What is Nostr?
Tim Bouma
npub1q6m…x7d5
2025-03-19 11:57:24

Tim Bouma on Nostr: I like simple frameworks because it helps to clarify and scale my thinking. Recently, ...

I like simple frameworks because it helps to clarify and scale my thinking. Recently, I have been trying to combine the concepts of Douglas Hoffman’s ‘Network of Conscious Agents’ on how these might apply to the #nostr context and explain why #nostr is special.

I believe #nostr is special because it technically enables human agency in a permissionless way. There are two component of this human agency - decision and action. I see the publishing/posting of a signed nostr note is the result of a decision; a zap (or payment) corresponds to the action. And since every published note is zappable, it can be the recipient of ‘actions’ from others.

So mapping back to the Hoffman framework: posts are decisions, zaps are actions enabling permissionless human agency.
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npub1q6mcr8tlr3l4gus3sfnw6772s7zae6hqncmw5wj27ejud5wcxf7q0nx7d5