Over the weekend a conference took place billed as “Satoshi Roundtable.” For one, Satoshi was not there. And for two, even though the conference was comprised largely of self-identifying libertarians or “anarcho-capitalists,” the symbolism of the event – a Roundtable – couldn’t be any more loaded.
The symbolism of a Round Table has evolved throughout the course of history. By the end of the twelfth century, the Round Table represented the chivalric order of Arthur’s Court, known as Knights of the Round Table. Generally, knights were of noble birth – they were kings and princes, dukes, counts (or earls) and barons. They were important to the army, as they had expensive armor, training and weapons, unlike the field soldiers. While the anarcho-capitalists of Satoshi’s Roundtable might pretend to hate authority, it seems they don’t mind assuming some for themselves.
The knights were perceived heroes, known for their strength and courage and their combat and warfare. They were beholden to protecting the king and the kingdom.
The chivalric order, also known as an equestrian order, represents a society of knights. Inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades (from approximately 1099-1291), later medieval chivalric orders believed themselves to be in an ongoing military effort against Islam despite the odds being against them.
During the fifteenth century, orders of chivalry of knighthood became a courtly manner which ultimately led to the modern-day meritage.
The first appearance of the concept of a Round Table arises in Wace’s Roman de Brut. Wace claims Arthur started the order to prevent infighting amongst his barons, who would not accept lower orders than the others.
The spirit of the Round Table is in direct contradiction to the spirit of transparency with which the Bitcoin protocol seems to have been designed. Wace might have stumbled upon the notion of a […]
