Digital Philosophy
Trustless System
A system where trust is placed in mathematics and protocol design rather than human actors — the principle CLAVI extends to hardware.
Definition
A system designed so that no participant needs to trust any other participant for the system to function correctly. "Trustless" does not mean the absence of trust — it means that trust is placed in mathematics, cryptography, and protocol design rather than in the goodwill or competence of human actors. Bitcoin is the canonical trustless system. CLAVI extends this principle to hardware: trust is placed in physics and architecture, not in manufacturers, operators, or jurisdictions.