This article is the final chapter of the "Blockchain Civilization Trilogy," aiming to outline the nascent form of a decentralized society (DeSoc). We believe that civilization is undergoing a fundamental shift: from the atomic age to the bit age. Against this backdrop, Ethereum demonstrates its potential to become a meta-framework for civilization—an "error-correcting system" that allows social institutions to continuously iterate in a low-cost, programmable environment. The upper limit of this framework begins with its most basic unit—human beings. This article argues that as RWA (Real-World Assets) on-chain reaches a certain scale, the overall mapping of ideas, culture, and RWO (Real-World Organizations) will presuppose the "on-chain representation of people." Individual rights such as identity, credit, abilities, and social relationships must be reliably mapped, freely transferred, and combined to achieve on-chain reconstruction of social structures. Based on this, this article elaborates on DeSoc, centered on the "sovereign individual," from three layers: identity, economy, and governance. Individuals, leveraging their digitized on-chain rights and assets, can migrate at low cost between multiple DAOs (Digital City-States), thereby driving governance optimization and ultimately forming a competitive governance structure, ushering in a new chapter in the digital age. Keywords: Decentralized society; Sovereign individual; On-chain human activities; Data assetization; Universal basic income; Digital age. Introduction: Eternal Migration—The Path to Freedom from Geographical Frontiers to Digital Domains Freedom of migration is one of humanity's oldest and most fundamental rights. Before the formation of nation-states and fixed borders, tribes and families could migrate based on their survival and security needs, choosing better environments. This mechanism, with migration as a feedback loop, is the original constraint on power—it does not eliminate power, but rather ensures that power can always be replaced. Agricultural civilization and state-building tightened this freedom: population was tied to land, and power, through "irrevocable authorization," anchored individuals to their birthplace, transforming the social contract from a dynamic reciprocal relationship into a static constraint. Individual migration became costly, and the recovery of power was difficult. However, the pursuit of individual freedom has never disappeared, giving rise to two major trends: 1. Vertical escape: Individuals migrate to seek freer, more prosperous, and rule-of-law societies, enabling them to actively choose governance and services. 2. Horizontal integration: Nation-state integration to obtain higher-level public goods, expanding the boundaries of mobility and the market. These two trends point to a core demand: people are constantly seeking a field where they can "vote with their feet" more cost-effectively and efficiently. Today, blockchain technology, especially DeSoc on Ethereum, is opening up a third path: building a completely new digital realm. Here, the right to "vote with your feet" is natively and cost-effectively re-granted to every individual. This article aims to demonstrate that DeSoc, starting with "human beings on the blockchain," is the latest chapter in humanity's eternal migration of freedom in the digital age. It will achieve the ultimate deconstruction of "irrevocable authorization" and accelerate the evolution of civilization towards the digital age. Identity Layer—From "Data Naked" to "Sovereignty Resides in Humans" 1. Theoretical Foundation: From SBT to the Vision of "Social Composability" Vitalik Buterin, in "Decentralized Society: Searching for the Soul of Web3" and "What Are My Thoughts on Biometric Identity?" In his articles, he laid the theoretical foundation for the next generation of identity systems. His proposed concept of "Soul-Bound Identity," with its core carrier SBT (Soul-Bound Token), is not another financial asset, but a non-transferable certificate carrying an individual's social history, credit, and contributions. The ultimate goal of this system is to build social composability—allowing each independent "person" to have an identifiable, trustworthy, and incentivized social foundation on the blockchain. 2. Technical Architecture: Sovereign Identity Stack and Standardization Process The vision of "people on the blockchain" is moving from theory to engineering reality through a series of Ethereum community standards (EIP/ERC). Its core technology is a three-layer "sovereign identity stack" driven by community consensus: 2.1 DID: The Root of Sovereignty and Standardized Identity Anchor A decentralized identifier following the W3C DID standard provides individuals with the ability to generate and fully control their "root identity." On Ethereum, this concept is embodied in EIP-4361 (Sign-In with Ethereum, SIWE). This standard allows users to directly log in to third-party applications using their Ethereum accounts, achieving decentralized authentication methods and representing a crucial step in returning identity sovereignty to the individual. Simultaneously, EIP-712 (Structured Data Signature) provides security and user experience guarantees for DID when signing complex, readable off-chain claims (such as identity credentials). 2.2 Zero-Knowledge Proofs: A Shield of Privacy and a Verifiable Credential Engine Zero-knowledge proofs (ZK) are a privacy enhancement layer in the identity stack. They ensure the authenticity of identity claims (such as "I am 18 years of age or older") without exposing all data (such as date of birth) through a "verifiable but invisible" cryptographic mechanism. Although ZK itself is a cryptographic primitive, its application in the identity field is being driven by exploratory proposals such as ERC-5833 (a privacy-compliant combination of soul-bound tokens), aiming to address the compliance and privacy challenges of SBT. 2.3 SBT: The Soul of Society and an On-Chain History Container As a data container and social history module for identity, the form of SBT is being defined and optimized through multiple ERC proposals. Its core idea originates from ERC-721 (Non-Fungible Token Standard), but the key characteristic of "non-transferability" is endowed by specialized extended standards: ERC-4973 and ERC-5192 (Minimum Soul-Bound Tokens) are two competing proposals aimed at defining the core logic of SBTs. Both inject the token with the attribute of "non-transferability" and bind its metadata to identity. In addition, ERC-1155 (Multi-Token Standard), due to its efficient batch processing capabilities, is often considered for issuing and managing large numbers of composable SBT credentials, thereby building a programmable social DNA for individuals in the digital world. This community-standard-based technology stack, composed of DID (EIP-4361/712) + ZK (Privacy Enhancement) + SBT (ERC-4973/5192/1155), is the lowest-level, interactive architecture that allows DeSoc to move from white paper to smart contracts. 3. Ecosystem Practice: Early Graphs of Personality on the Blockchain Currently, identity experiments within the Ethereum ecosystem exhibit characteristics of "fragmented exploration." A series of cutting-edge projects are dedicated to mapping abstract identity theories into concrete digital personality networks: Lens Protocol/Farcaster: Putting social graphs on the blockchain, making social relationships and influence portable and verifiable assets. Worldcoin: Despite controversy, its attempt to verify "human uniqueness" through biometrics reveals a path to resisting Sybil attacks and achieving inclusive identity distribution. Proof of Humanity/Idena: Through different "human proof" mechanisms, it strives to distinguish real individuals from false identities on the blockchain, safeguarding the authenticity foundation of DeSoc. Gitcoin Passport / ENS: By integrating on-chain contributions, domain identity, and reputation credentials, it constructs a quantifiable foundational profile for an individual's social capital. These practices, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, have achieved breakthroughs in single dimensions such as social interaction, identity, and biometrics, objectively forming "multi-source reputation fragments," but have not yet realized the "composable digital personality" required by DeSoc. Against this backdrop, the explorations of projects like Credinet are particularly important. They are no longer satisfied with isolated descriptions of a single attribute of "person," but rather integrate tools such as MACI (Verifiable Computation Tool for Manipulated Interaction) to attempt to build a digital identity framework that allows users to carry and prove their multi-dimensional credit fragments. This project starts from multiple independent ZK proof modules to create a sustainable, verifiable, and composable "Lego-like" profile of individual rights, aiming to achieve the goals of "unified profile + fragmented rights + privacy and coercion resistance + decentralized governance." 4. Real-world Motivation: From Industry Pain Points to Civilizational Infrastructure Building decentralized identities is not only a technological evolution but also a rigid requirement for the real-world development of blockchain. Industry-driven: Advanced financial applications such as insurance, credit, and decentralized governance all rely on trusted identities to achieve accurate risk pricing and incentive allocation. Civilization-driven: In the grand narrative of Ethereum civilization, DeSoc is not a simple extension of DeFi but a paradigm revolution in social structure. Establishing trusted identity infrastructure is the foundation for building a new civilization. Competition-driven: The next growth curve for the industry should not be confined to the involutionary competition of DeFi, but should shift towards building underlying infrastructure like the identity layer, which possesses positive externalities and network effects, fully leveraging Ethereum's irreplaceable advantages of trust and neutrality. Conclusion: When an individual's credit, abilities, and relationship networks become portable and freely movable digital assets, humanity regains a crucial freedom in the digital world—migration. The construction of the identity layer is therefore far more than just a technological upgrade. It is the ultimate confirmation of individual rights, a historic starting point for Ethereum civilization to move from a "capital contract" to a "social contract." From then on, people are no longer prisoners of algorithms, but truly sovereign nodes in the on-chain world. The establishment of this identity layer makes "people" for the first time in the digital world unique entities with complete history and reputation, providing credible atomic units for all subsequent socio-economic activities. Economic Level: Ecological Reconstruction from "Financial Lego" to "Social Lego" When credible and rich digital identities become a reality, a credit-based market system will rise accordingly. Individuals will be able to break free from the constraints of geographical boundaries, evolving from "digital nomads" to "digital citizens," living and creating in a new economy built on algorithmic trust. 3.1 Credit as Capital: The Rise of Personality Finance When credible identities become a common reality, a financial market based on personality credit can be constructed. Members of the DAO can issue "reputation bonds" (a type of debt instrument backed by future labor or contribution income) using SBT; open-source developers can obtain "trust loans" based on their contribution records; and high-reputation communities can even issue stablecoins backed by collective credit. The barriers to finance have been completely dismantled. Trust is dynamically defined by algorithms and real-time behavior. Finance returns to its essence—the quantitative expression of social trust. From now on, financial activities are no longer the exclusive game of capital, but a natural extension of personal credit. 3.2 Reputation as Productivity: The Birth of the Idea Marketplace When a credible identity carries a rich individual resume, a brand-new "idea market" is unlocked. All creative units, interactions, and evaluations are deposited as a portfolio of reputation assets for the producers. Knowledge can be securitized, influence can be invested, and collaboration can be quantified. In this new market, those who are trusted become the most productive. At this point, an "idea market" with trust as the settlement unit is formed. 3.3 Identity as Institution: On-Chain Real Economy A credible identity system provides an institutional bridge for the integration of the real economy and the on-chain economy. Enterprises, communities, and other organizations can map their legal structures to on-chain sovereign identities, enabling complex relationships such as equity, governance rights, and asset rights to be automatically executed through smart contracts. Company DAO **Embodied:** Equity and voting rights are represented by NFTs/SBTs. **Community Financialization:** Governance rules and profit distribution are encapsulated in code. This achieves a paradigm shift from "legal trust" to "algorithmic trust," laying a trustworthy foundation for blockchain in the real world. 3.4 The Paradigm Shift in the Economy: Endogenous Trust and Order Reconstruction When trustworthy individuals become the basic units of the economy, the entire economic operating paradigm shifts. Its core manifestation is: transaction costs approach zero, and the cost of wrongdoing approaches infinity. **Transaction Cost Collapse: Trust Becomes an Endogenous Mechanism** On-chain identity and credit systems eliminate the three core frictions: information asymmetry, lack of trust, and difficulty in fulfilling obligations. Trust transforms from an expensive external cost into a cheap, endogenous algorithmic attribute, thus enabling the economic system to leap from a high-friction society to a low-friction society. The cost of wrongdoing skyrockets: credit becomes a permanent constraint. SBT's non-transferability permanently binds individuals to their behavioral records. A single fraudulent act can damage on-chain credit, resulting in the loss of all opportunities for cooperation before repair. Under rational calculation, maintaining credit becomes the only optimal strategy. The arrival of a trust-based civilization: from the rule of law to self-governance. When transaction costs approach zero and the cost of wrongdoing approaches infinity, the foundation of social order shifts from external coercion to internal constraints. The rule of law evolves into "trust-based self-discipline," and regulation gives way to "reputation constraints." We are moving from a "contractual society" to a "credit-based civilization." 3.5 The Rise of Digital Nomads When "humans" are established as trustworthy and abundant digital entities, "digital nomads," freed from geographical limitations, truly evolve into digital citizens. Their basic source of income (UBI) consists of two parts: **Data Asset Income** An active and trustworthy on-chain identity is itself a data asset that sustainably generates revenue. Individuals can, through data markets and while protecting privacy (e.g., through zero-knowledge proofs), authorize the use of their data to those with needs such as AI training and market analysis, thereby obtaining stable, passive data rights income. **Node Network Income** By providing basic resources to the network (such as PoS staking, storage/computing power for DePIN devices), individuals receive corresponding network maintenance income. This income, together with data asset income, constitutes DeSoc. The national income base that guarantees basic economic security. Governance: From "Full Power of Attorney" to "Bit-like Authorization" The essence of power is the possession and control of the rights of others. Since the birth of political society, this power stems from the relinquishment of individual rights. In the imperial era, the relinquishment of rights was a one-time, irrevocable act, even permanently transferring the rights of future generations; in the constitutional era, the relinquishment of rights occurs according to the election cycle. The commonality between these two models is that the relinquishment of rights is long-term in time and holistic in scope. When rights are relinquished holistically and permanently, individuals lose their fundamental bargaining chip for checking power. Freedom of movement thus becomes the ultimate defense mechanism for individuals against power. When individual rights become decomposable, composable, and transferable on-chain data, no longer locked by geographical boundaries, this defense mechanism is technically and permanently activated. The millennia-old pattern of political power is thus fundamentally restructured: power is forced to shift from monopoly to competition, from coercion to service. RWO and RWE (Real World Things) will be redefined and rapidly iterated under this new power paradigm. 4.1 DAO: An Institutional Experiment as a "Digital City-State" Every DAO, regardless of its goal—whether managing protocols, operating a community, or making investments—can be considered a miniature "digital city-state." They possess:
Written Constitution: Bylaws and governance rules encapsulated in the form of smart contracts
Independent Finance: Community treasury managed by code
Citizenship Group: Rights subjects composed of token holders and contributors
4.2 Refined Freedom: "Chain Migration" and Multidimensional Identity Configuration
In the physical world, immigration means a one-time, bundled switch in political affiliation, economic environment, and cultural life, which is costly and difficult.
In DeSoc, "chain migration" achieves the unbinding and refinement of freedom. Individuals can enjoy high reputation in the technical DAO for their programming contributions, and at the same time become core members of the cultural DAO for their artistic taste.
He can choose to exercise governance rights in a DAO that shares common principles, while simultaneously allocating assets in a DAO that provides better financial services. This ability to precisely allocate multidimensional personal rights across different digital city-states marks the first time humanity has achieved low-cost, comprehensive freedom of choice. 4.3 Governance Competition: A "Competition for Attraction" Between Institutions and Cultures The extremely low cost of "chain migration" allows competition between DAOs to transcend traditional paradigms, evolving into a comprehensive "competition for institutional attraction." To attract and retain high-value "digital citizens," DAOs must continuously optimize their institutional offerings: Political attractiveness: more transparent governance, fairer voting, and more reversible empowerment; Economic attractiveness: a more rational tax system, richer income opportunities, and stronger public services; Cultural attractiveness: a more inclusive community atmosphere, more distinct values, and a more vibrant creative ecosystem. This competition will spur unprecedented institutional innovation, just as the prosperity of free city-states has historically been. Ultimately, the quality of governance and the vitality of culture will directly determine the rise and fall of a digital city-state. System Integration: The Emergence of DeSoc – A Dynamic, Organic Social Ecosystem When individuals are fully empowered on the blockchain, and their identity, credit, and governance participation evolve continuously in a data-driven and composable manner, society begins to exhibit a dynamically emerging structure. It no longer relies on central planning or macro-design, but is generated by the free choices of billions of individuals and the automatic collaboration of smart contracts. The essence of DeSoc (decentralized society) is precisely this bottom-up order generation mechanism. Individual Level: Each person, as a sovereign individual, possesses a digital identity that carries all their rights, obtains basic security through data assets and node income, achieves personal development through proof of contribution, and enjoys unprecedented autonomy and security. At the governance level: DAOs engage in institutional competition for talent and attention, driving continuous optimization of governance models and forming an "open market for governance." At the system level: The entire society exhibits dynamic and organic vitality. Power is effectively tamed (through reversible authorization), innovation is greatly incentivized (through proof of contribution), and individual dignity and economic autonomy are fundamentally guaranteed. In this system, power becomes temporary authorization, institutions become updatable code, and the social contract, for the first time, possesses the possibility of real-time evolution. This is a reboot of human civilization: a society no longer bound by territory, identity, or institutions, spontaneously reborn in the world of bits. Conclusion: Towards a Digital Era of Ownership, Autonomy, and Enjoyment The evolution of the "Blockchain Civilization Trilogy" converges here, forming a solid logical loop: We reveal the tool for taming power—reversible authorization, transforming power from a monopoly into a service that individuals can control; We lay the foundation for civilization—Ethereum's trust neutrality, global consensus, and programmability, providing the permissionless and trustless underlying basis for DeSoc; We outline the blueprint for a new society—starting with "people on the blockchain," through the confirmation of identity, economic autonomy, and competition in governance, ultimately arriving at a human-centered digital civilization. This marks a profound shift in the foundation of civilization: from the atomic age, based on matter and energy, to the bit age, built on data and information. The laws of the atomic age were geographical binding, resource scarcity, and centralized power. Social structures and institutions were constrained by the "atomic logic" of the physical world—everything has a place and weight, making migration difficult. The paradigm of the bit age is global mobility, infinite replicability, and decentralized power. All elements of the individual and society—identity, assets, trust, and relationships—are deconstructed into programmable, composable, verifiable, revocable, and freely transferable bit units. It transforms "identity" from a form of total agency to personal ownership; it transforms "governance" from monopolistic management to self-governing service; it transforms "benefits" from capital monopoly to the enjoyment of the creator. Lincoln's ideal of "of the people, by the people, for the people" in his Gettysburg Address is here imbued with entirely new contemporary meaning, transforming from a grand narrative at the collective level into the practical life of every sovereign individual: "of myself, by myself, for myself." This is—the Bit Age.
Thinking
1. If "people on the blockchain" becomes mainstream (identity, resume, and credit are all on the chain), will your most fundamental "freedom" be amplified or weakened? Which freedoms will be amplified (right to choose, right to migrate, right to participate)? Which freedoms will be quietly tightened (right to forget, right to start over, space to make anonymous mistakes)?
2. In the narrative of "sovereign individual," are you more afraid of: others not treating you as a person, or the system taking you too seriously as a "calculable person"?
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