Understand how to build the underlying logic of blockchain cognition in one article

Global Digital Development Research Report, Volume 3, Issue 43 (October 20, 2025-October 26, 2025)

This issue reviews how to build the underlying logic of blockchain cognition for your reference.

The blockchain world is far more complex than imagined, with countless conflicting concepts and ideas intertwined, leaving beginners bewildered. Choosing the right introductory reading material is a crucial first step to avoiding misguided paths.

As one of the most anticipated innovation areas in recent years, blockchain technology has attracted a large number of explorers and investors. However, this emerging field is rife with complex technical concepts, conflicting theoretical viewpoints, and confusing investment concepts, leaving countless beginners at a loss and even leading them astray. In this environment, choosing authoritative and reliable introductory reading material is a crucial first step in building a comprehensive knowledge base on blockchain.

I. The Complexity of Blockchain: A Mysterious World of Technology

Since Satoshi Nakamoto proposed the concept of Bitcoin in 2008, blockchain technology has developed into a vast and complex ecosystem. This system integrates knowledge from multiple disciplines, including cryptography, distributed computing, and economics, creating a very high barrier to entry.

For beginners, the blockchain field presents numerous confusions: What is the relationship between cryptocurrency and blockchain? What are the differences between public, private, and consortium chains? What are the advantages and disadvantages of different consensus mechanisms? To complicate matters further, there are a variety of investment scams and fake projects under the guise of blockchain in the market, making those lacking professional knowledge vulnerable to exploitation. II. Five Dimensions for Selecting Introductory Reading Materials: Building a Complete Evaluation Framework Faced with so many blockchain books, how should beginners choose? I believe these can be evaluated along five dimensions: authoritative content, readability, openness, foresight, and popularity. Authoritative content refers to the author's background and expertise, as well as the accuracy and reliability of the content. Readability refers to the book's narrative style and language, and whether it's suitable for beginners. Openness refers to whether the book offers multiple perspectives, rather than a single point of view. Foresight assesses whether the book offers insights into the future development trends of blockchain. Popularity is reflected in sales, number of reprints, and expert recommendations.

III. "Blockchain Revolution": A Book of Insight into the Future

"Blockchain Revolution," written by Don Tapscott, the father of the digital economy, is globally recognized as an authoritative work on the blockchain field.

In terms of authoritative content, Tapscott is a world-renowned new economist and business strategy expert. His research on blockchain technology has been widely recognized by the global academic community. The book's content is based on in-depth research on blockchain technology and its application scenarios, and is highly reliable.

In terms of readability, the book uses numerous business cases and everyday analogies, avoiding a clutter of technical jargon, making it easy for readers without a technical background to understand the core concepts and value propositions of blockchain. In terms of openness, "Blockchain Revolution" doesn't simply extoll the advantages of blockchain, but rather objectively analyzes the challenges and limitations of the technology, offering readers diverse perspectives. From a forward-looking perspective, the book accurately predicts the application prospects of blockchain in various fields, including finance, the Internet of Things, and culture and entertainment, many of which have already become reality. In terms of popularity, the book has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide, has been translated into multiple languages, and has received high praise from global business leaders and academics. Huobi founder Li Lin also believes that the book "explains the most profound technical issues and future prospects of blockchain in a very accessible way." 4. "Blockchain: Technology-Driven Finance": A Classic Work that Delves into the Essential Technology. Co-authored by Arvind Narayanan, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University, and several other scholars, "Blockchain: Technology-Driven Finance" is an authoritative guide to blockchain from a technical perspective. The author's authoritative backgrounds lie in their strong academic backgrounds, drawn from renowned universities and research institutions. The book provides an in-depth and accurate explanation of the technical principles of Bitcoin and blockchain, and has been adopted as a textbook by numerous universities. While the book covers a significant amount of technical content, its step-by-step approach and rich illustrations make complex technical concepts relatively accessible. Even readers without a deep technical background can follow the author's ideas. Regarding openness, this book objectively analyzes the strengths and limitations of blockchain technology from the fundamental perspective, avoiding overstating its potential applications and helping readers develop a rational cognitive framework. From a forward-looking perspective, this book not only explains the fundamental technologies of Bitcoin and blockchain but also offers insights into possible future technological evolution, providing readers with a foundation for continued learning. In terms of popularity, this book has been hailed as the "introductory bible for blockchain technology" and is widely cited and recommended worldwide. The continuous updates of multiple versions also demonstrate its popularity in the market. V. Two-Book Combination: Building a Complete Knowledge Framework Although both books focus on the blockchain field, they have different emphases. "Blockchain Revolution" focuses more on business applications and societal impact, helping readers understand the potentially transformative impact of blockchain. "Blockchain: Technology-Driven Finance," on the other hand, delves deeper into the technical principles and implementation mechanisms, allowing readers to understand the underlying logic and workings of blockchain technology. Combining these two books creates a comprehensive knowledge system that understands both the technical principles and the potential for application. For beginners, I recommend first reading "Blockchain Revolution" to establish a comprehensive understanding of the blockchain field, and then delving deeper into the technical essence of "Blockchain: Technology-Driven Finance." This will help build a comprehensive and in-depth knowledge framework. "Blockchain Revolution" helps you understand the grand vision of blockchain reshaping the business world, while "Blockchain: Technology-Driven Finance" takes you deep into the core technology, understanding the intricate design of distributed ledgers, encryption algorithms, and consensus mechanisms. Together, these two books not only help you grasp the overall trends but also understand the underlying technology, laying a solid foundation for your knowledge of blockchain. Multi-angle comparative analysis helps you avoid being misled by one-sided perspectives and identify genuine blockchain projects. While the blockchain world is still rapidly evolving, the frameworks and analytical tools these two books provide hold long-term value, helping you maintain clear cognition and judgment amidst the ever-changing technological landscape. Of course, if possible, rereading Satoshi Nakamoto's "Bitcoin White Paper" for a deeper understanding will provide a true sense of revisiting the past and gaining new insights, helping you avoid losing your way in the complex and ever-changing blockchain industry.