Proof-of-work is a radical and relatively recent idea which does not yet have a direct correspondent in philosophy. Here, cryptographic proofs witness the expenditure of resources like physical energy to commit to particular beliefs. In this way, the true scale of the system which agrees on certain beliefs can be judged, with the largest system being the winner.
I think this relates to the notion that constructing convincing falsehoods is more difficult and costly than discovering truths, because (a) the more elaborate a falsehood is, the more likely it is to contradict itself or observed reality, and (b) false information has no instrumental benefit to the person producing it. Therefore, the amount of “work” that’s been put into a claim provides some evidence of its truth, even aside from the credibility of the claimant.
Example: If you knew nothing about geography and were given, on the one hand, Tolkien’s maps of Middle-Earth, and on the other, a USGS survey of North America, you’d immediately conclude that the latter is more likely to be real, based solely on the level of detail and the amount of work that must’ve gone into it. We could imagine that Tolkien might get to work drawing a fantasy map even more detailed than the USGS maps, but the amount of work this project would require would vastly outweigh any benefit he might get from it.
I think this relates to the notion that constructing convincing falsehoods is more difficult and costly than discovering truths, because (a) the more elaborate a falsehood is, the more likely it is to contradict itself or observed reality, and (b) false information has no instrumental benefit to the person producing it. Therefore, the amount of “work” that’s been put into a claim provides some evidence of its truth, even aside from the credibility of the claimant.
Example: If you knew nothing about geography and were given, on the one hand, Tolkien’s maps of Middle-Earth, and on the other, a USGS survey of North America, you’d immediately conclude that the latter is more likely to be real, based solely on the level of detail and the amount of work that must’ve gone into it. We could imagine that Tolkien might get to work drawing a fantasy map even more detailed than the USGS maps, but the amount of work this project would require would vastly outweigh any benefit he might get from it.