What makes someone a citizen? How do you prevent corruption in governance? When do economic contributors deserve political control? These questions dominated political discourse in ancient Athens—and they're just as urgent for network state founders today.
Our inaugural Edeneum salon brought together builders, researchers, and philosophers from across 8 countries for a deep dive into Aristotle's Politics Book 3. What started as an experiment in intellectual discussion became a 3-hour marathon exploring the foundational principles of statecraft.
Salon Materials
Now, let’s do a quick recap of this amazing salon.
The Framework: Aristotle's Six-Fold Classification
Menachem opened the session by introducing Aristotle's systematic approach to government forms:
The Three Right Constitutions:
Monarchy: Rule by one for the common good
Aristocracy: Rule by few virtuous leaders for the state's benefit
Constitutional Government: Rule by many for common advantage
The Three Corrupted Forms:
Tyranny: Monarchy serving only the ruler's interests
Oligarchy: Government serving only the wealthy
Democracy: Rule of the many for their own interest
Modern Relevance: Network state founders must choose which model fits their community's values and circumstances—while building safeguards against corruption.
The Great Citizenship Debate
The salon's most provocative discussion centered on Aristotle's definition: "A citizen pure and simple is defined by nothing else so much as by the right to participate in judicial functions and office."
Ancient vs. Modern Citizenship
John's observation: "In modern democracies, we don't really have the right to do this. We have the right to ask, but we don't actually have the right to get elected... Almost no one's actually a citizen of modern states by Aristotle's definition."
Network State Implications
David (Nigeria): "I think citizenship should be a choice just like religion... When you are 18, everyone should take a test that checks whether you agree with the ideology and principles of the nation."
This sparked intense debate about:
Whether citizenship should be earned vs. inherited
How to handle ideological disagreement across generations
The practical challenges of exile and statelessness
Voice Spotlight: Global Network State Builders
Leo (Venice, Italy)
"We have to understand which moment of history is rebooting now... Venice was literally the Amazon of the past, controlling all trades in the world. The recursion happening right now is close to potential oligarchy—rich people backed by VCs building startup societies."
Electra (Australia/Network School)
"I'm planning to be a dictator. And I think if you're going to do that, it's very important that you're not really a dictator, and that your citizens can truly leave. I think a lot about exit technology and increasing liquidity across borders."
Marcus (Orlando, Florida)
"He seems to be saying that the same constitution can lead to virtuous government or tyrannical government... Even if your constitution is perfect, if the virtue of the leaders is bad, it will devolve."
John (UK)
"If you're starting a tiny state with 0 population, it's very difficult to believe that you would successfully attract wealthy individuals if they didn't get political control."
Historical Parallels: Learning from the Past
The discussion revealed fascinating connections between ancient and modern governance:
The Venice Model
Leo provided deep insights into how Venice operated as a merchant republic—essentially the world's first successful network state. Key lessons:
Started as allied villages under Byzantine protection
Evolved into an oligarchic republic controlling global trade
Eventually stagnated due to closed aristocratic system
Modern parallel: Need for innovation and openness to prevent decay
Roman Empire Parallels
Jim and Leo explored how America's trajectory mirrors Rome's:
Republic → Empire → Crisis → Decentralization
Immigration pressures and bureaucratic bloat
Potential transition to "digital Byzantine era" with more state autonomy
The Federation Question
Electra shared Australian Federation insights: different colonies unified when infrastructure coordination (like railroad compatibility) became essential—offering lessons for network state alliances.
Key Philosophical Tensions
Virtue vs. Wealth in Governance
Aristotle argued that both oligarchy (rule by wealthy) and democracy (rule by poor) miss the point: "The most important thing they do not mention is that if men formed their community for the sake of wealth, their share in the state is proportionate to their property... But the state was formed not for the sake of life only, but rather for the good life."
The Good Citizen vs. Good Person
A crucial distinction emerged: being a good citizen requires different skills than being a good person. Good citizens must learn both to rule and be ruled—relevant for network states where leadership may rotate or be distributed.
Universal vs. Particular Justice
The eternal tension: equal treatment for equals, but unequal treatment for unequals. Modern network states face this in questions like:
Should token holders get voting power proportional to holdings?
How do you balance meritocracy with fairness?
When is inequality justified?
Practical Implications for Network State Builders
The Funding Dilemma
John's central challenge: "It's difficult to believe that people with capital would put huge amounts into the project unless they got some degree of political influence."
Potential solutions discussed:
Land appreciation model: Investors profit from increased property values without governance control
Expertise-based hierarchies: Military-style progression where leadership is earned through service
Constitutional safeguards: Bitcoin-like rules that even founders can't change
The Land Question
Despite digital-first approaches, physical presence remains crucial. Key insights:
Empty land exists but lacks infrastructure
Partnerships with existing jurisdictions may be more viable than complete independence
Exit rights require multiple citizenship options to prevent hostage situations
What We Learned About Running Salons
This 3-hour experiment in intellectual discussion revealed:
Format Insights:
Reading Together: Live text analysis created shared understanding
Global Participation: 8 countries, multiple time zones—technology enables true global discourse
Mixed Physical/Digital: Network School participants in Malaysia plus remote attendees worked well
Deep Dive Approach: Sustained focus on one text yielded richer insights than surface-level discussions
Engagement Patterns:
Participants naturally connected ancient concepts to modern challenges
Personal experiences (military service, business building, national backgrounds) enriched theoretical discussion
Controversial topics (citizenship tests, wealth in governance) generated the most productive debate
Resources & Deep Dives
a. Essential Reading List
Harvey Mansfield's "Student's Guide to Political Philosophy"
Balaji Srinivasan's "The Network State"
Aristotle’s The Organon
b. Study Groups on Luma
Join me on the path to human perfection:
Logic (Aristotle's complete Organon)
Mathematics
Natural Sciences
Divine Science/Metaphysics
Join Menaחem’s study on logic with Aristotle's Organon on Luma.
The Organon Curriculum by Aristotle (more in Notion)
Political Philosophy Curriculum (more in Notion)
"The first order of governance is with yourself.
You are the first city to conquer."
Next Steps - Looking Forward: Salon 002
Coming Next: Moses vs. Mayflower - Two historical models for exiting oppressive systems and founding new societies. Which path should network state builders follow?
This inaugural salon proved that there's tremendous appetite for serious intellectual engagement in the network state community. By grounding modern experiments in classical wisdom, we can avoid repeating historical mistakes while building something genuinely new.
P.S. This salon took place online, but some NS members joined in from the karaoke room at Network School Malaysia at midnight local time—proving that serious intellectual discourse can happen anywhere, anytime, when the right minds come together.
