I would like to congratulate Hiro on getting past my administrator privileges to finally publish in this space. I wish I could say it was worth the wait. Generally I found his post on the limitations of regulation to be self-serving, despite the surprising traffic and shares. Good luck with that sword, Hiro!
The below is adapted from Plato's five regimes of government & other writings. Ancient theories of government, enlightenment social contract theory, the separation powers and the modern if crumbling nation-state are inspirations for the metaverse governance of tomorrow. Web3 infrastructure represents an emerging zone for these discussions.
This research was initially commissioned for a significant blockchain based metaverse currently forming out of Dubai.
5 SYSTEMS OF DAO GOVERNMENT IN THE METAVERSE
In etymology aristocracy meant βrule by the best.β For Greeks this meant victory on the battlefield, and virtue in office. During the Renaissance, it meant mastery in war, art, letters - and romance. A
As Europe ossified, the French revolution, enlightenment rhetoric & the American Revolution equated βrule by the bestβ with βrule by a landed gentry.β
In the metaverse, βaristocracyβ would likely involve a caste of origin builders, coders and investors which monopolize resources, controlling the economy, social life and in-world security.
Democracy has varying definitions, be it the distributed system of Greek city states, tribal βMajlisβ gatherings in the Middle East, or the United States two-party (βduopolyβ) system.
Instead of exploring circular nomenclature, a simpler question might be to understand the extent to which βrule by the people, for the peopleβ is technically actionable within the metaverse.Β
Inspired by an ideal of the perfect Athenian city-state, this theory seeks to combine the idea of a philosopher king with the importance of true art, poetry and culture in society.
βThe Republicβ outlines an ideal of government in which the physical world is not absolute or unchangeable, but in many ways inferior to the virality of ideas; both good, and bad.
Traversing above reductive debates of βbigβ or βsmallβ government, the Republic aims to erect a city-state which is strong, epic and magical. A new form of civilization. As such, it is a compelling template for study and DAO architecture in the metaverse.
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