Buterin Emphasizes “Good Social Philosophy” for Ethereum Application Layer

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, asserted that “good social philosophy” is essential for the application layer built on Ethereum, but less critical for the underlying infrastructure.

He explained that applications on the higher layers of Ethereum are reflections of developers’ motivations, philosophies, ethical frameworks, and worldviews.

Ethereum Co-founder Links Developer Values to App Layer Success

In contrast, the lower infrastructure layer, while influenced by these factors, is designed to be more generalized to support a broad range of applications, diminishing their direct impact.

The analogy with C++ and Layer Purpose Highlights Buterin’s Point

Buterin used an analogy comparing the programming language C++ to Ethereum, arguing that C++’s core nature would be unchanged irrespective of prevailing social philosophies.

Within Ethereum, he noted that socially beneficial concepts, such as environmental concerns, propelled the adoption of Proof of Stake (PoS) technologies, even when Proof of Work (PoW) was more dominant.

He estimated the lower layer’s purpose as approximately 50% general-purpose, while the upper application layer is about 80% specific-purpose.

This led to his conclusion that personal perspectives exert greater influence on applications, making “good social philosophy” more relevant at the application level.

He cited FTX, Lunar Terra Labs, and Pump.fun as examples of applications demonstrating “bad social philosophy.”

Community Prioritizes Technical Issues over Philosophical Ethos

Ethereum’s official X account initiated a discussion on the network’s ethos and the types of applications that best represent it.

This idea received limited community support, with many users expressing frustration.

They indicated that Ethereum should prioritize addressing fundamental Layer 1 challenges like scalability, transaction fees, and network speed instead of focusing on philosophical debates.

This raised the question of whether philosophy or technology should take precedence.

Many within the community believe practical technological efficacy is the primary factor driving broader adoption of cypherpunk principles.

Examples: Polymarket Demonstrates Positive Philosophy, Pump.fun Negative

Buterin provided examples to illustrate the impact of philosophical approaches on crypto projects.

He presented Polymarket as a positive case, which evolved from election predictions to using prediction markets to advance scientific research, demonstrating a beneficial progression.

Conversely, he cited Pump.fun as a negative example.

While initially intended for meme coin creation, it appears to have stagnated, primarily facilitating rug pulls on the Solana network without further positive development.

Simultaneously, Ethereum critics suggest Solana might become a stronger competitor.

Pump.fun Issues Underline Buterin’s Argument on Application Layer Vulnerability

Recent problems with Pump.fun, the Solana-based memecoin platform, support Buterin’s viewpoint.

Though conceived to enable community token creation, Pump.fun encountered issues involving detrimental activities captured in live-streamed events.

Critics might point out Ethereum’s past hosting of numerous Ponzi schemes.

Buterin would likely categorize an Ethereum-based Ponzi token within the application layer, reinforcing his point that this layer is more susceptible to developer worldviews and social philosophies.

Also Read: Ethereum’s Buterin Proposes Enhanced Security Model Amidst Market Turbulence