加密飞行 Vol.2 | 一个中观网络社会实验：Network School＆Balaji

11 月 4 日

“想象如果你的邻居是你最亲密的朋友。”

文章链接：https://balajis.com/p/network-school

Foreword/作者序

是的。在距离Network State（网络国家）这本书发布两年之后，Balaji Srinivasan发文说：我们要建一个”Network School（网络学校）”了。

借助Bitcoin的力量，聚集全球150名“dark talent”，Network School由 Balaji的一篇文章，终于成为一场真实发生的社会实验。在靠近新加坡的森林城市Forest City——这个线下的物理据点，我们见证了Balaji所构想的网络国家，通过区块链、加密货币、去中心化自治组织（DAO）以及个人主权的理念，从一个理论构想逐步走进现实的尝试。

Balaji和他的家人、以及Network School共同创办者的家人们也来到了这里，共同生活、交流与创造。在互联网、AI和crypto深刻影响和改变当今世界的当下，Network School提出了一个问题：如果传统教育模式逐渐无法应对未来的挑战，是否存在另一种值得我们探索的学习路径？在Network School里进行结构化和非结构化的部分相结合的可持续性模式探索是卓有成效的。作为第一批“入学”的“dark talents”，我们拥有了learn（学习）, burn（锻炼）, earn（收益）, fun（乐趣）四大核心的日常生活体验。

如今，各种“Pop-up city”（快闪城市）层出不穷，而Network School三个月的共学、共创和共居模式，让它成为了这些快闪城市中的一个持续性实验：不再依赖传统的授课方式，鼓励参与者从第一天起共创项目，探讨实践方案，并通过加密奖励机制（learn-to-earn）的方式实现收入。或许这一切，正是我们在教育和未来社会中所需要的全新尝试。

这篇文稿来源于和Balaji的一对一谈话和录音。

Uncommons
Reporter/Translator: Twone
Edit:0614

「加密飞行」(Crypto Flight)

「加密飞行」(Crypto Flight) 是 Uncommons 的人物访谈专栏，围绕活跃在以太坊及加密世界一线的先锋个体，记录加密现实，生产多元视角，将交谈和日常语言作为方法，化约发生在彼处的遥远真实。取自 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 的 Vol de Nuit(长夜飞逝)，象征密码朋克与加密公民飞向世界尽头的挑战和探索精神。

*本专栏接受投稿，公开招募访谈者和译者，欢迎联系WeChat: RealUncommons 投稿或开设你擅长并且感兴趣的专栏。

"Crypto Flight" is a series of interviews by Uncommons, focusing on pioneers active in the Ethereum and crypto world. It documents the reality of the crypto space and produces diverse perspectives, using conversation and everyday language as methods to distill distant and far-off truths. Inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Vol de Nuit (Night Flight), it symbolizes the challenge and exploratory spirit of cypherpunks and crypto citizens as they venture to the ends of the world.

This column welcomes submissions and is open to recruiting interviewers and translators. Feel free to contact via WeChat: RealUncommons to submit your work or start a column on a topic you are passionate about and interested in.

* 本文为《加密飞行 Vol.2 | 一个中观网络社会实验：Network School＆Balaji》的访谈节选。
* 访问全文请或前往 Uncommons 的 Newsletter
blog.uncommons.cc/cryptoflight-vol-2/

“We got an island.“ ——Balaji

互联网边境的“倒反天罡”
The "Inverted Polaris" at the Borders of the Internet

I want to dive deeper into the shifts we're seeing and the opportunities in front of us. First off, let's talk about the reversal of history—this is something fascinating. By comparing the past and present, we can see how a lot of historical events are, in some ways, flipping around. Take, for example, how the frontier of the West closed, but in 1991, the internet frontier opened up. Suddenly, people could carve out their own little corner of the digital world, which feels kinda like the old frontier days of exploration.

Another example is the Spanish Flu back in the day versus COVID-19 more recently. The pandemics themselves were different, sure, but both were massive, globe-spanning events. And just like how the "Robber Barons" dominated wealth in the late 19th century, now we’ve got tech giants taking up that role on a global scale. It’s like history is rhyming, showing us how certain patterns repeat themselves. We’re also seeing shifts in power dynamics between countries. Russia used to be the dominant partner in its relationship with China, but today, China’s in the driver’s seat. All these historical flips make it clear that the world order is going through some serious, unprecedented changes right now.

我想更深入地谈谈这个时代的变化以及我们所面临的机会。我们可以通过对比过去和现在，看到许多历史事件以某种方式正在倒转。例如，过去西方的边疆关闭，而1991年，互联网边疆打开。人们可以通过互联网建立属于自己的小天地，这与曾经的开拓时代有些相似。

另一个例子是过去的西班牙流感和最近的COVID-19，虽然疫情的性质不同，但都是全球范围内的重要事件。此外，像19世纪末的"强盗贵族"时代，当时的财富大多由工业巨头掌控，而现在的科技巨头则在全球范围内重新崛起。这样的对比展示了历史在某些方面的重演。我们还可以看到国家之间的权力平衡也发生了变化。以前，俄罗斯是中国的主导伙伴，而如今，中国在这对关系中处于主导地位。当前的世界秩序正在经历前所未有的变化。

On the economic front, small countries are becoming way more significant. Sure, they’ve got limited resources, but they’re super nimble when it comes to laws and policies, attracting a ton of capital and talent. Look at El Salvador—they’re shaking up their whole economy by bringing in Bitcoin. This kind of flexibility is something the bigger nations just can’t pull off easily. The key takeaway here is that we’re heading into a decentralized world. This isn’t just about the economy—it’s politics, it’s technology. The internet and crypto are driving this decentralization, giving more power and autonomy to individuals and small entities.

从经济角度来看，小国家的角色也越来越重要。尽管资源有限，但它们凭借灵活的法律和政策，吸引了大量资本和人才。像萨尔瓦多这样的小国家，已经通过引入比特币改变了它们的经济结构，它们具备的灵活性是大型国家无法轻易实现的。我们正在进入一个去中心化的世界，无论是从经济、政治还是技术角度来看，这种趋势都在加速。互联网和加密技术正在推动这种去中心化，给予个体和小型实体更多的自主权和影响力。

That’s where my three principles—possible, desirable, and profitable—come in. First, it’s possible because the tech is there for individuals and small nations to use. Second, it’s desirable because decentralization gives people more freedom and choice. And third, it’s profitable, as this new economy is opening up massive opportunities for innovation and business. So, looking ahead, the big opportunities aren’t just for traditional nation-states or mega-corporations anymore. We’ve got the chance to build our own small communities, network states, or even decentralized digital nations, and that’s going to reshape the global order. That’s the direction we’re heading in right now.

这就是我所说的“可能、可取、可盈利”的三个方面。首先，它是可能的，因为技术已经为个体和小型国家提供了工具；其次，它是可取的，因为这种去中心化模式为人们提供了更多的自由选择；最后，它是可盈利的，因为这种新的经济形态为创新者带来了巨大的商业机会。未来的机会并不仅限于传统的国家和大企业。我们可以通过建立自己的小型社群、网络国家、甚至是去中心化的数字国家，创造出全新的全球秩序。这正是我们现在在探索的方向。

AI卡特尔的未来想象
Future Imaginations of the AI Cartel

When we talk about true superintelligence—intelligence with agency—the picture isn’t entirely clear yet. I can provide a few arguments for why it’s still a long way off, but let’s see if it actually materializes. The basic argument is that, at present, AI performs well in environments where the rules are fixed, like Go or chess. The rules don’t change—Go stays Go, chess stays chess, even the image label for a dog stays a dog, right? But when you move into unstable domains, like politics or markets, where past performance doesn’t predict future outcomes, AI’s role becomes less certain. If AI could function in those domains, it would mean it could predict time series changes. But if it really could do that, others would deploy their own AIs to compete, and suddenly, we’re back to square one. So in these time-varying, agent-based fields, AI’s effectiveness remains unclear.

关于真正的超级智能——具有代理权的智能的部分，目前还不是很清晰，我们也许会看到它是否真的能实现。现阶段AI在处理像围棋和国际象棋这样规则固定的任务时表现良好。如果规则不变，围棋和国际象棋的规则不变，那么从狗的图像标签到狗的图像也不变。但是，一旦进入那些非稳定的领域，比如政治和市场，在这些领域中，过去的表现无法预测未来的结果。假如AI能够在这些领域起作用，它就可以预测时间序列的变化；但如果它真的能做到，其他人也会使用他们自己的AI与之竞争，于是一切又回到了起点。所以，在这些具有时间变化和代理权的领域，AI的作用还是未知的。

Now, of course, there are time-varying environments, like autonomous driving, where AI already excels. But when you move into more dynamic and adversarial domains like politics or markets, things become murkier. It’s not like the laws of physics where, if you make a turn, the AI always knows what to do. In markets or politics, the rules can shift; the AI’s predictions can fail because adversaries get smarter and change the game. There are other examples too, like generating synthetic images. Many people believe AI has excelled at this, but I’m not convinced it can handle complex environments with time variations. This suggests that if you excel in politics or markets, you’re essentially piloting the AI—like having 1,000 robot employees, but these robots still lack agency; they don’t know what they want. What does a car want? It doesn’t have any intention. I don’t think it’s impossible, but I do think the current models haven’t reached that level yet.

当然，在某些时间变化的领域，比如自动驾驶汽车中，AI已经能够做得很好，但当我们进入政治和市场这些更加动态和对抗的领域时，事情就变得不那么明确了。它不像物理定律一样是固定不变的，你做了一个转弯，AI总是知道怎么应对。但是在市场或政治领域，对手会变得更聪明，一旦游戏规则改变了，AI的预测可能会失效。还有其他例子，比如图像生成。许多人认为AI在生成图像上已经表现得非常出色，但我不确定它是否能处理某些复杂的时间变化环境。这意味着，如果你擅长政治和市场，你就能够操控AI，就像你有1000个机器人员工，但这些机器人依然没有代理权，不知道自己想要什么。汽车并没有想法。我不认为这不可能，只是现有的模型还没有达到那个层次。

I believe that in the future, every country or society will have its own decentralized AI network and decentralized currency—bundled services available on demand. You simply pay to access them. Today, AI development is still largely controlled by a small group of technical elites, but there are decentralized alternatives emerging, like ENS (Ethereum Name Service), which show another way forward. Centralized currencies are represented by central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), while decentralized currencies are cryptocurrencies. Similarly, centralized social media is Facebook, while decentralized versions are platforms like Farcaster and Lens.

So, what I think we’ll see is not the emergence of a single monopolistic superintelligence, but a competitive landscape of multiple players. It’s almost like a return to the Victorian era of competition and industrial evolution—we’ll witness its unfolding.

我认为未来的每个国家或社会都会拥有自己的去中心化AI网络、去中心化货币——这些全都是打包好的服务，付费即可获得。目前的AI开发仍由少数技术精英主导，但也有像ENS（以太坊命名服务）这样的去中心化服务，展现了另一种可能性。中央集权的货币是央行数字货币（CBDC），而去中心化的货币是加密货币。同样，中心化的社交媒体是Facebook，而去中心化的社交媒体是像Farcaster、Lens等平台。

因此，我认为我们将会看到的是，在这个去中心化的世界中，不会出现一个垄断性的超级智能，而是多个参与者之间的竞争。这有点像是维多利亚时期，我们会看到它如何演变。

再分配的数字主权
Redistributed Digital Sovereignty

Now, let’s talk about the evolution of the internet. The internet started as an information revolution, allowing us to access and share knowledge from anywhere, anytime. But now, blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are bringing in the second wave of revolution—a value revolution. And I don’t just mean the monetary value of crypto. I’m talking about the potential to redistribute resources and power through decentralization.The traditional financial system is highly centralized, but blockchain allows for global transactions and contract execution with low costs and high efficiency. Whether it’s Bitcoin, Ethereum, or DeFi protocols, they’re reshaping the financial system, giving individuals and smaller organizations access to the same tools as big banks or nation-states.

DeFi isn’t just a tech advancement; it’s a challenge to the traditional financial power structures. Through smart contracts, trustless protocols, and global networks, people can manage their wealth without needing banks, governments, or middlemen. This drastically reduces our reliance on traditional authorities and redefines how we think about trust, finance, and power distribution.

回到互联网的发展历程。互联网最初是信息的革命，让我们能够随时随地访问和共享信息。而如今，区块链技术和加密货币正带来第二波革命——价值的革命。这不仅仅是指加密货币本身的价值转移功能，更是指通过去中心化的方式重新分配资源和权力的可能性。传统金融系统高度集中，而区块链技术让我们能够在全球范围内以低成本、高效率的方式进行交易和合约执行。比特币、以太坊和各种DeFi协议正在重塑金融体系，让个体和小型组织能够拥有与大银行和国家类似的金融工具。

去中心化金融（DeFi）不仅仅是技术的进步，更对传统金融权力结构的挑战。通过智能合约、去信任的协议和全球性的网络，个人可以在不依赖银行、政府或中介的情况下，自主管理财富。这让人们对传统权威的依赖大大减少，重新定义了信任、金融和权力的分配。

In this decentralized future, every individual will have much more autonomy, becoming a "sovereign individual." You won’t rely solely on a nation-state to provide identity, education, healthcare, or other services. Instead, you’ll be free to choose and participate in various decentralized services and communities worldwide.

At the same time, you could hold multiple identities. You might be a member of a DAO in one community, a contributor to a decentralized platform in another. Your identity will no longer be singular—it’ll shift and adapt based on your needs and interests. This concept of multiple identities will break down traditional social classes and identity structures, giving individuals more freedom and choice than ever before.

在这个去中心化的未来，每个人将拥有更多的自主权，成为"主权个人"。你将不再仅仅依赖某个国家的政府提供身份、教育、医疗和其他服务，而是可以在全球范围内自由选择和参与各种去中心化的服务和社区。

我们可能会拥有多个身份——在某些社群中你是某个DAO的成员，在另一些社群中你是某个去中心化平台的贡献者。你的身份不再是单一的，而是可以根据不同的需求和兴趣进行切换。这种多重身份的概念将颠覆传统的社会阶级和身份认同，给个人带来更多的自由和选择。

Shownote

The "Inverted Polaris" at the Borders of the Internet/互联网边境的“倒反天罡”
Cloud Community: A Meso-Level Social Experiment/共识社区：一种中观社会实验
A New Social Model: Society-as-a-Service/全新的社会模式：society-as-a-service
Future Imaginations of the AI Cartel/AI卡特尔的未来想象
Redistributed Digital Sovereignty/再分配的数字主权
Crossroads of the Near Future/近未来的十字路口
Deciphering the Rosetta Stone of Education/破解教育的罗塞塔碑

🧐 Editor's note/编者按

在信息乱流无孔不入的今天，我们越发需要主体间的支持。合作的生产，互助的教育，以及萌生于公共土壤中的共同愿景，让社区组合模式的更新和自涌现成为应运而生之事。Network school也是其中之一。自一篇文章通往一个可量度的社会，这种中观层面的社会实验，为近未来数字国家的验证，和去中心化社会治理的践行提供了重要的范例。

有趣的是，COVID-19结束后的2024，人们不约而同地转向真实世界中可触达的交互，希望从面对面的人际关系与集体经验中，建造一个生产想象和创造力的理想花园。兴许这正是横亘在人类身体与精神之间深刻隔阂的解药：当我们身处泥沼，依然能够想象一个异在的美好世界，这将永远是先锋的，并始终具备非同凡响的力量。

Uncommons
Reporter/Translator: Twone
Edit:0614