A Theory of Justice for Web3

Web3 in its current form is also exacerbating inequalities. Web3 projects commonly issue crypto tokens as digital representations of value. Early versions of token distributions have led to unsustainable dynamics wherein speculators are rewarded instead of those who are adding consistent value to networks through actual usage.

We’ve seen how both the web2 internet and early iterations of web3 fall short of ensuring a free, fair playing field that benefits the least advantaged. So what would an internet that meets Rawls’ standards look like? Some general anti-principles start to come into focus:- Don’t build a system that only benefits the wealthy, because what if you’re ... See more

Web2 platforms coerce user loyalty through network effects and closed data, and exiting a platform leaves creators without access to their audiences or content. Web3 affords the opportunity to build systems that foster user agency and self-determination through true digital ownership, open data, and networks that are built atop open-source software... See more

The difference principle will be particularly important to the democratization of web3, since participants will enter the ecosystem at different times with a wide variety of backgrounds, incomes, and technological fluency and access. All web3 networks should be incentivized to adhere to the difference principle and maximize benefit to the least wel... See more

The social and political philosopher John Rawls’ thought experiment known as the “veil of ignorance,” proposed in his influential 1971 work A Theory of Justice, provides a useful framework for these questions. When creating the foundations for an ideal society, Rawls contends, we should imagine that we do not know where we ourselves would fall with... See more