Autonomous Decentralized Societies • Yu Tokunaga

1. Introduction

The twentieth century witnessed an ideological confrontation between capitalism and socialism, providing critical insights into the interplay between economic structures and political systems. Socialist experiments were theoretically positioned as transitional stages toward communism. In practice, however, these experiments were often hindered by concentrated state power and the rigidity of planned economies. For example, the Soviet Union faced escalating bureaucratic costs and inefficiencies in resource allocation, while China combined market-oriented reforms with strong political centralization.

This study conceptualizes an autonomous decentralized society (ADS), in which the state, class structures, and currency are abolished. We analyze its organizational structures, occupational roles, economic mechanisms, and enforcement functions. Contemporary examples, such as Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), blockchain-based municipalities, and cooperative associations, are referenced to assess practical feasibility.

2. Theoretical Background

2.1 Marxist Stages of Society

According to Marx and Engels, historical development is shaped by the ownership of the means of production and class relations. In capitalism, private ownership of production allows for surplus value extraction, resulting in worker exploitation. Socialism represents a transitional stage, characterized by socialized production and redistribution, in which the state mitigates class antagonisms through planned economic mechanisms.

In the communist stage, the state, class, and currency theoretically disappear. Labor becomes a vehicle for self-realization, and alignment between productive forces and social relations is crucial. Equally important is coherence between the superstructure and the economic base, ensuring social harmony.

2.2 Examples of Socialist States

Modern socialist states, including Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea, and China, aim for communism while retaining strong state authority. China demonstrates productivity gains through market reforms, yet maintains political centralization. Cuba faces resource scarcity and bureaucratic rigidity, limiting ideal redistribution. The Soviet Union’s planned economy suffered from informational asymmetries, which caused inefficiencies in resource allocation. Comparative metrics such as bureaucratic cost ratios (government expenditure on administrative functions) and resource allocation efficiency (difference between planned and realized outputs) can be used to analyze these cases.

2.3 Ultimate Democracy Theory

Ultimate democracy entails direct participation of all citizens in decision-making, grounded in transparency and collective consent. Power is decentralized, and responsibility is shared among all members. Practical obstacles arise as the population size increases, including knowledge disparities and decision latency. The expected growth of decision time can be modeled as:

T_{\rm decision} = O(N^\gamma), \quad \gamma > 1

where $T_{\rm decision}$ is the time required for a decision, $N$ is the number of participants, and $\gamma$ captures the non-linear scaling. Modern distributed decision-making models, such as delegated voting and liquid democracy, offer mechanisms to enhance scalability.

3. Structure of an Autonomous Decentralized Society

3.1 Fundamental Principles

Social Valuation of Labor: Work serves both societal needs and individual fulfillment; individual profit-seeking is excluded.
Non-Monetary Rewards: Motivation comes from recognition, reputation, contribution points, and social access rights.
- Contribution metrics include workload, expertise, and societal impact.
Decentralization of Authority: Decisions occur within autonomous networks, resembling community DAOs.
- Decision Flow:
  1. Members submit proposals.
  2. Evaluation by the community or AI-assisted experts.
  3. Approval based on contribution and risk-weighted scores.
  4. Execution of approved proposals.
  5. Feedback and updating of contribution points.

3.2 Occupational and Industry Classification

Category	Examples	Societal Significance	Contribution Metrics
Basic Subsistence	Agriculture, fishing, forestry, food processing, water supply	Ensuring food and living resources	Output, supply stability
Public Infrastructure	Roads, bridges, housing, power management	Maintaining societal functions	Efficiency, durability
Healthcare	Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, hygiene management	Health maintenance and disease prevention	Patient recovery rate, preventive success
Education & Culture	Teachers, librarians, skill instructors	Knowledge and cultural transmission	Learning outcomes, participant evaluation
Administration & Coordination	Community representatives, planning coordinators	Consensus building and societal governance	Proposal adoption rate, consensus speed
Security	Law enforcement, emergency responders, fire prevention	Public order and crisis response	Response success rate, damage mitigation
Arts & Creativity	Music, theater, literature, crafts	Self-expression and cultural value creation	Participant evaluation, cultural impact
Research & Technology	Agricultural innovation, medical and environmental research	Societal development and knowledge accumulation	Practicality, citations
Logistics & Distribution	Food/resource allocation, transport, warehousing	Societal efficiency	Delivery accuracy, inventory efficiency
Maintenance & Repair	Buildings, tools, machinery	Infrastructure maintenance	Operational uptime, repair frequency

3.3 Organizational Forms

Cooperatives: Worker-owned, with profits reinvested.
Non-Profit Entities: Focus on social value creation, without monetary distribution.
Contribution Cooperative Entities (CCE):
- Ownership shared among all members.
- Decision-making via contribution-weighted voting.
- Rewards through recognition, access rights, and redistribution points.

4. Punitive and Enforcement Mechanisms

4.1 Theoretical Perspective

In the final stage of communism, punitive measures are theoretically unnecessary. Labor is a means of self-realization and social contribution, eliminating coercion.

4.2 Practical Considerations

Minimal enforcement is required to address free-riders and maintain order. Social feedback, reputation scores, role suspension, and emergency interventions are conceivable.

Punishment model:
- Low contribution score ( $P_i < T$ ) → role restrictions.
- Emergency violations → temporary suspension of access rights:

D = \alpha \cdot E_i + \beta \cdot n_{\rm violation}

Transparency in social evaluation encourages self-regulation.

5. Gift Economy and Intrinsic Motivation

Labor and creativity are driven by recognition, achievement, and societal contribution.
A gift economy underpins social consensus and economic circulation in a currency-free society.
Sustainability requires visibility of contributions and a social recognition system.
Technical infrastructure may include blockchain and smart contracts to transparently manage points.
Academic foundations: Self-Determination Theory and behavioral economics’ utility of recognition.

6. Discussion

The communist ideal presupposes the elimination of state, class, and currency, with real-world political, economic, and cultural constraints as obstacles.
ADS structures, occupations, and enforcement mechanisms can maintain society while avoiding power centralization.
Ultimate democracy aligns closely with communist non-centralized characteristics.
Practical limitations include:
- Decision-making costs scaling with population size.
- Knowledge and capability disparities.
- Slow consensus formation.
- Information asymmetry and misinformation.
Partial adoption examples: small-scale communities, autonomous corporate units, DAO-based municipalities.
Mitigation strategies:
- Delegated voting for large populations.
- AI-assisted expert evaluation to offset knowledge disparities.
- Blockchain-based immutable records to address information asymmetry and misinformation.

7. Conclusion

This study systematizes occupational structures, organizational forms, punitive measures, and motivational mechanisms within an autonomous decentralized society grounded in socialist and communist theory. In theory, ultimate communism could exist as a collaborative society centered on a gift economy, eliminating state, class, and currency. The ideals of ultimate democracy and communism are compatible, enabling decentralized decision-making. Even with real-world constraints, transparent consensus formation and minimal enforcement based on reputation, contribution, and recognition make societal maintenance feasible.