Ovethrowing The Network State: New Episodes

In the second half of 2023, Joshua Davila (The Blockchain Socialist) and Primavera De Filipppi continued their podcast series ‘Overthrowing The Network State’ (OTNS). he purpose of this series is to critique The Network State while also pulling out the salvageable parts and concepts in discussion with a variety of guests. We are overall critical of Balaji’s specific ideas in the book, but we want to discuss them with intellectual honesty and highlight the larger concepts around how these technologies are and could subvert state structures. An updated list of recent episodes follows.

OTNS: Network States is what you get when you have VC-brain

May 14, 2023

In this episode, Primavera (@yaoeo), Tara Merk (@mpg_dd), and I speak to Jahed Monand (@againstutopia), co-founder and partner of Cerulean Ventures, co-host of The Ownership Economy podcast (@ownereconomy), and left-wing anarchist. During the discussion, we spoke about Jahed’s interactions with Balaji, the violence inherent to borders, and the real problem with heavily regulated industries like healthcare (hint: it’s not the FDA). Jahed is also now officially the resident anarchist for the show. Listen here.

OTNS: DAOs and Decentralized Mafias

May 21, 2023

Primavera and Josh have been at Zuzalu and took the opportunity to speak with Ameen Soleimani (@ameensol) about his role in Ethereum history and the creation of Moloch DAO and Privacy Pools. We also discussed the geopolitical implications of crypto technology and how it relates to thinking about network states. Listen here.

OTNS: The Rise of Coordi-Nations (Phase 2 has begun)

June 11, 2023

Primavera and Josh spent about two weeks at Zuzalu in Montenegro with a team of people from Blockchaingov and elsewhere to concretely define our network state alternative of Coordi-Nations. We had five days of all-day intensive workshops and three days of public presentations where we shared our findings with the attendees of Zuzalu. Right at the end of our experience at Zuzalu, we recorded this episode to share what we came up with and our experience.

Besides this episode, we have plenty of writing and presentations that will be making its way out once it’s ready. For the moment note that Phase 2 of the overthrow has officially begun and our focus of the series will start moving away from critique and towards building. Listen here.

OTNS: Cosmo-Localism, Beyonders, and the Medieval Parallels to Digital Nomadism

July 2, 2023

In this episode, we continue Phase 2 of OTNS with Michel Bauwens, founder of the P2P Foundation. We discuss his concept of cosmo-localism which advocates for everything heavy to be local, and everything light to be global, how many medieval institutions were cosmo-local, and the implications of the rise of knowledge workers detached from the physical territory. Listen here.

OTNS: Is Code still Law? (Interview with Lawrence Lessig)

August 27, 2023

In this episode we had the pleasure of speaking to Lawrence Lessig, the legal scholar known for coining the term “code is law” if you’ve been in crypto, you’ll know that this phrase has been very influential in the space. During the discussion we talk about the original design of the internet, how it has opened up a Pandora’s box of overlapping sovereignties, and the role of code in regulation and its implications for democracy. Listen here.

OTNS: Scaling Collective Action for Millions of People

October 1, 2023

In this episode we spoke to the co-founder of DAO Stack now working on Common, Matan Field who joined us at Zuzalu. During the discussion, we talk about the need for scaling collective action, using fractal organization, and moving beyond economically based interdependence. Listen here.

OTNS: Transitioning ReFi DAO to a Coordi-Nation

October 22, 2023

In this episode we spoke to Monty Merlin Bryant, a co-founder of ReFi DAO and environmentalist to discuss the movement behind ReFi or Regenerative Finance. ICYMI, ReFi DAO had previously started to declare itself a network state but has since learning more about coordi-nations, have shifted course towards our conceptual framework instead. We discuss what that process has been like and how ReFi DAO hopes to use the affordances of crypto to build a non-state force for aligning people and the planet. Listen here.

OTNS: Prophets are dangerous and Capital doesn’t care about your feelings

November 6, 2023

In this episode, we spoke to Wassim Alsindi, founder of MIT’s blockchain journal and the 0xSalon  research collective based in Trust in Berlin. During the discussion, we spoke about the concepts explored in his pieces Prophet Motives & Knightwork States and Necroprimitivism Rising. Wassim makes interesting connections between, the Crusades, the zero-sum mentality of network states, and capitalism’s capturing of time. Listen here.

OTNS: Is Praxis a bunch of fascists dressed as libertarians?

January 7, 2024

In this episode of OTNS, we spoke to Ali Breland, a journalist at Mother Jones who has written on crypto and politics, about his recent publication about the links between Praxis and far right figures. We spoke about his experience of going to a Praxis-sponsored party in NYC, his interviews with ex-employees about the fascist sympathies of the founder Dryden Brown, and how they try to seduce ” cool kids” to join them. We also try applying for citizenship! Listen here.