Now is the time to ensure that blockchain has a democratic future.
Sarah Manski, Assistant Professor of Business/Global Affairs at George Mason University, researching the Political Economy of Blockchain Technology has a radical proposition: that widespread adoption of blockchain will end both the concept of national sovereignty as we know it, and bring an end to classic capitalism. Will Marx, Hayek, Keynes and Milton Friedman all end up in the dustbin of history? Sarah and Xavier Hawk, founder and CEO of Phireon Global Partners sat down to talk about it all with Roundtable’s Rob Nelson.
One of the blockchain's most salient promises is the potential for it to democratize governance. But could it go the other way? In this segment, the panel discusses whether governments will be able to coopt the blockchain to consolidate power.
Dr. Sarah Manski argues that sovereignty is built into Web3 in a way that can prevent the worst abuses of Web2.
"Technologists have tried to build in the spatial web things like self sovereign identity and the ability to stop people from tracking you. They've tried to look at the faults of the first web and fix it. So I, I would say that people are being proactive," she said.
Hawk emphasizes that the current moment is key for blockchain to have a sovereign future.
"We have a small window right now, where if we get together an to actually build the right system, then we become a liberated civilization. If we don't, we become an enslaved civilization," Xavier Hawk said. "We have this window. Now we have to take it by the horns and build a system that's representative of everybody.
Watch the full discussion below:
Roundtable participants:
Sarah Manski, Assistant Professor, Business/Global Affairs at George mason University, researching the Political Economy of Blockchain Technology
Xavier Hawk, founder and CEO of Phireon Global Partners, Host of Baseline, Hawk Talk