The fundamental values of the crypto community

The author argues that blockchains fall into three generations, each with a distinct value system, and that all three advance onchain activity. First-generation coins such as Bitcoin, Zcash, Litecoin, Dogecoin and Namecoin carry a "monetary freedom" ethos of a permissionless global payment system. Ethereum, launched in 2015 with a "World Computer" narrative, added smart contracts and DAOs and an ideal of broad social freedom. Third-generation platforms such as Avalanche, Cosmos, Solana and NEAR were built for high throughput and are more pragmatic and enterprise-focused.