The Morning Note: Blockchain — Stewarding a Resilient, Adaptive & Convergent Whole
A morning bulletin offering fresh news, pithy opinions and pioneering insights cultivated straight from the heart of blockchain ideology and technology.
— Brought to you by the Keynote team.
23 August 2018
Blockchain: A Convergent Whole
The third element of a living system is a Convergent Whole. An emergent level of life with characteristics and capabilities of its own that can’t be understood by looking at its parts. The more convergent the whole, the more resilient, adaptive and creative the living system will be.
In our human bodies — this is the level not of our cells, but of our bodies.
In organizations — this is the level not of the individuals but of the organization or community they create together.
In blockchain — this is not the level of diverse thinking, industries and application, but of the underpinning purpose of blockchain technology and its (current and future) impact on humankind.
It is here that a level of emergence (the outcome of things interacting with one another) is enabled , and new capabilities are formed. This is the great promise of living systems — and the great promise of blockchain. The promise that new things become possible and new forms take shape.
To ensure the divergent parts of blockchain and their dynamic relationships connect to form a resilient, adaptive and convergent whole — responsible and collective stewardship of this new technology is required.
Here we share the perspective of three industry stewards, and their ideas on the future of blockchain, and what it needs to survive and thrive:
Jason King on Education — The blockchain ecosystem has been slow to train new developers and currently there are 14 available jobs per 1 blockchain developer. Without education and training, blockchain will not survive. To solve the issue Jason King created Academy, the first US accredited blockchain developing school. The Academy is for mid-range and senior developers who are immersed in a six-week boot camp where they can perfect their skills.
Bruce Fenton on the Danger of Un-Revolutionary Revolution — There is a danger of an underwhelming attempt at revolution where people avoiding revolutionary behaviour are trying to successfully pull off a revolution. Fenton argues for blockchain to survive and thrive regulatory authorities need to embrace the revolution (or just give up); fiscal and organizational agreements need to be enforced by unprejudiced, reliable code rather than powerful, biased, fallible humans; and the playing field needs to be levelled, extending equal opportunity to all.
Moe Levin on Regulation & Innovation — Regulation follows innovation. It’s just the nature of things. Blockchain needs space to grow and innovate and so regulators in this sense need to err on the side of caution. Levin warns, to block innovation, or stated a bit differently, to block technologies that are ultimately going to improve people’s lives, is a regrettable choice.
The Morning Note
We are always on the look out for the hearty stories and pithy ideas underpinning the future of blockchain. If there is something you’d like us to include in The Morning Note, please email clare@keynote.ae and we will be sure to take a look.
