Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies is Changing the World

by Don Tapscott

Security of personhood: the right to our own identities, privacy of our personal information, and our reputations. Blockchain enables this but it requires leadership and profound social and political change. Education: the right to access affordable digital infrastructures, student-centered education, media literacy at any level, and lifelong learning. Blockchain is a new platform, but old institutions are tough to change. Vocation: the right to work, change jobs, create a business, monetize our own assets and the data we generate, contribute productively to society, and have that contribution valued economically. Health: the right to health care, including access to safe, affordable, and nutritious food, medicine, medical treatment, and ongoing care in the event of prolonged illness, disease, disability, or old age. Economic safety net: the right to a basic income that sustains ourselves and our families—but let’s focus on the right to a job, whether created by the private sector, the state, civil society, or philanthropy. Yes, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will wipe out entire industries and job types but will bring new ones. Climate stability: a right to clean air, safe water, and ecologically sound homelands in perpetuity. Blockchain can help us bring back science, validate the truth, and both codify and incentivize green behavior, in turn mobilizing societies to solve environmental problems. Consider the tokenizing of carbon credits to motivate every human being to...