Vitalik Buterin Adjusts Perspective: The Three Duy in Blockchain State Commitment Design

Recently, Vitalik Buterin has publicly acknowledged a shift in his thinking regarding one of the fundamental concepts of blockchain: whether a blockchain needs to commit to state or not. According to ChainCatcher, the Ethereum founder has detailed the reasons behind this adjustment and emphasized the importance of the three virtues in modern blockchain design.

From Skepticism to Acceptance: Why Stateless Design Is Feasible

Initially, Buterin disagreed with the idea of allowing a blockchain to operate without explicit state commitments. The main reason is that if a network is not bound to a state, users would have to verify the entire transaction history from the genesis block or rely on a single trusted intermediary service. Both scenarios fail to achieve the three virtues that a decentralized blockchain system should have. However, recent technological developments have changed this picture.

Ethereum employs a different approach: it commits to the root of the state in each block header. This method allows users to verify the state based on the assumption that the majority of network participants are honest, through the use of Merkle proofs. This design strikes a balance between security and efficiency, although it is not always perfect.

Zero-Knowledge Proofs: The Key to the Three Virtues for Development

Buterin’s change of perspective mainly stems from the maturity of zero-knowledge technology, especially ZK-SNARKs. These technologies represent a significant breakthrough because they enable systems to verify the correctness of a blockchain without re-executing every transaction. This opens the possibility of truly achieving the three virtues: ensuring high security while maintaining scalability to serve millions of users.

With zero-knowledge proofs, a user can confirm that the current state of the blockchain is valid without having to review the entire history. This is a major advancement over previous solutions.

Autonomy as a Foundation: Building a Secure Network for the Future

Beyond technical advances, Buterin also emphasizes another critical factor: the existence of independent self-verification options. He reflected on the real risks faced by blockchain systems: network disruptions, service provider outages, concentrated power in consensus, and dangers of centralized censorship.

According to Buterin, the concept known in the community as the “mountain cabin” is not meant for everyday use. Instead, it serves as a last-resort safety net in extreme crisis situations and as a tool to resist control by intermediaries. The three virtues of blockchain lie in the ability for anyone to verify independently without relying on others.

Maintaining this minimal yet feasible self-verification path is the key to Ethereum’s long-term development. It ensures that even in the worst cases, users retain full control over their assets and data.