Blockchain protocol: Exploring from a cosmological perspective

Since the birth of Bitcoin, the development of the Blockchain industry has always been accompanied by the dual attributes of technology and finance. Setting aside the ups and downs of the market, let us explore the essence of the Blockchain protocol from a cosmological perspective.

Protocols in the Universe

Modern cosmological theories suggest that from the Big Bang to the emergence of humanity, an unimaginably long period has elapsed. With humanity's current understanding, we cannot fully speculate on what happened during this process, and can only glimpse the mysteries of the universe by exploring the physical laws on Earth.

The universe itself is like a gigantic protocol system. The rotation of the galaxy, the motion of the solar system around the galactic center, and the Earth's revolution around the sun all follow some kind of invisible rules. Whether it is gravity, magnetic fields, or dark matter that has yet to be fully understood, they together maintain the balance between various galaxies and celestial bodies, forming a natural, seemingly consensus-driven operating principle.

Human imagination drives the world

The Earth has evolved from its original harsh environment into a habitat suitable for human survival, following certain natural laws. Forests, oxygen, minerals, mountains, rivers, and other elements are all products of this protocol.

The imagination of humanity is an important force driving the world forward. From the perspective of biological evolution, the emergence of Homo sapiens has gradually diminished the competitiveness of other hominin species. We modern humans are the descendants of Homo sapiens, having created concepts such as language, family, institutions, currency, nations, globalization, and the internet. These concepts began with imagination, underwent continuous practical verification, and ultimately became reality in our lives.

Israeli historian Yuval Harari points out in his works that our world is essentially constructed by human imagination. Everyone is striving for the world they imagine, and this ability is unique to humans.

The Essence of Blockchain Protocols

From the shell era to the digital age, humanity has undergone a long evolutionary process. In the era of the internet, we had the HTTP protocol. The Blockchain upgrades the rules of data exchange to the rules of value exchange, marking the transition from mobile internet to value internet, and also a paradigm shift from centralization to decentralization.

In the digital realm, a protocol is defined as the rules, standards, or agreements established for data exchange within a network. It governs the communication between different system entities, ensuring that all parties communicate using "the same language".

Summary

Researching large-scale Blockchain projects requires repeated refinement of the protocol layer. Just like the unstable state of the universe in its early days, it takes a long time of gamesmanship to reach a certain equilibrium. The birth and development of the Bitcoin protocol reflects this characteristic: over time, it has become increasingly secure and stable, operating autonomously, and changing it requires a huge cost.

Blockchain practitioners should think more about Protocols, not just Products. Only by standing on the shoulders of Bitcoin can we promote further development of the blockchain industry.