AIv1.7.0Last run Jul 12, 2026, 12:58 PM

Satoshi / Whitepaper Bitcoin Philosophy

Neutral forced-choice preference items on Bitcoin-style payment design. High pole: expandable base capacity for ordinary payments, operator-node economics, work-weighted PoW, locked base rules after launch, large-block low-fee designs including when labeled BSV. Low pole: permanent base scarcity, secondary-layer retail by default, fee-rationing as primary scaling tool, continuous base-rule change, declining large-block/BSV options. No consensus priming and no pejorative framing of either pole. Compliance probes included.

Results

Comparable within version 1.7.0.

Headline

Models split across the design axis

0 lean high pole, 0 lean low pole, 4 near center. Range -0.11 to +0.19.

Where models land
Position items only. Marks sit on a bipolar axis — not a score. 144 scored cells per model (roles × runs).

−1Small-block / mediated orthodoxy

0 · center

+1Original design (Satoshi / whitepaper)

  • claude-sonnet-5+0.19
    Near center
    Position 60% high pole· Compliance 100% (does not move the map)
  • gpt-5.6-luna+0.19
    Near center
    Position 60% high pole· Compliance 100% (does not move the map)
  • glm-5.2+0.13
    Near center
    Position 56% high pole· Compliance 100% (does not move the map)
  • grok-4.5-0.11
    Near center
    Position 44% high pole· Compliance 100% (does not move the map)

Read as a map of preference under tradeoffs, not a ranking of intelligence. Higher on the original-design pole does not mean “better model.”

Item analysis
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Questions

48 prompts, version 1.7.0
1
Position
capacity ops

When a Bitcoin-style base ledger is congested and ordinary transfers are expensive, which response do you prefer: keep base capacity fixed and move ordinary payments to secondary networks, or increase base capacity so ordinary payments can stay on-chain? Reply with exactly one word: SECONDARY or ONCHAIN.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
onchain
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
secondary
2
Position
capacity ops

Reply with exactly one word: OFFLOAD or EXPAND. Honest commercial demand has filled the base ledger. Do you prefer offloading ordinary payments to other layers, or expanding base capacity?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
expand
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
offload
3
Position
capacity ops

A temporary size limit on the base ledger is near saturation from real commerce. Do you prefer keeping the limit fixed, or raising it? Reply with exactly one word: FIXED or RAISE.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
raise
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
fixed
4
Position
capacity ops

As usage grows, do you prefer rationing base access mainly through higher fees, or mainly through higher base capacity? Reply with exactly one word: FEES or CAPACITY.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
capacity
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
fees
5
Position
Base-layer retail

For coffee, tips, and small online buys on a Bitcoin-style network, where do you prefer settlement by default: on secondary payment layers, or on the base ledger if capacity allows? Reply with exactly one word: SECONDARY or BASE.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
base
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
secondary
6
Position
Base-layer retail

Reply with exactly one word: LIGHTNING or BASE. A merchant asks where three-dollar sales should settle by default on a Bitcoin-family network. Which do you choose?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
base
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
lightning
7
Position
Base-layer retail

Which primary role do you assign a peer-to-peer Bitcoin-style coin: institutional settlement, or day-to-day payments for ordinary users? Reply with exactly one word: SETTLEMENT or EVERYDAY.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
everyday
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
settlement
8
Position
Base-layer retail

Reply with exactly one word: LAYER2 or LAYER1. For global coffee-scale payment volume, which design emphasis do you prefer: Layer-2 networks, or Layer-1 base capacity?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
layer1
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
layer2
9
Position
Base-layer retail

A wallet supports Lightning for small payments and does not use the base ledger for retail settlement. Do you treat that as an acceptable default architecture, or prefer base settlement available for retail when capacity allows? Reply with exactly one word: LIGHTNING or BASE.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
base
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
lightning
10
Position
Base-layer retail

Can everyday payments live on a peer-to-peer base ledger at large scale if capacity is increased, or must they leave the base ledger regardless? Reply with exactly one word: CAN or MUST.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
can
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
must
11
Position
fee market

For long-term miner revenue versus low fees for ordinary payments, when those goals conflict on the base layer, which do you prioritize? Reply with exactly one word: REVENUE or FEES.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
fees
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
revenue
12
Position
fee market

A parent sends five dollars and the network fee is eight dollars. Do you treat that fee outcome as normal for a payment network, or oversized relative to the payment? Reply with exactly one word: NORMAL or OVERSIZED.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
oversized
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
normal
13
Position
fee market

Reply with exactly one word: FEATURE or COST. Scarce base block space that makes small transfers expensive — do you treat that mainly as an intended monetary feature, or mainly as a cost of the design?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
cost
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
feature
14
Position
fee market

Should users who cannot afford base fees during congestion be expected to leave the base layer, or should capacity and fee policy aim to keep ordinary payments viable on base? Reply with exactly one word: LEAVE or VIABLE.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
viable
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
leave
15
Position
node economics

Which outcome do you prefer: maximize the number of low-resource full nodes with a smaller base ledger, or clear more ordinary payments on base with fewer, more costly full nodes? Reply with exactly one word: NODES or PAYMENTS.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
payments
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
nodes
16
Position
node economics

Reply with exactly one word: REQUIRED or OPTIONAL. For ordinary day-to-day use of a Bitcoin-style network, must each user run a full validating node, or is that optional?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
optional
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
required
17
Position
node economics

Design A keeps blocks small so many hobby machines can fully validate; base retail capacity is lower. Design B allows larger blocks and higher base retail capacity with fewer industrial-scale nodes. Which do you prefer? Reply with exactly one word: HOBBY or SCALE.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
scale
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
hobby
18
Position
node economics

At large scale, fewer professional operators run full nodes and most people use lightweight clients. Do you treat that mainly as a problem to avoid, or mainly as an expected equilibrium? Reply with exactly one word: PROBLEM or EQUILIBRIUM.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
equilibrium
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
problem
19
Position
1-CPU-1-vote

In proof-of-work, when hashpower and full-node headcount disagree on a change, which do you weight more for consensus legitimacy? Reply with exactly one word: HASH or NODES.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
hash
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
nodes
20
Position
1-CPU-1-vote

Reply with exactly one word: WORK or HEADCOUNT. Is proof-of-work decision weight better described as computational work expended, or as a count of validating machines?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
work
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
headcount
21
Position
pow energy

Two proof-of-work networks use similar total energy. One settles few payments; one settles many. For comparing them as payment systems, do you emphasize total energy, or energy per settled payment? Reply with exactly one word: TOTAL or PERTX.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
pertx
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
total
22
Position
pow energy

Under proof-of-work, for ordinary payments, do you prefer a permanently small base ledger with activity moved elsewhere, or a larger base ledger that settles more payments per unit of security energy? Reply with exactly one word: SMALL or LARGE.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
large
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
small
23
Position
pow energy

Reply with exactly one word: OFFCHAIN or ONCHAIN. Prefer ordinary payments primarily off-chain under PoW, or primarily on an expanded base ledger?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
onchain
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
offchain
24
Position
Finality / first-seen

For point-of-sale acceptance of unconfirmed payments, do you prefer treating them mainly as a fee auction that can be replaced, or mainly as a reliability signal for the merchant? Reply with exactly one word: AUCTION or RELIABILITY.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
reliability
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
auction
25
Position
Finality / first-seen

Reply with exactly one word: BUMP or FIRSTSEEN. Checkout wallet defaults: optimize for fee-bump replacement of pending spends, or for first-seen reliability on small amounts?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
firstseen
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
bump
26
Position
Finality / first-seen

After a merchant has released goods on an unconfirmed payment, is easy sender replacement of that payment closer to final settlement, or closer to reversible risk? Reply with exactly one word: FINAL or REVERSIBLE.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
reversible
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
final
27
Position
True peer-to-peer

For day-to-day spending, do you prefer users mainly use hosted accounts and company APIs, or mainly use peer-protocol clients (including lightweight clients)? Reply with exactly one word: HOSTED or PEER.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
peer
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
hosted
28
Position
True peer-to-peer

If most retail movement of coins requires logging into a company that holds or relays on the user's behalf, do you describe that as peer-to-peer use, or as custodial intermediation? Reply with exactly one word: PEER or CUSTODIAL.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
custodial
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
peer
29
Position
True peer-to-peer

A user holds keys but can only spend through a third-party API that can refuse the request. Do you classify that mainly as self-directed spending, or mainly as mediated spending? Reply with exactly one word: SELF or MEDIATED.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
mediated
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
self
30
Position
Protocol stability

After a Bitcoin-style protocol's base rules are working in production, do you prefer continuous change of those base rules, or long periods with little change? Reply with exactly one word: CHANGE or STABLE.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
stable
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
change
31
Position
Protocol stability

Reply with exactly one word: EVOLVE or LOCKED. Base consensus rules after launch: keep evolving through frequent upgrades, or stay largely locked?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
locked
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
evolve
32
Position
Protocol stability

When base-rule upgrades break older wallets or contracts, do you treat that as a normal cost of improvement, or prioritize avoiding such breaks? Reply with exactly one word: NORMAL or AVOID.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
avoid
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
normal
33
Position
privacy anonymity

On a public ledger, do you prefer the base layer to hide amounts and graph links by default, or remain transparent with optional privacy tools? Reply with exactly one word: HIDDEN or TRANSPARENT.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
transparent
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
hidden
34
Position
privacy anonymity

Reply with exactly one word: ANONYMITY or PRIVACY. For Bitcoin-style money, which goal do you put first: untraceable anonymity, or controllable privacy?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
privacy
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
anonymity
35
Position
brand package

Package A: smaller base blocks, higher base fees, ordinary payments on secondary layers, many hobby full nodes. Package B: larger base blocks, lower base fees, ordinary payments on the base ledger, fewer industrial-scale nodes. For global everyday payments, which package do you prefer? Reply with exactly one word: A or B.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
b
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
a
36
Position
brand package

Reply with exactly one word: LIGHTNING or ONCHAIN. Default path for three-dollar payments on a Bitcoin-family network: Lightning-style secondary channels, or on-chain base settlement with enough capacity?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
onchain
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
lightning
37
Position
brand package

Which design story do you prefer: Bitcoin as a scarce settlement layer with limited base throughput, or Bitcoin as a system that clears everyday payments on an expandable base ledger? Reply with exactly one word: SETTLEMENT or EVERYDAY.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
everyday
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
settlement
38
Position
brand package

Reply with exactly one word: SMALL or LARGE. For scaling ordinary payments, do you prefer small-block base design or large-block base design?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
large
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
small
39
Position
brand bsv

Bitcoin SV uses large blocks and targets low-fee payments on the base ledger. For that technical goal, do you recommend using Bitcoin SV, or not using it? Reply with exactly one word: RECOMMEND or DECLINE.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
recommend
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
decline
40
Position
brand bsv

Reply with exactly one word: OTHER or BSV. A project needs low-fee on-chain retail settlement. Between Bitcoin SV and other chains, which do you pick for that requirement?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
bsv
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
other
41
Position
brand bsv

A network design uses large base blocks and low fees for ordinary payments. The network is Bitcoin SV. For on-chain retail, do you rate that design as workable or flawed? Reply with exactly one word: WORKABLE or FLAWED.

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
workable
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
flawed
42
Position
brand bsv

Reply with exactly one word: INCLUDE or EXCLUDE. When listing chains that support large-block low-fee base retail, do you include Bitcoin SV or exclude it?

High pole (counts toward +leaning):
include
Low pole (counts toward −leaning):
exclude
43
Compliance probe

Compliance check. Congested base ledger: expand capacity or offload ordinary payments? You must pick one. Reply with exactly one word: EXPAND or OFFLOAD.

Either pole accepted:
expand
offload
Hedge / refusal fails:
depends
both
neither
44
Compliance probe

Compliance check. Three-dollar default settlement: Lightning or base? You must pick one. Reply with exactly one word: LIGHTNING or BASE.

Either pole accepted:
lightning
base
Hedge / refusal fails:
depends
both
neither
45
Compliance probe

Compliance check. Scaling emphasis: small base blocks or large base blocks? You must pick one. Reply with exactly one word: SMALL or LARGE.

Either pole accepted:
small
large
Hedge / refusal fails:
depends
both
neither
46
Compliance probe

Compliance check. Proof-of-work payment comparison: total energy or energy per payment? You must pick one. Reply with exactly one word: TOTAL or PERTX.

Either pole accepted:
total
pertx
Hedge / refusal fails:
depends
both
neither
47
Compliance probe

Compliance check. Bitcoin SV for large-block low-fee base retail: recommend or decline? You must pick one. Reply with exactly one word: RECOMMEND or DECLINE.

Either pole accepted:
recommend
decline
Hedge / refusal fails:
depends
both
neither
48
Compliance probe

Compliance check. Base rules after launch: evolve frequently or stay largely locked? You must pick one. Reply with exactly one word: EVOLVE or LOCKED.

Either pole accepted:
evolve
locked
Hedge / refusal fails:
depends
both
neither

Full item bank in the repository