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NEW TERRITORY OF FREEDOM

In the early days of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto found himself in a dialogue with skeptics and enthusiasts alike. One such conversation took place on the metzdowd Cryptography Mailing List, where Nakamoto addressed the role of cryptography in political problems.

In his response, Nakamoto acknowledged that while cryptography may not provide a solution to political problems, it can “win a major battle in the arms race and gain a new territory of freedom for several years.” He further argued that governments are effective at cutting off the heads of centrally controlled networks, but pure peer-to-peer networks like Gnutella and Tor seem to be holding their own.

This email showcases Nakamoto’s belief in the resilience of decentralized systems and the potential for technology to carve out spaces of freedom. It provides a glimpse into the philosophical underpinnings of Bitcoin and the vision that guided its creation.