Zug, Switzerland, September 19th, 2025, Chainwire
Logos Press Engine is excited to announce the launch of “Farewell to Westphalia: Crypto Sovereignty and Post-Nation-State Governance,” a groundbreaking book authored by Jarrad Hope and Peter Ludlow. This insightful exploration is available for purchase in both print and digital formats starting September 18th. The book delves into the historical roots of the modern nation-state, suggesting that its established governance framework, dating back to 1648, struggles to adapt to the evolving landscape of digital interactions. As an alternative, the authors propose the innovative concept of the “cyberstate,” a novel political structure fostered by blockchain technology and self-governing online communities.
Jarrad Hope, the visionary Founder of Logos, an initiative and technological ecosystem dedicated to safeguarding digital autonomy, and Peter Ludlow, Director of the Research Institute for Philosophy and Technology, are releasing their collaborative endeavor, “Farewell to Westphalia: Crypto Sovereignty and Post-Nation-State Governance”, on September 16th. Published by Logos Press Engine, the book posits that the traditional nation-state has become outdated, and its successor resides in an unexpected realm: the blockchain.
Hope and Ludlow foresee a future shaped by cyberstates, communities woven together through blockchain technology, representing novel political entities designed for the digital era and the increasingly global challenges we confront today. These structures harness blockchain technology, akin to the foundation supporting Bitcoin, to ensure trust, accountability, and individual liberties, while diminishing corruption and the influence of unelected intermediaries at all tiers of human cooperation.
The idea of a cyberstate, initially put forth by early cypherpunk groups, is experiencing a resurgence due to advancements in blockchain technology. The authors characterize them as “online communities” that “execute functions traditionally linked to nation-states.” This can include offering security, providing healthcare access, sponsoring artistic endeavors and culture, or promoting commerce through trade agreements and business expansion initiatives.
In contrast to nation-states, the book elucidates that cyberstates should center around shared principles and voluntary participation, rather than “arbitrary political borders.” They describe them as “geographically unbounded,” with a cyberstate’s sphere of influence defined by “its presence in cyberspace” – “limitless in scope and scale.”
Furthermore, and most radically, cyberstates would manage all governance-related tasks utilizing blockchain technology – a shared, digital record permanently storing information across a network of computers. Mirroring the accessibility of cryptocurrency transaction histories, all votes, policies, and communications undertaken by a cyberstate would be transparently visible on the same ledger, guaranteeing complete transparency.
“Governance, whether enacted by public bodies or other forms of human organisation, is of paramount importance to all aspects of our existence. The predicament is that governance often appears broken”, the authors note in the book’s opening pages. However, for Hope and Ludlow, “crypto shines a bright light on activities that today take place behind curtains and in smoke-filled rooms with little to no accountability”, furnishing the “tools that make government activity transparent and immutable and our personal business personal and private.”- Hope and Ludlow.
“Farewell to Westphalia emphatically asserts that the nation-state is no longer the optimal governance model for today’s digital ecosystem. More crucial than simply defining the issue is the development of an alternative societal governance structure that empowers its members, and this constitutes the central strength of the book. It envisions a future society constructed upon blockchain technology, giving rise to what is urgently needed now: a truly human society.” – Bob de Wit, author of Society 4.0 and Emeritus Professor of Strategic Leadership at Nyenrode Business University.
“It’s a compelling manifesto on the future of governance. A critique of the nation-state and a visionary look into blockchain-based political systems. It’s mind boggling how well-researched and multidisciplinary it is.” – Frederico Ast (Kleros Founder).
This collaboration between two influential voices in post-nation-state thought pays homage to Julian Assange and the late Hal Finney, a pioneering developer and activist. Consequently, “Farewell to Westphalia” resonates with cypherpunk and hacktivist ideals, establishing itself as a key text for the future of these principles. It warrants serious consideration from anyone engaged in the nexus of technology, politics, and individual freedom.
As governments around the world grapple with declining public trust and the complexities of governing in an increasingly digital world, “Farewell to Westphalia” offers a timely and thought-provoking strategy for the future. Hope and Ludlow’s concept of blockchain-powered communities and cyberstates transcends theoretical conjecture, providing a practical blueprint for a future where communities seeking alternatives to conventional governance structures can establish new networks tailored to their specific needs. Readers are invited to explore further at https://logos.co/farewell-to-westphalia
“Farewell to Westphalia” will be available in print and digital formats on September 18th, marking a significant contribution to ongoing conversations surrounding governance in the digital age. It is published by Logos Press Machine and released under a Creative Commons license to encourage free remixing, redistribution, translation, and copying, with appropriate attribution to the authors.
Readers can discover more at https://logos.co/farewell-to-westphalia
About Jarrad Hope
Jarrad Hope is an innovative blockchain technology developer and an early contributor to Ethereum. He later founded Logos to develop digital systems that protect civil liberties, promote digital freedom, and practically support the construction of future cyberstates.
About Peter Ludlow
Peter Ludlow is a philosopher specialising in linguistics, digital technologies, and virtual communities. He edited the acclaimed MIT Press collection, “Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias” (2001), which explored the nascent political structures emerging on the internet in the 1990s as experimentation grounds for new societies and governance models.
About Logos
Logos describes itself as “an open-source movement to establish a self-sovereign network state.” It offers a decentralized technological framework that facilitates the creation of autonomous digital territories. Logos integrates privacy directly into its technology, ensuring that transactions and governance are resistant to censorship and maintain confidentiality. In doing so, Logos is striving towards the cypherpunk vision of embedding user sovereignty and privacy into technology by default.
Contact
Public Relations
Laura Guzik
Logos – Status
laura@status.im