The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age

These dudes (the authors) called out Osama Bin Laden in '97 as a threat to nation states. He basically called out cryptocurrencies (not how they work, but that they'll arise). Incredible that they could see forward that clearly.Also, the questions they ask that others don't ask is perhaps the most valuable aspect of reading this book. They engage the role of violence as central to why we have the political paradigms we have. No one really bothers to realize how central violence is to how human societies organize themselves. It's very insightful.Thanks for writing this, gents. I don't agree with everything in the book of course, but your style of question asking, and the models you present are tremendous.If you do pick this up, you will struggle through the first chapter. Heads up.

This book is full of insights and the quality of the writing is breathtaking. The book is so prescient on a variety of ideas, particularly on the advent of bitcoin. If I had read this book when it was published, I would have paid attention to (and understood) the merits (and increasing value) of bitcoin long before it became mainstream. I’m not sure I buy into all their arguments, particularly on the ease by which people may shop for a new jurisdiction or drop a traditional job in exchange for participation in some virtual markplace for on-demand talent, but I buy most of thier arguments which are elequently and convincingly argued.

He basically lays out the argument for the eventual dissolution of countries and nation states in their current form. He argues that the advent of the internet fundamentally changes the dynamics that currently allow governments to operate as they are and that, in the future, governments will have to change their model in order to survive. The individual is now in charge, if they so chose, to leverage the internet and improve/protect their existing/future lifestyle.

I wanted to read this book since Billionaire Peter Thiel said it was a very influential book to him. I decide to give it a read to see what impressed him about this book (when it came out). However, I have the 20/20 perspective of time. Very interesting read esp 20 years later.

Want to know what the world looks like as hyperbitcoinization happens? And what are the ramifications of such a world? This is a good thought experiment as to what might happen. Given the authors track record in prediction so far (they correctly predicted cryptocurrency 10 years before bitcoin was released), their other prognostications are worth a read.

An unbelievably macro-view of western sociology-political-economic theory. Written in 1997, this book has predicted numerous macro events that have actually come to pass here in June 2021, date of this review. Written from a very scholarly perspective, the authors have been able to knit together a very plausible view on how things have, and could very possibly will evolve on a world scale.

This is a fascinating history of technology and the use of force. The authors premise that big things seem to happen approximately every 500 years that change the course of history seems to be true. The last few chapters about why the nation states are failing and how smaller groups have become adept at the use of force against these dinosaurs is fascinating.

20% useful insight, 50% rational speculation, 30% crap. The book has a dark rendering of the role of nation states.

An extreme far right libertarian dystopian view of the future that his son JRM appears to be willing along with his WTO no deal Brexit plans. Yes...the information age is upon us and the impact of goverments being unprepared has led to western liberal democracy being challenged. This has resulted in a rise of nationalism across the globe. If you voted Brexit because you believe Britain can be a great sovereign state outside the EU...then read this book and you will find that WRM is predicting, with relish at the thought of monetary gains from no taxation, the demise of the nation state, including goverment services like the welfare state and nhs. Of course, we are just tax slaves and how much better off we will be when we are liberated from taxation and no longer have to pay for the services provided to the less well off in society...except you...yes you who voted brexit...will be one of the less well off rather than a sovereign individual.

Although written before the turn of the Millennium, this book predicted many of the social, political, and technological changes that have come to pass in the first two decades of the twenty-first century.Some other reviewers here have seen fit to condemn this book for what they perceive to be its authors' unpalatable "extreme far right libertarian" ideology or "selfish misanthropic" attitude. From my reading of the book, these accusations are unfair. The authors do have a detectable libertarian bent, but this does not detract from the rigour of their historical analysis or the clarity of the reasoning by which they arrive at their conclusions and predictions. Throughout the book their concern is reality, and what shape it will take in the future that is now our present.By any objective measurement, the authors were immensely successful in their efforts, identifying and anticipating the many of the fundamental technological and social forces that have shaped the last twenty years of world history. Among their predictions (written, let us remember, in 1997) are:Political:- "A decline in the status and power of traditional elites, as well as a decline in the respect accorded the symbols and beliefs that justify the nation-state"- "An intense, even violent nationalistic reaction centered among those who lose status, income, and power when what they consider to be "ordinary life" is disrupted by political devolution and new market arrangements."- "...suspicion of and opposition to globalization, free trade, "foreign" ownership and penetration of local economies"- "...popular hatred of the information elite, rich people, the well-educated, and complaints about capital flight and disappearing jobs"Economic:- "Lifetime employment will disappear as "jobs" increasingly become tasks or "piece work" rather than positions within an organization."- "Many members of learned professions will be replaced by interactive information-retrieval systems."- "The new society, and therefore the new culture, will be defined at one end by what machines can do better than people, by automation that will do away with increasing numbers of low-skill tasks, and at the other by the power that information technology gives to people who actually have the talent to take advantage of it."- "When the state finds itself unable to meet its committed expenditures by raising tax revenues, it will resort to other, more desperate measures. Among them is printing money."Technological:- "...the advent of the Information Age implies another revolution in the character of money. As cybercommerce begins, it will lead inevitably to the cybermoney....This new digital form of money is destined to play a pivotal role in cybercommerce. It will consist of encrypted sequences of multihundred-digit prime numbers. Unique, anonymous, and verifiable, this money will accommodate the largest transactions. It will also be divisible into the tiniest fraction of value. It will be tradable at a keystroke in a multitrillion-dollar wholesale market without borders."Media:- "Within the next few decades, for example, narrow-casting will replace broadcasting as the method by which individuals obtain their news. This has significant implications. It amounts to a change in the imaginations of millions from first person plural to singular. As individuals themselves begin to serve as their own news editors, selecting what topics and news stories are of interest, it is far less likely that they well choose to indoctrinate themselves in the urgencies of sacrifice to the nation-state. Indeed, their attitudes are more likely to be informed by the global culture to which they relate as consumers of entertainment that by the highly personal "news" narrow-casts to which they may subscribe."The authors did not come to these startling insights at random. They are derived from a detailed investigation into "megapolitical" historical trends, the most fundamental and important factors that have shaped the successive forms of human society and civilisation so far.Anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the technological, social, and political upheavals of the last two decades would be well advised to read this book. To quote from its introduction, "As technology revolutionizes the tools we use, it also antiquates our laws, reshapes our morals, and alters our perceptions. This book explains how."

It's quite bonkers, and yet a consistent pattern, that collectivists love to level the accusation of extremism at libertarians.A cursory understanding of history shows the opposite to be the case, only collectivist feeling and misguided projects have the ability to cause genocide and suffering a scale appropriate to label 'extremist'.The book is profound and insightful. Save yourself, collectivist delusions will only see you trampled under the boot of some statist delusion or another.

Enjoyed the history part with the transition between eras. Best part is how much the authors saw of how the internet / chips would change everything. Will certainly challenge some people's thinking on the institutions / government setups... for me this is an interesting alternative perspective worth reading whatever your worldview.

Though the book is written a while back, the info is still current and some of it has already happened.