Writings and rehearsals by Nathan Schneider

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  • Proof of Stake: The Making of Ethereum and the Philosophy of Blockchains

    By Vitalik Buterin, edited by Nathan SchneiderSeptember 2022, Seven Stories Press Read the open access editionBuy: Amazon, Bookshop, Seven Stories Press The ideas behind Ethereum in the words of its founder, describing a radical vision for more than a digital currency—reinventing organizations, economics, and democracy itself in the age of the internet. After Ethereum creator…

  • Notes on Bodega Engineering

    If $2 bodega umbrellas are really so crappy, how did mine manage to self-destruct so exquisitely the moment I stepped into the rain today? “I bow to the economic miracle,” says the narrator in Chris Marker’s film, Sans Soleil. And now I throw it in the trash. ‘I am proud that we Chinese have the…

  • The Origins of Knowledge

    In book XII of Metaphysics, Aristotle is on a roll. He has already figured out the causes and workings of the earthly world and, by book’s end, will have mounted the summit of God—the prime mover, for the love of whom all things move. The final step before this, however, lies with the stars. At…

  • An Experiment in Faith

    More on nonviolence. I hope this isn’t dull to some of you. To me it is an important conversation to have in anticipation of the new administration entering office, when any radical hope feels, for the moment, more thinkable than usual, more possible. In several recent articles and posts relating to nonviolence (here, here, and…

  • Fighting over Fundamentals

    Well, the election’s over so there’s no chance that anybody will possibly consider publishing this piece. But I thought I’d share my draft here anyway. Let me know what you think. It is an attempt to glean some little wisdom from a failed attempt at being a political pundit. It has become a popular sport…

  • Where Went the Ancient Astronauts?

    The Smart Set, an excellent web magazine of ideas and things, has just published an article of mine on “ancient astronaut” theory—the idea that all the gods that the ancients believed in were actually extraterrestrials with advanced technology. Ancient astronauts are an old hobby of mine, a delightful mix between my interests in religion and…