ReFi Podcast

To network state or not to network state with Monty Merlin

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Episode notes

In this podcast episode, John Ellison is joined by Monty Merlin, collaborator at Refi Dao and good friend from the UK, to discuss the concept of a network state and its potential impact on regenerating the Earth. They explore the idea of decentralizing online communities into physical local communities to acquire land, take action, and gain diplomatic recognition. They address the tensions and conflicts that arise when bringing powerful coordination technologies into the real world. Monty goes on to share his background growing up in a passionate, environmentally-conscious family and his interest in technology as a tool to enable change. The conversation delves into the refi movement, its intersection with environmentalism, its shortcomings and the potential it holds to coordinate large scale shifts in society.

00:40 The network state.

09:32 Green consumer movement.

10:32 Living in a broken system.

15:01 Structural barriers and institutional limitations.

16:30 The suffocating canvas of legal possibility.

22:02 Network states and ideology.

26:54 Crypto-colonialism and experiments

28:33 Living in smart contracts.

33:04 Regenerative governance and collective intelligence.

37:12 Coordinations in network states.

40:42 Coordination vs. network state.

43:56 Regenerative way of living.