“Proof of work is the remarkable engineering feat that allows for the automation of record keeping. This unique technology completely obviates the role of any supervisory authority. Thanks to proof of work, no central government or major financial conglomerate can tamper with or alter the transactions verified on the blockchain. The decentralized nature of bitcoin ensures that everyone, rich and poor alike, plays by the same set of rules. Bitcoin is a network of nodes that voluntarily choose to arrive at consensus on the record of transactions and ownership. Proof of work is the technology that allows automated consensus formulation within a predetermined set of rules, without deference to any particular authority. It’s a system of rules without rulers.”
— The Fiat Standard: The Debt Slavery Alternative to Human Civilization by Saifedean Ammous