A common blockchain criticism is "why can't we just do this but without speculation?"

Is there a good layman explainer we can link to on why blockchains require a native token with financial value?

A doodler and computerer. I like permissive/permissionless open source, smart contracts, p2p systems, room-scale VR, and NixOS.

shazow.net

Currently: WhatsABI

Blockchains need a bridge to the real world to exist and economic value via proof of work or proof of stake and native tokens are the only things we have figured out how to bridge

How do you convince someone like Cory Doctorow of this?

Do the opposite and try really hard to design a blockchain that doesn’t bridge value to work in an interactive way with them

"I would simply use a consortium of trusted parties, no token required"

This is how the internet started.

But there are no such consortiums today. Sucks.

Ironically a thing built on institutional trust played a big role in eroding institutional trust.

Maybe if internet hadn’t pulled up the ladder we’d have cold fusion and quantum computers and world peace by now.