Ahmet Avci 
Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated that within the Ethereum ecosystem, the greatest need for a strong social philosophy is not at the infrastructure level but at the application layer.
The application layer represents the level at which developers build decentralized applications on Ethereum’s core architecture and make fundamental decisions about how those applications operate.
On April 12, Buterin responded on the social media platform Warpcast to a comment suggesting that Ethereum needs a new generation of developers committed to its core values. Buterin offered a different perspective:
“Applications are 80% purpose-driven. What kinds of applications you build depends on your ideas about what Ethereum and Ethereum-based applications should mean for the world. That’s why it’s crucial to have strong ideas on this matter,”
General-Purpose Technologies and the Influence of Ideology
Using the example of the programming language C++, Buterin explained that general-purpose tools may not be heavily affected by the ideologies of their creators.
“If C++ had been developed by a totalitarian, racist, and fascist, that wouldn’t necessarily make it a worse language,” said Buterin, emphasizing that infrastructure layers are relatively less influenced in this regard.
However, he also noted that Ethereum’s Layer 1 is not entirely neutral. He pointed out that choices such as transitioning to Proof-of-Stake (PoS) and supporting light clients were driven by philosophical decisions.“Someone who doesn’t believe in decentralization wouldn’t build light clients or advanced account abstraction. Someone who doesn’t care about energy waste wouldn’t spend years transitioning to PoS,” he said, adding that Ethereum could still be considered roughly 50% general-purpose. “Someone who doesn’t believe in decentralization wouldn’t build light clients or advanced account abstraction. Someone who doesn’t care about energy waste wouldn’t spend years transitioning to PoS,” he said, adding that Ethereum could still be considered roughly 50% general-purpose.
The Social Philosophy of Applications: Good and Bad Examples
Vitalik Buterin argues that applications should be evaluated not only for their technical structures but also for the value systems behind them. According to him, some applications are designed with user protection and social benefit in mind, while others are driven solely by profit and may lead to harmful outcomes.
He cited Railgun, Farcaster, Polymarket, and Signal as examples of applications with a strong social philosophy, stating that these are developed with the principle of “doing the right thing by default in the background.” In particular, Buterin highlighted Signal and Farcaster as platforms that uphold values like user privacy, security, and decentralization, noting that these principles align with the Ethereum ecosystem’s broader mission. While acknowledging that these applications are not without flaws, he emphasized that their core philosophies reflect a strong sense of social responsibility.
In contrast, Buterin criticized platforms like Pump.fun, Terra and its native token LUNA, and the bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. He described these as platforms developed without a solid social vision, exposing users to risk and prioritizing speculative, short-term profits. Such applications, he argued, stand in stark contrast to the values Ethereum aims to represent.
In conclusion, Buterin’s message is clear: what an application does is directly shaped by the beliefs of its developers. This suggests that Ethereum’s future will be shaped not only by technical innovations but also by philosophical and ethical stances.
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