Magic, belief systems + web3

At its heart, belief magic is a combination of community knowledge + solidarity networks + folklore.

Especially, magic flourished during the British Renaissance. It’s an era I love, with huge leaps forward in invention and knowledge-sharing like the printing press, double-entry accounting and the humble pencil. In a fit of pique, Henry VIII broke with Rome and forged a new religion. New countries and continents were explored and exploited. And Eng... See more

At heart, magic embraces the power that small solidarity networks have to change the world through changing their own perceptions of reality.

this piece is about belief magic, which Merriam-Webster defines as “the use of means (such as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces” and especially how belief magic is represented in culture. After all, culture, from films to books to art, has always shaped society, just as we shape it.

This belief is central to Web3 ideology, and we should be heartened by the sheer longevity of magic, despite the best efforts of large institutions, to bring together like-minded people in service of the best possible futures.

Let’s consider that formula: community knowledge + solidarity networks + folklore. The web3 communities I’m in have powerful ideologies; these are spaces with shared perspectives and rituals that have emerged over a compressed period of time. This manner of collective world-building in and around projects (in the best possible way, I wouldn’t use t... See more

The very structure of DAOs (decentralised autonomous organisations) themselves provide solidarity networks, with increasing collaboration between DAOs to build a broader scene. It’s early but this blend of community knowledge + solidarity networks + folklore exists, right now.

for all the criticisms (some fair, some not) I’ve seen levied at this space by non-believers, I’ve seen, with my own eyes, magic being made nearly every day — through refreshed optimism, through hard work done fast, through groups coming together to do what individuals alone cannot.

By community knowledge, I mean beliefs, truths and cures passed down over time. By solidarity networks, I mean acting with trust, in small self-selecting groups. By folklore, I mean the ritualistic repetition of the first to build the second.