Thanks for some fascinating contributions to this thread.
I see both sides of the debate, and lean toward your side. But I also think both sides are probably wrong to speak as if we will have either one system or the other in the foreseeable future. I think it is more likely that government resources and law enforcement will exist alongside any trustless contract system, acting as a failsafe (or guarantor of exploitation, depending on your POV I suppose). Few contracts would be irreversible, and few holders of contracts would resist reversal, if physical violence from the state were brought to be bear, even if the issue had already been "settled" by software. I believe the reality is that Ethereum-style contracts would increase efficiencies in more routine, less controversial contracts and the state would remain the final recourse in more extreme cases. As some have said, 30 years down the road when machines are more intelligent, all bets are off. But for the foreseeable future, the state isn't going to wither away just yet.
As far as people obfuscating with complex contracts, yes, of course they will do that. But the obvious implication is that a class of techno-jurists will have to arise to help advise users. Again, that's not much different than the current system of clueless folk consulting attorneys, and I imagine both systems would coexist for some time to come.
I see both sides of the debate, and lean toward your side. But I also think both sides are probably wrong to speak as if we will have either one system or the other in the foreseeable future. I think it is more likely that government resources and law enforcement will exist alongside any trustless contract system, acting as a failsafe (or guarantor of exploitation, depending on your POV I suppose). Few contracts would be irreversible, and few holders of contracts would resist reversal, if physical violence from the state were brought to be bear, even if the issue had already been "settled" by software. I believe the reality is that Ethereum-style contracts would increase efficiencies in more routine, less controversial contracts and the state would remain the final recourse in more extreme cases. As some have said, 30 years down the road when machines are more intelligent, all bets are off. But for the foreseeable future, the state isn't going to wither away just yet.
As far as people obfuscating with complex contracts, yes, of course they will do that. But the obvious implication is that a class of techno-jurists will have to arise to help advise users. Again, that's not much different than the current system of clueless folk consulting attorneys, and I imagine both systems would coexist for some time to come.