crypto's shift from niche to incumbent tool
• 7:37 - Governance as crypto's "soul"
• 10:54 - Early DAOs vs. today's backroom reality
• 11:45 - Diluted ideas & human workarounds
• 1:03:44 - Elevating better leaders & social consensus tools
• 1:05:05 - Hacking minds: Post-ideological vs. cypherpunk
• 1:07:21 - Polycentric defenses & full node bedrock
• 1:10:50 - Advice: Evangelize at events & outreach to normies

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Nick Almond, Head of Governance at Jito
• Paul Dylan-Ennis, Crypto Philosopher

Sponsors: - Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at gnosis.io

This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.