Yesterday, @theycallmedan announced a "What does decentralization mean to you?" initiative. While I wanted to respond right away, I had a full day planned, so here we are! To be clear, I'm not a developer, but have a fairly decent grasp of the underlying functioning of blockchain tech. I hope to explore the following questions from the angle of human technology's reverse-engineering and mimicry of natural phenomenon—

It's worth stating that a blockchain is a chain of digital "blocks" containing data. The blocks are produced in a sequential order and with predictable frequency according to some algorithmic scheme (of which there are many variations.) Blockchains are transparent databases by design; transactions of information are trackable by virtue of being contained in a specific block which has been verified by a certain amount of different servers or "nodes" to be a legitimate block according to the syntax of the chain in question. In combination with cryptography, blockchains allow information to be preserved yet also secured by the creation of public/private key pairs.

To me, this represents an attempt on the part of human beings to organize information in such a way that it is not easily modified, corrupted, or lost. Information is inherently valuable; this is a scientific pursuit of preserving it in a manner we can reliably understand and access. There is a certain amount of pressure to come to consensus as to which version of software is run, so that the whole chain can run smoothly as one integrated entity. At the same time, there is freedom to continually experiment with different parameters on an infinite number of new chains or test-nets in order to demonstrate one algorithmic scheme's efficiency or desirability over another.

Natural phenomena display the strength decentralization creates. Mycelial networks underneath forests are often unbelievably ancient as the simplicity of the cells that comprise their biomass allow for near-infinite extension and development of the web according to what is needed to facilitate transfer of information. Truly decentralized networks would be, in theory, immortal, as they would become exponentially wider in their distribution — thus progressively more difficult to destroy.

In working towards decentralized schemes, I believe we are attempting to emulate and reverse-engineer the holographic nature of reality in which the whole is "backed up" in each microscopic fragment. Such a holographic quality is necessary for the universe's continued existence; the integrity of the laws that govern attractive and repulsive forces depends upon each event that has ever occurred and ever will occur to be preserved in various ways. All must be "backed up" so that if individual entities perish, the record of their doings — and discoveries — does not.

At the same time, with our current level of readily-available computing technology we quickly run into limits of space (to store data) and speed of operation (to communicate that info.) Thus, the need to compress, encrypt, and minimize in order for a system to not become bogged down.

We also have an animal inheritance of fear, mistrust, greed, hatred, etc. stemming from our primary concern — personal survival. This causes it to be difficult for informational resources to be freely shared, as truth is most often seen as a threat instead of a virtue within current human society, and even something one can be killed for. Blockchains present a mediating force between the selfish and the selfless aspects of humanity, a digital battlefield of sorts on which our philosophical growth as a species can be acted out.

Blockchain tech provides a blank template for potentially creating systems that gently guide us towards wiser decisions as a collective macro-organism. It is in each block producer's/witness' interest to come to enough of a consensus that the system is functional. Since there is a selfish incentive in place, a forum is created whereby each can make their voice heard through concrete actions of running different versions of code and attempting to sway others to also run the same.

It is important to understand also the idea of legitimate blockchains being immutable in the sense that only pending or future transactions are up in the air — everything which has already transpired must remain unchanged. This creates a forward-looking orientation that is more productive, along with pressure towards greater honesty and accountability since the history is there for all to see. One could say there is a combination of negative and positive incentives to be integrous on blockchain, where in many old-paradigm, centralized corporate entities, there are less concrete incentives to be honest leading to "the ends justifies the means" fallacy and an ability to sweep dirt under the rug.

To be clear, principles underlying blockchains mean as much or as little as the extent to which they are A) made manifest in code and B) believed in and upheld by the individual and collective consciousness participating in the system. Since code inevitably falls short of perfection or the inwardly held ideal, it is a continuous learning process — a feedback loop from A to B — and the whole journey/experiment is documented in time-ordered blocks.

For me, the growing fascination with working towards decentralization is a symptom of the evolution of human consciousness. Certain tiny fragments of universal knowledge we have grasped and applied, while still languishing away under the whip of human ignorance, on the whole. Putting systems in place that leverage the little that we have understood towards clarification/correction is an important step towards achieving our shared freedom from the more destructive side of human nature.

I also believe that a truly transparent, interdependent web of information could lead to an unprecedented level of prosperity for humans, and life on planet Earth as a whole. There is the dawning of the realization that it is Truth alone that has any value, and a re-examination of our financial systems which will inevitably arrive at the conclusion that we are all immeasurably wealthy beyond our wildest imaginings — and each entity represents a vital contribution to this store of wealth.