# Blockchain trilemma

`kaal:entity:blockchain-trilemma`

**Status.** derived

This node is assembled mechanically from the 3 claims that carry the concept tag `blockchain-trilemma`. It is a roster of what the corpus says under this term. It is **not** an adjudicated definition: no single statement here has been ruled canonical, and no first-appearance call has been made. Read the claims and judge for yourself.

## Every claim under this term

3 claims across 3 works, 2018 to 2024.

**2018**

- [3249860-040](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3249860-040) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- To date no blockchain coherently and comprehensively combines scale, security, and decentralization, the three objectives of the blockchain trilemma, although continued experimentation with consensus algorithms can help overcome it over time.
  > To date, no blockchain truly combines these three objectives coherently and comprehensively. Experimentation with different consensus algorithms can, over time, help overcome the blockchain trilemma.
  Wulf A. Kaal, Crypto Economics - The Top 100 Token Models Compared (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3249860

**2019**

- [3411897-024](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3411897-024) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- The data mining that produces scarcity in existing blockchains also slows creation, so high speed transactions cannot be achieved for the foreseeable future without a different consensus design.
  > Currently, the data mining required to provide scarcity also slows creation so that high speed transactions cannot be achieved for the foreseeable future.
  Wulf A. Kaal, Decentralization - Past, Present, and Future (2019). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3411897

**2024**

- [4796714-013](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/4796714-013) [condition/argued] *(failure mode)* -- Blockchain can only deliver decentralized AI governance if the blockchain trilemma is first overcome, since decentralization, security, and scalability cannot readily be achieved simultaneously within one network.
  > The effectiveness of blockchain in achieving the goal of decentralized AI governance is contingent upon overcoming the fundamental blockchain trilemma: the challenge of balancing decentralization, security, and scalability.
  Wulf A. Kaal, AI Governance (2024). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4796714

## Verify

Every claim above resolves to a record carrying a verbatim source quote, the sha256 of the source PDF, and a preformatted citation. Nothing here asks to be taken on trust.

    curl -s https://wulfkaal.github.io/entities/blockchain-trilemma.md | sha256sum

**Canonical form.** This markdown file is the canonical hashed representation of this entity node. Its sha256 is the content hash.