This is because there are no simple, one-size-fits-all answers to the questions we're interested in learning about and teaching. That is what makes them good questions.

Our intention is to give you the framework to begin thinking in transformative ways about the most important questions raised by this Web 3 world we're building together.

Kernel Fellows will distinguish themselves by their ability to identify patterns.

Pattern recognition is at the core of cognition. Becoming more conscious of patterns which already exist, as well as how you choose to interact with those in your local environment, is the single best thing you can do to improve your critical thinking skills.

In particular, we hope Kernel Fellows begin thinking in terms of complementary opposites.

Rather than using dualities like 'decentralization is good, centralization is bad'; or 'DeFi is innovative, banks are boring', this style of thinking recognizes that there is no good without evil; no attraction without repulsion, no North without South, no up without down.

We could describe this as "quantum thought": being able to contemplate 0 and 1 simultaneously, as well as the spectrum of probability between. If you can cultivate honest humility, you may just learn how to hold all three in superposition without any grasping after certainty, and thereby make more balanced decisions.

Kernel Fellows should have humility. We cannot be sure what the effect of our actions will be, we can only cultivate an acute observational awareness which will guide us toward making the right trade-offs.

If you want to change the world, the world will inevitably act back and change you. The results of Web 2 applications have made this clear. The greater our collective humility, the more gentle this exchange will be as Web 3 comes to life.

The critical idea here is that thinking consciously about trade-offs, and developing the ability to hold many different probabilities in mind simultaneously without allowing personal bias to obscure your view of all possible futures, allows you to pick The Middle Way more often than not.

The Honest Question¶

Those who have positively changed the world did so because they learnt how to negotiate complexity, rather than impose their own will on things. They answered their own questions as honestly and directly as they could.

Playing with pattern, and becoming conscious of the constant interplay of complementary opposites as a means of cultivating presence, leads us to one simple query:

and its equally direct corollary:

Listen¶

Divining Our Humanity¶