designing the future rev

8/6/2019 Designing the Future Rev

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Jacque Fresco

D e s

i g n i n

g t h e

F u

t u r e

Copyright 2007 Jacque Fresco & Roxanne Meadows


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SPECIAL THANKS TO

Roxanne Mea d ow sBob Sc hillingSte ve Doll

PRODUCTION CREDITS AND COPYRIGHT NOTICES

All Designs Jac q ue Fresc oMo d els Ja c q ue Fresc o & Roxanne Me a d ow sDra wings Ja c q ue Fresc o & Roxanne Me a d ow s

Photog ra p hy Ja c q ue Fresc o & Roxa nne Mea d ow sAnima tion Illustrat ions Doug Drexler

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IntroductionA Future b y Design

Your Challeng e

Chap ter One From Yeste rd a y to Tomorrow

Cha pter Two All Things Cha ng e

Cha pter Three

Using the Sc ientific Me tho d

Chapter FourExisting Myths

Chapter FiveFrom One System to Ano ther

Chapter SixFuture b y Design

Chap ter Seve nCitie s Tha t Think

Chapter EightFea r of M a c hines

Chap ter NineCities in the Sea

Cha pter TenDec ision Ma king a nd La ws

Chap ter ElevenLifestyles

Conclusion

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Table of Contents


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INTRODUCTION

A Future b y Design

Are you p rep a red to d esign the future?

Althoug h ma ny of us fee l we c a n p rep a re fo r our future b y thinking ,a c ting , a nd lea rning using p resent me tho d s a nd va lues, nothing is fa rthe rfrom the truth esp ec ia lly in tod a ys ra p id ly c hang ing world . A newb ornc hild ente rs a wo rld not o f his or her ow n ma king . Ea c h suc c ee d ing g ene ra -tion inhe rits the va lue s, ac c omplishm ents, hop es, suc c esses, and fa ilings ofp rev ious generat ions. And they inhe rit the results of the d ec isions ma d e b ytho se g enera tions.

For the hund red s of tho usa nd s of yea rs of hum a n existenc e when tec h-no log ies were simp le o r no n-existent, this ma y have ha d little imp a c t on hu-ma n life a nd the e a rth tha t susta ins it. Eac h g ene ra tion of hunte rs a nd g a th-erers, then p low me n a nd p ione ers, pa ssed on too ls to the next ge neration tohelp the m survive. Cha nge from one g ene ra tion to the ne xt wa s slow a ndha rd ly notic ea b le . In those d a ys the re w a s little und ersta nd ing of sc ienc ea nd how things wo rked , a nd explana tions we re no t sc ientific .

This is no long er the c a se in to d a ys hig h-tec h w orld where a c hang etha t a ffec ts millions ma y hap p en in a m a tter of sec ond s. A c hild b orn tod a yinherits a world va stly d ifferent from tha t o f its p a rent s g enera tion , le t a lonetha t from c enturies a g o. Previous g ene ra tions left a leg a c y o f exp loitation,oc c up a tion, and irreleva nt va lues tha t p resent g rea t c ha lleng es, b ut a lsoop p ortunities to the p eo ple of tod a y.

The a p p lic a tion of sc ientific p rinc ip les, for b et te r or for worse, ac c ountsfor eve ry sing le a dva nc e tha t has imp rove d p eo p le s lives. Imp ortant d oc u-me nts a nd p roc la ma tions ha ve b ee n issued g ranting rig hts a nd p rivileg es tome mb ers of soc iet ies, but a t the hea rt o f hum a n p rog ress or d estruc tion isthe roc k-solid found a tion of sc ienc e.

For genera tions p a st it wa s imp ossib le to d irec t the future m uc h b e-yond the p resent m om ent, and forec a sts of the future we re b a sed on no n-sc ient ific method s. Prop hets a nd sa g es p resented visions of the future b asedon d rea ms, ha lluc ina tions, religious fervor, d ivina tion of anima l p a rts, c rysta l


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b a lls, etc . Som e m a y eve n ha ve b ee n a c c ura te, but this wa s mo re b ec a useof luc k tha n b ec a use o f any d irec t c hanne l to the sup erna tura l.

Now sa tellites c irc le the g lob e b ea ming d ow n informa tion in fra c tionsof a sec ond a bout e ve rything tha t imp a c ts our lives. This informa tion is ve ryva lua b le for p rojec ting w ea ther p a tterns, high and low p oints, g eo log ic a lhot a nd c old sp ots, where peo p le live, and the w a rming o f the p la net. Thisha s g iven us, for the first time, the a b ility to mo nito r the hea lth o f the p la net ,which m a ny sc ien tists see a s in serious, if no t c ritica l, c ond ition.

In a sing le d a y, trillions of b its of sc ientific d a ta zip through c yb ersp a c eat light-speed, making a high-tech civilization possible. While physical sci-enc e a nd tec hnolog y silently direc t muc h of the a c tion, millions of p eo p learound the globe still practice pseudo-science, using fortune-tellers, seers,a nd p hilosop hers for their d a ily d irec tion. Many w orld lea d ers reg ularly c on-sult p syc hic s, med iums, and a strolog ers for guid a nc e in d ec isions tha t d eter-mine the fa te of m illions.

Present huma n a c tivity a nd its c onseq uenc es doe s not have to besha p ed b y the nee d s a nd va lues of o ur a nc estors. In fa c t, it must no t b e. Forinsta nc e, a rmed c onflic t b etw een na tions is still see n b y ma ny a s the onlywa y to settle d ifferenc es. It is espec ia lly p rom ote d b y tho se who p rofit ha nd -somely from the sa le o f a rma ments. This is now to ta lly una c c ep ta b le a ndd a ng erous b ec a use o f wa r s extrem e huma n and environm enta l c osts.

A m ilita nt view p oint is ob solete onc e w e view the w orld a s a who le in-terrelate d system with a ll its p eo p le a s one fam ily. Ma na g ing a c c elera tingc ha ng es in tec hnolog y and ma na g ing ourselves req uire ne w o utloo ks a nda p p roa c hes. This is now b o th nec essa ry and possib le b ec a use o f tec hno-log ic al c hange .

These lessons a re d esigned to c ha llenge the rea d er to d irec t the future;not just o ne s ow n, but tha t o f soc iety in ge neral; and no t just for one s ow ngenerat ion, bu t fo r those to follow . Not o nly is sc ienc e ma king it p ossib le, it isnow vita l.


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YOUR CHALLENGE

The future d oes no t just ha p p en. Exc ep t for na tura l events like e a rth-q ua kes, it c om es a b out throug h the e fforts of p eo p le a nd is d ete rminedla rg ely b y how we ll informe d p eo p le a re. You c a n p la y a role in the sha p ingof to morrow s world b y asking yourself q uestions like, What kind of wo rld d oI wa nt to live in? a nd Wha t do es d em oc ra c y mea n to m e? There a rema ny o ther op tions of o rg a niza tion for the future tha n those typ ic a lly d is-cussed today.

Here is a sc ena rio fo r you to c onsid er: Sup p ose yo u we re c a lled up onto red esig n p la neta ry c iviliza tion without a ny limita tions b a sed on ho w thing sa re d one to d a y. The g oa l is to he lp rid the w orld of w a r, p ov erty, hung er,a nd environm enta l d eg ra d a tion, and to c rea te the b est wo rld for a ll inhab i-ta nts, given the resource s a t ha nd , for the long est p eriod of time.

Rem em b er, you a re free to rea rra ng e soc iety in any w a y you think willwork. The only limita tion is tha t your soc ia l d esig n must fa c to r in the c a rryingc a p a c ity of the p la net, whic h me a ns the resource s ha ve to b e suffic ient tosup p ort life o n the p la net.

You c a n rea rra nge the e ntire c iviliza tion to ma ke w ha t you c onsid erthe b est o f a ll p ossib le w orld s, bea ring in mind tha t a ny unme t nee d for anysegment o f the p op ula tion red uc es the sta nd a rd of living fo r a ll. This ma y in-c lud e not only environm enta l p rote c tion, but a lso c ity d esig n, tra nsp ortation,inte rp ersona l relat ionship s a nd the restruc turing of ed uc a tion, if you feel it isnecessary.

The op tions a re limitless. Would you ha ve sep a ra te na tions? Would yo uhave an international ad visory b oa rd ? How wo uld you m a na ge a nd d istrib -ute the resourc es of the w orld to a c c om mo d a te the nee d s of a ll? Wouldyou use the sc ient ific method to ma ke d ec isions, or rely on p olitic s or mysti-c ism? How would you ha nd le d ifferenc es in relig ious b eliefs? You ma y evenc onsid er ano ther system o f distrib ution tha t d oesn t use m oney a s a me d iumof exc hange.

On a p ersona l ba sis, would yo u see k a p osition o f ad va nta ge o ver oth-ers? Would you c la im a b igg er house , a mo re luxurious c a r, or hig h-de finitionTV? On wha t b a sis would you sa y you d eserve these things? Or tha t o the rsd on t d eserve the m? Your skill level? Your investmen t of time a nd / or money?


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Rem em b er, if you forc e a ny predete rmined set o f values on o ther na -tions, or othe rs in your own na tion or neig hb orhood for tha t ma tte r, you w illgene ra te b a d feeling s. How wo uld yo u p reve nt po litic a l c orrup tion? Wouldyou d ec la re unive rsa l la ws a nd trea ties? Would you use m ilita ry and p olic eme thod s for enfo rc em ent? Would yo u de c la re a ll resource s the c om mo nherita ge o f all na tions?

In o rd er to a c c om p lish this ta sk one must b e free of b ia s a nd na tiona l-ism, and reflec t those q ua lities in the d esig n of p olic ies. How would you a p -p roa c h tha t? This is a d iffic ult p ro jec t req uiring inp ut from ma ny d isc ip lines.

These a re some of the p rob lem s we m ust c onsid er whe n thinking a b outsuc h a ta sk. It c a n b e a fresh a p p roa c h, unburd ened b y p a st or tra d itiona lc onsid era tions, relig ious or otherwise , but a lwa ys keep in m ind for who m thissoc iety is to b e d esig ned .

Fee l free to tra nsc end p resent rea lities a nd rea c h o ut for new a nd c rea tiveideas.


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Chap ter One

From Yesterda y to TomorrowA little bac kg round b efore c onsidering this c hallenge :

The lives of m ost me n a nd wo me n a re b lighte d by p rob lem s they c a n-no t so lve . Ma ny events in o ur lives a re the result o f things b eyo nd our c ontrol.While it is c omforting to think, Im in c ha rg e, in truth m ost c ha ng es ef-fec ted by ind ivid ua ls a re very limited in sc op e. Peo p le usua lly b la me them -selves or fa te . Howev er, when two c a rs c ollid e a t a n inte rsec tion , sho uldwe b la me the ind ivid ua l drivers, fate , or the wa y tra nsp ortation is eng i-neered so tha t it pe rmits c ollisions in the first p la c e? Are we, a s a n individua l,in c ha rg e if the a uto mobile c ollid ing with us or is this the result o f p oordesign?

In 2005 the re were 43,200 thousa nd d ea ths in the US from c a r a c c i-d ents, p lus hund red s o f thousa nd s of injuries. But c onsid er a no the r wa y wege t p eop le from one plac e to ano ther the eleva tor. How ma ny peo pleha ve b ee n killed in c ollisions b etw ee n e leva tors? These d evic es c a rry m illionsof p eo p le e very d a y without a sing le m isha p b ec a use o f their intelligent d e-sig n. How mig ht highw a y transp orta tion b e simila rly a rra ng ed ?

If you b elieve tha t transp orta tion should b e d esigned so tha t it is a lmostimp ossib le fo r a nyone to b e killed or injured in a c ollision, this b ook is for you.If you b elieve tha t sc ientific investig a tion c a n find out how to restruc ture so-c iety to g ive ea c h ind ivid ua l a g rea ter op p ortunity for self-rea liza tion a nd ful-fillme nt, then you w ill p rob a b ly a p p rec ia te these ide a s.

To g et the m ost out o f these ide a s you w ill have to b lend op en-mind ed ness with skep tic ism. It is ha rd enoug h to fa c e the p rob lem s of o urow n time; it is eve n m ore d iffic ult to und ersta nd the fanta stic a nd shoc kingc hang es that m a y oc c ur in the future.

Sup p ose a n intellig ent ma n in New York a hund red yea rs a g o sa t d ow none eve ning with a b oo k p red ic ting life a c entury la ter. He w ould refuse tob elieve tha t a lmo st eve ryone in 2006 would b e a b le to op erate a horselessc a rria ge tha t c ould zip a bout a t 60 miles p er hour or more. He m a y havethought the d esig ners ha d go ne to o far.

He wo uld smile smug ly a t the rid ic ulous p red ic tion of m a n-ma d e


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flying ma c hines trave ling fa ster tha n the sp ee d of sound . The thoug ht ofsend ing p ic tures a nd sound s throug hout the wo rld insta ntly w ould havesound ed imp ossib le to suc h a p erson a hund red yea rs a g o. It would havesee me d inc red ib le to him that wa r wo uld d eve lop to the p oint where o nesma ll b om b , d irec ted in rea l time from half way a round the w orld , co uld d e-stroy an e ntire c ity with p in-po int ac c urac y. Our ea rly 20 th c entury g entle-ma n wo uld have b een a larmed that p a rt of his wa ge s c ould be withheld top rov id e for retirem ent.

At this p oint let us lea ve our ge ntlem a n m uttering to himself ab out thewo rld mo ving to o fast a nd a future tha t ha s g one too far.

Are we a ny mo re flexib le or fa rsighted tod a y? In o rd er to d esign a fu-ture o f po sitive c ha ng e, we m ust first b ec om e e xp ert at c ha ng ing our mind s.The d ifferenc es b etw ee n the ninete enth a nd the tw entieth c enturies willp rob a b ly b e sma ll c om p a red to the c hang es that w ill ta ke p la c e in the restof our own c entury.

You will und ersta nd the se ide a s b est if you c a n see tod a y as a step -p ing -stone b etwee n yesterd a y and tomorrow. You will a lso need sensitivityto the injustic es, lost o p portunities for hap p iness, and d ea d ly c onflic ts tha tc ha ra c terize our twenty-first c entury c iviliza tion.

We ha ve no c rysta l b a ll for the rest o f the tw enty-first c entury. We wa ntyou to fee d these idea s into your ow n me ntal co mp uter a nd experienc e.You m a y find even b etter id ea s that c a n p la y a p a rt in mo ld ing the future o four c iviliza tion. In the rest o f the se p a ges, we ll explore unfa milia r, a la rming ,exc iting , a nd a tta ina b le p ossib ilities for the d esign o f the future.

A Crisis That Nee ds to be Ad dressed

One wo uld think tha t with our tec hnolog y we c ould eliminate mo st so-c ia l ills. Couldn t mod ern tec hnolog y sup p ly eno ugh foo d , c lothing, shelter,a nd ma te ria l go od s for a ll if used inte llig ent ly? What is stop p ing us froma c hieving this? Tec hno logy is ra c ing forwa rd b ut o ur soc ie ties a re still ba sedon c onc ep ts a nd me thod s d evised c enturies a go. We still have a soc ietyb a sed on sc a rc ity a nd the use of m one y. We still have thinking p a tternsb a sed on o ld struc tures used in w este rn Asia severa l thousand yea rs a g o.


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We are trying to a d just to the rap id a dva nc es in tec hnolog y with ob soleteva lues tha t no long er wo rk in tod a ys wo rld .

Bec a use of tremend ous a d va ntag es given c orp ora tions b y la wm a kerswho owe them the ir p ositions, mo nopolies a re g a ining more c ontro l. Thec om forting a ssump tion that I c a n m a ke a d ifferenc e is farther and fartherfrom rea lity. Few er co rp orations ow n mo re a nd mo re c om p a nies. Ma ny ofthe sa me p eo p le sit o n the b oa rd s of va rious ma jor c orpo ra tions b esid estheir ow n. The c orpo ra tions tha t ow n c a r a nd a irc ra ft c om p a nies ma y a lsoow n foo d , ra d io , TV sta tions, ma ga zines, p ha rma c eutic a ls, ma nufa c turing ,a nd a rma ment c omp a nies. Ten ma jor lend ing institutions c ontrol virtua lly a llthe c red it c a rd s in the U.S. The w ea lth a nd influenc e o f these c orp ora te e litec an not b e eq ualed or c ountered by the wo rkers who e nab led them to ac -q uire suc h we a lth. With med ia c om p a nies tod a y ow ned a nd sp onsored b yla rg e c orp ora tions, it is d iffic ult to know w he the r the new s c a n be trusted .

Ac c ord ing to ma ny p olls, a ma jority of sc ientists think tha t the huma nra c e is on a c ollision c ourse with na ture , tha t a ll of Ea rth s ec osystems a resuffering , and tha t the a b ility o f the p la ne t to susta in life is in serious jeo p -ardy. (1) There is a threa t of ra p id g lob a l c lima te c ha nge tha t will c ertainlyhave p rofo und c onseq uenc es. The p ollution of rivers, la nd , and the a ir web rea the threa tens our hea lth. We a re d estroying no n-rene wa b le resourceslike to p soil a nd the ozone la yer instea d of using the se resources inte lligently.

We fac e c om mo n threa ts that tra nsc end nationa l b ound a ries: over-p op ula tion, energy shortag es, wa ter sc a rc ity, ec onom ic c a ta strop he, thesp rea d of unc ontrolla b le d isea ses, a nd the tec hnolog ic a l d isp lac em ent o fp eo p le b y ma c hines, to na me a few . Eight hundred a nd fifty two millionp eo p le a c ross the world a re hungry. Eve ry d a y, more tha n 16,000 child rend ie from hunger-relate d c a uses- one c hild eve ry five sec ond s. (1) World wid emo re tha n 1 b illion p eo p le c urrently live b elow the internationa l p ove rty line,ea rning less tha n $1 p er d a y. (2) A ve ry sma ll p erc ent o f the p eop le o wn mo stof the w orld s we a lth and resourc es. The g a p b etw ee n the ric h and p oo r iswid ening . In the US a s of 2002, the a ve ra ge CEO m a d e 282 times a s muc h a sthe a vera ge wo rker. (3) In 2005 the c omp ensa tion o f CEOs of ma jo r U.S. cor-p ora tions rose 12% to a n a ve ra ge of $9.8 million p er yea r. Oil c omp a ny CEOsd id even b et te r with ra ises tha t ave ra ged a whop p ing 109% to $16.6 millionp er yea r. Mea nw hile, w orkers sa la ries b a rely kep t up with infla tion in mo stind ustries a nd oc c up a tions ac ross the U.S. In O reg on, minimum wa g e work-ers sa w the ir pa y rise by a mod est 2.8% to $15,080 per yea r.


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Wha t has b ee n hand ed d ow n to us d oe s not see m to b e w orking forthe ma jority of pe op le. With the a d va nc es in sc ienc e a nd tec hnolog y overthe last two hundred yea rs, you m a y be a sking : d oe s it have to b e thiswa y? With the o b servab le fa c t tha t sc ientific know led ge m a kes our livesb etter whe n ap p lied with c onc ern for huma n welfa re a nd e nvironm enta lp rote c tion, there is no q uestion tha t sc ienc e a nd te c hnolog y c a n p rod uc ea b unda nc e so that no o ne ha s to g o without. But the m isuse a nd a b use oftec hno logy see ms to m a ke thing s worse.

The p rob lem s we fac e in the w orld tod a y a re m ostly of our ow n ma k-ing. We m ust a c c ep t tha t our future d ep end s on us . While the va lues rep re-sented b y relig ious lea d ers over the c enturies ha ve insp ired ma ny to a c t in asoc ia lly resp onsib le m a nner, others ha ve gone to w a r over their d ifferenc esin relig ious b eliefs. Hop es for d ivine inte rvention b y m ythic a l cha ra c ters a red elusions tha t c a nno t so lve the p rob lem s of o ur mo d ern wo rld . The future o fthe world is our resp onsib ility and it d ep end s up on d ec isions we m a ke tod a y.We are our ow n sa lva tion o r d amna tion.

The sha p e a nd so lutions of the future rely tota lly on the c ollec tive effo rtof peo p le working to gethe r. We are all a n integ ra l p a rt of the web of life.Wha t a ffec ts other pe op le a nd the e nvironm ent ha s c onseq uenc es in ourown live s a s well.

What is nee d ed is a c ha nge in our sense o f d irec tion a nd p urpose -- a na lte rna tive vision for a susta ina b le new w orld c iviliza tion unlike a ny in thep a st. Althoug h th is vision is highly comp ressed he re, it is b a sed on ye a rs ofstud y a nd expe rime nta l resea rc h.

These writings offer p ossib le a lte rna tives for striving to wa rd a b ette rworld . It a rrives a t d ec isions using the sc ient ific me tho d . Like a ny ne w a p -p roa c h, it req uires some ima g ina tion a nd a willing ness to c onsider the un-c onventiona l in ord er to b e a p p rec ia ted . Rem em b er that a lmo st every newc onc ep t w a s rid ic uled , rejec ted , and la ughe d a t w hen first p resented , esp e-c ia lly by the experts of the time .

Tha t s wha t ha p p ened to the first sc ientists who sa id the ea rth wa sround , the first who sa id it went a round the sun, and the first who thoug htp eo p le c ould lea rn to fly. You c ould write a who le b oo k, a nd m a ny have,

just on thing s tha t p eo p le thought were imp ossib le up until the time the y


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hap p ene d . Ima gine go ing to the mo on, for exa mp le! Your great-g ra nd p a rents would ha ve laug hed a t suc h a no tion! Suc h notions were thera mb ling s of sc ienc e fic tion write rs. Ma ny forwa rd thinking peo p le ha veb ee n loc ked up a nd even exec uted for saying suc h thing s a s the e a rth wa s-n t the c ente r of the universe.

Those w ho fo ught for soc ia l justic e a nd c ha nge ha d even g rea ter diffi-c ulties. Peo p le ad voc a ting c hang e we re b ea ten, ab used , put in prison, andb ruta lly murde red . For exam p le, Wang a ri Ma a tha i, who w a s a wa rd ed the2004 Nob el Peac e Pric e o n Dec em b er 10, 2004 wa s tea r g a ssed , b ea ten un-c onsc ious, a nd imp risone d for fighting a ga inst d efo resta tion in Kenya , Afric a .Dia nne Fosse, the na tura list w ho a c tive ly strive d to p ro tec t d ec lining gorillap op ula tions from p oa c hers, wa s found ha c ked to d ea th in her hut. Unfortu-na tely she d id not p rov id e for the need s of the p oa c hers. Any numb er ofvolumes c ould b e w ritten o n the ha rd ship s end ured b y those w ho soug htc hang e tha t threa tened the status q uo.

(1)The world hunger p rob lem: Fa c ts, fig ures a nd sta tisticshttp://library.thinkquest.org/C002291/high/present/stats.htm

(2) Hung er Rep ort 2004. Brea d for the World Institutehttp:// ww w.brea d .org/ hunge rb a sic s/ interna tiona l.html

(3) Ca p ita l Co nnec tionhttp://www.oraflcio.org/cgi-bin/display.cgi?page=CapConnect42505


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Cha pter Two

All Things Cha nge

In our dyna mic unive rse a ll things c ha ng e, from the fa rthest reac hes ofoute r sp a c e to the mo veme nt of c ontinents. Cha ng e oc c urs in all living a ndno nliving syste ms. The histo ry of c iviliza tion is the sto ry of c ha ng e from thesimp le to the mo re c om p lex. Huma n ingenuity a nd invention b ea r witness tothis fac t. No system c a n rema in sta tic for long ; most of the mona rc hies ha veb ee n rep la c ed b y other forms of g overnme nt a nd soc ieties b a sed on thewill of the p eo p le, not kings, have evo lved . Unfortuna tely, the c ha nges a renot a lwa ys for the b est.

Althoug h we a c c ep t the inevitab ility of c ha nge , huma ns me et it with alot of resista nc e. In m ost c a ses, cha ng e threa tens tho se in p ositions of a d -va ntag e a nd for the m ost p a rt they a re there in the first p la c e to kee p thingsthe wa y the y are. This is true for a ny soc iety, whe the r the p ower struc ture isrelig ious, milita ry, soc ialist, c a p ita list, c ommunist, fa sc ist, or trib a l. The lea d erswill a ttem p t to hold b ac k c hang e. Som etime s, even w hen c ond itions a reterrib le for the m a jority of p eo p le, the p eo p le the mselves ma y resist c ha ng eb ec a use there is c omfo rt in the fa milia r. We refe r to them a s the un-a p p ointed g ua rd ia ns of the system .

But no ma tter how m uc h p eo p le resist, hum a n c iviliza tion is no exc ep -tion to the fac t o f c ha ng e. Cha ng e oc c urs in a ll soc ia l system s, and is theonly c onsta nt. We c a n b e sure tha t the history of huma nkind is one ofchange .

Yet a t eve ry turn, vested inte rests (those who ha ve the most to ga in inkee p ing things the w a y they a re) op p ose even tec hnolog ic a l c hang es. Forexam p le, ea rlier in the twe ntieth c entury, de fend ers of the horse-mo untedc ava lry de la yed d eve lop me nt of the ta nk. So e ntrenc hed wa s this tra d itiontha t when Germa ny inva d ed Pola nd in 1939, the ir ta nk division fac ed Polishso ld iers still mounte d on ho rseb a c k.

It wa s obvious tha t the horse so ld iers d id no t sta nd a c ha nc e. The d e-velop ment of a irc ra ft threa tened ta nk d ivisions. Then p ilo ts a nd a irc ra ft de-sig ne rs foug ht to ho ld b a c k the d eve lop ment o f guided missiles. The missileme n fought to hold b ac k the d evelop me nt of la ser wea p ons. And so it g oe s.


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If we w ond er why we a re still fac ed with ma ny of the sa me p rob lem s our an-c estors ha d when o ur tec hnolog ic a l ca p a b ilities so surp a ss the irs, we mustc onsid er that we have b ee n here suc h a short time that w e c ould a lmo st b ec a lled new b orn. If you w ere to use a twe nty-four hour c loc k to rep resentthe time sinc e life b eg a n on e a rth, it wo uld show tha t huma ns have o nlyb ee n in existenc e sinc e the la st minute of the tw enty-fourth ho ur. Only dur-ing the last few sec ond s of the last minute ha ve m od ern huma ns b eg un touse sc ientific me thod s to find out the mo st e ffec tive wa ys of g etting thingsd one . We a re just now b eg inning to hit our strid e. More new knowled ge ha sb ee n c rea ted from the b eg inning o f the tw entieth c entury to the p resenttha n in the p rev ious b illion yea rs. Cha ng e is a lmost e ve rywhere.

If life a t time s see ms b ewild ering - if you fe el pulled in ma ny d irec tions, ifyou find tha t no ma tter wha t you d o, you still have stic ky prob lem s, if youfind tha t our ec ono mic , p olitic a l, a nd soc ia l wa ys of d oing thing s som etimesc rea te mo re d iffic ulties tha n they so lve - then you a re simp ly p la ying yourp a rt in suffering throug h the p resent transitiona l pha se o f our c iviliza tion.


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Cha pter Three

Using the Sc ientific MethodWhat Have We Here

Until sc ientific inquiry c a me of a g e, huma n b eings c ould no t c om p re-hend the ir rela tionship to the p hysic a l world , so they inve nted the ir own ex-p la na tions. These e xp la na tions tend ed to b e simp listic a nd in many c a sesha rmful. For exa mp le, if one know s a tid a l wa ve is a p p roa c hing a ndc hoo ses to stay and p ra y for d elive ra nc e rathe r tha n lea ving , this c ould b ed et rime nta l to his/ her surviva l. Peo p le used to b eliev e tha t p la gues a nd d is-ea ses we re retrib utions of a n a ngry God , b ut the sc ientific me thod foundtha t ma ny disea ses we re c a rried b y ra ts a nd lic e, and c a used b y germs.

It is no t tha t sc ientists a re c lose-mind ed rega rd ing these issue sit s justtha t their ac c ep ta nc e o f id ea s req uires mo re sop histic a ted sta nd a rd s a ndme tho d s of inquiry.

The sc ientific me tho d he lp s to d iminish b ia ses, prejudic es, and p rec on-c eived notions. The me thod req uires tha t sta tem ents b e ve rified and tha t re-sea rc hers find out throug h exp erime nta tion just w ha t w orks a nd wha t d oe snot. Sc ientists a sk the q uestion wha t d o w e ha ve he re? a nd then the y pro-c ee d to d o exp erime nts to d etermine the na ture o f the p hysic al wo rld .

This p roc ess req uires tha t exp eriments b e ve rified b y o the rs who mustget the sa me results. One of the ma jor d eve lop me nts in sc ienc e wa s the re-a liza tion tha t w e c a n no t a c quire a nswers to p rob lem s just intuitive ly. It re-q uires p a insta king la borious effort a nd time to find so lutions a nd a nswers. Of-ten m a ny failures c om e b efo re a ny new find ings.

The Language of Sc ienc e

The c ommunic a tion o f id ea s a nd informa tion usua lly sta rts with lan-gua ge, but w hen you see how misund erstoo d you m a y be in d a ily life, youknow this c a n be a c onfusing ta sk. Our eve ryda y la ngua g e evolved th roug hc enturies of c ultura l c ha ng e a nd unfortuna tely, it is d iffic ult to reso lve c on-flic ting id ea s b y using it. In most insta nc es, b ec a use o f va rying b a c kground sa nd life expe rienc es, the sa me wo rd c a n have d ifferent m ea nings for


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d ifferent peo p le. One s thoug hts ma y be interpreted d ifferently b y othe rseven w hen using the sa me la ngua g e.

But the re is a la ng ua ge tha t is ea sily und erstood b y ma ny, even in d if-ferent p a rts of the world . This la ngua ge ha s a high de gree of p hysic a l c orre- la tion with the rea l wo rld . The re is little to no c onfusion in it. In d ifferent sc ien-tific fields suc h as eng ineering , ma thema tic s, c hemistry, a nd o the r tec hnic a la rea s, we ha ve the nea rest thing to a d esc rip tive universa l la ngua g e tha tlea ves little roo m for one s ow n unique interpreta tion.

For insta nc e, if a b luep rint for a n a utom ob ile is g iven to a ny tec hnolog i-c a lly develop ed soc iety a nywhere in the w orld , reg a rd less of po litic a l or reli-g ious b elief, the finished p rod uc t will b e the sa me . This la ng ua ge w a s d elib -erate ly d esig ned a s a mo re a p p rop ria te w a y to sta te a p rob lem . It is nea rlyfree of va gue interp reta tions a nd a mb iguities.

Ma ny of the g rea t tec hnic al strid es ma d e in our mo d ern d a y wo uldhave b ee n una ttainab le without this imp rove d c om munic a tion. Without ac om mo n de sc rip tive la ngua ge , we w ould ha ve b ee n unab le to p revent d is-ea ses, inc rea se c rop yield s, ta lk ove r tho usa nd s of miles, or b uild b rid g es,d a ms, tra nsp ortation system s, and the ma ny o ther tec hnolog ic a l ma rvels ofthis c om puterized a g e.

Ap plying a nd und ersta nd ing Ge nera l Sem a ntic s is essent ia l to imp rov-

ing c om munica tion. Sem a ntic s ha s b ee n d efined in ma ny d ifferent w a ys.Briefly, it is a n a ttem p t to imp rove c om munica tion throug h the c a reful use o fla ng ua g e. For examp le , te rms like Arab , Jew , or Irishma n ha ve slig htlyd ifferent mea ning s to d ifferent peop le. Simila r word s ha ve v a rious me a ningsd ep end ing on d ifferenc es in b a c kground a nd expe rienc e. This a lso a p p liesto w ord s like understa nd ing , c onsc ienc e, de moc ra c y, rea lity, love, etc . Toha ve inte llig ent d isc ussions using c erta in w ord s, it is essential to a sk wha t o neme a ns b y the word s b eing used . If one wishes to c om munica te in a me a n-ing ful wa y, it is b est to ha ve p eop le d efine the ir te rms. Sema ntic s is just one

instrume nt tha t m a y he lp imp rove c om munica tion. A useful bo ok fo r this sub - jec t is Tyra nny o f Word s b y Stua rt Cha se.

Can we a pply the Me thods of Sc ienc e to how we Design our Soc iety?

The d isc overy of sc ientific p rinc ip les ena b les us to va lid a te a nd testma ny p rop osa ls. If som eo ne c la ims tha t a c erta in struc tura l elem ent c a n sup p ort a sp ec ific numb er of po und s p er sq ua re inch, this sta tem ent c a n b e


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tested a nd either a c c ep ted or rejec ted b a sed on the test results. It is thistesting whic h e na b les us to d esign a nd c onstruc t b rid g es, build ing s, ship s,a irc raft, and other mec hanica l wo nd ers.

Almo st eve ryone you know will g o fo r the sc ientific wa y whe n it c om esto surge ry, a irp la ne rid es, or b uild ing things like skysc ra p ers, b rid ges, andc a rs. Ove r the c enturies, we see m to ha ve d eve lop ed a c onsensus tha twhe n it c om es to ma tters of p ersona l sa fety, we will go with the sc ienc era ther than the ma g ic . Why is tha t? Prob a b ly b ec a use it w orks, and eve ry-b od y c a n see that it do es.

Then w hy don t we d o tha t whe n it c om es to p la nning o ur soc ieties:our c ities, transp orta tion syste ms, a g ric ulture, hea lth c a re, a nd so o n? If youthought we w ere already d oing a ll tho se things sc ientific a lly, look ag a in! Ifsc ienc e ha s a lot to d o w ith wha t wo rks, then c lea rly there s muc h a b out to -

d a ys soc ia l a nd ec ono mic setup tha t isn t sc ientific , b ec a use things a ren two rking very well for a m a jority of the world s pop ula tion or the environm ent.If they w ere, w a r, po ve rty, hung er, homelessness, po llution, etc ., wo uld no tb e so p reva lent tod a y. Unfortuna te ly our soc ia l struc tures evolved with noove ra ll g lob a l p la nning .

One c ond ition for the a ssig nment of red esig ning soc ie ty is tha t your so-c ia l d esig n must live within the c a rrying c a p a c ity of our p la net. This mea nsour resourc es ha ve to sup p ort life o n the p la net for eve ryone. This will c er-

ta inly req uire sc ientific me thod s of eva lua tion.If one wishes to p ut a p erson o n the mo on, one c a nnot just b uild a

roc ket a nd hea d for the m oo n. We must first test wha t forc es the hum a nb od y c a n sta nd . We wo uld p ut a p erson in a c entrifuge to see just howma ny G s the bo d y ca n withstand . We would p ut a p erson throug h a b a r-ra ge o f tests. For insta nc e , we w ould te st to see how the b od y func tions in ag ra vity- free environm ent a nd the e ffec ts on hum a n hea lth. We would a lsonee d to ha ve informa tion a bout survival po ssib ilities on the m oo n; for exa m-p le, is there w a ter, a ir, a n a c c ep ta b le te mp era ture rang e, etc .

In muc h the sa me wa y we m ust loo k a t the entire p la net a s a who lea nd a sk wha t ha ve we here? We w a nt to a p p ly this sa me intellige ntme tho d of p la nning using a sc ient ific system of Ea rth sc ienc es for planeta rysurviva l. The d eg ree to whic h w e dont a p p ly this sc ientific me thod to thewa y we live o n Ea rth ma y very we ll d ete rmine the unne c essa ry am ount o fsuffering tha t will oc c ur. How d o we d o this?


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Chapter Four

Existing MythsHuman Nature

In eve ryda y life we ob serve the inter-c onnec tions b etw ee n p hysic a l

eve nts a ll a round us. But w e often fa il to ob serve the sa me c onne c tions wesee in the p hysic a l sc ienc es when it c om es to huma n b eha vior. When weexa mine huma n beha vior in the sa me m a nner a s we e xa mine p hysic a lp heno me na , we will b ette r und ersta nd the p hysic a l fa c tors responsib le forsha p ing our values a nd b eha vior.

In the na tura l sc ienc es, p hysic a l p henom ena a re a c ted upo n b y ala rg e numb er of forces. For examp le , a p la nt d oes no t g row unless it is a c tedup on b y nutrients, g ra vity, wa ter, the sun, and muc h more. A sa ilboa t d oe s

not sa il of its ow n a c c ord; ra ther, it is ac tiva ted b y the w ind a nd ma ny othe rvariables.

There is no fixed p red ete rmined huma n na ture. We a re not b orn withp rejudice , b igo try, or ang er; those a re d eve lop ed from our exp erienc es. Weshould no t be p reo c c upied w ith the erroneo us c onc ep t of human na ture,b ut should ra ther examine huma n b eha vior whic h ha s a lwa ys b een c hang -ing -- o the rwise w e w ould still b e living in c a ve s.

Hum a n b eha vior is just a s sub jec t to externa l forc es a s a nyth ing else inthe na tura l world . Tod a y sc ienc es of hum a n b eha vior a re less deve lop edb ec a use the y foc us p rima rily on p eo p le a nd not suffic iently on the e nviron-me ntal c ond itions that p rog ram the individ ual. You c a n not id entify thefac tors responsib le for be ha vior throug h the stud y of ind ividua ls a lone.Ra the r, we must stud y the c ultures in w hic h p eo p le a re nurtured . The d iffer-enc es b etwe en a Native Am eric a n, a thief, a nd a b a nker a re not found inthe ir g enes, b ut instea d reflec t the e nvironments in whic h they we re raised .A C hinese b a b y doe s not lea rn to sp ea k Chinese a ny faster than a n Am eri-c a n b a b y lea rns Eng lish. If one c losely exam ines the effec ts of soc iety onhuma n b eha vior, we c a n rea d ily id entify the type of e nvironm ent a p ersonc ome s from. The extent o f soc ia l env ironmenta l influenc e is reflec ted inla ng uag es, fa c ia l expressions a nd b od y mo vem ents.

Huma n b eha vior is la wful a nd ge nera ted b y ma ny intera c tingva ria b les in the env ironment. This inc lud es b oth c onstruc tive a nd soc ia lly


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offensive b eha viors. The soc ia l environm ent c onsists of o ur fam ily life ,nutrition, love , or la c k thereo f, p urc ha sing p ow er, sexua l preferenc es, ro lemo d els on TV, b ooks, ra d io , interne t, ed uc a tion, re lig ious b a c kground , thep eo p le o ne a ssoc ia tes with, a nd a ll the o ther interac ting va ria b les in one slife.

In general, c o llec tive va lues a re influenc ed b y the e xisting soc ia lstruc ture a nd sub -c ultures within a soc iety. For b et te r or worse, soc ia l systemstend to p erpe tua te themselves with a ll of the ir streng ths a nd shortc om ing s.Whether we rea lize it or not, mo st p eo p le a re c onsta ntly ma nip ula ted b y theme d ia a nd e sta b lished institutions whic h influenc e the na tiona l a g end a .This, in turn, influenc es muc h o f our be ha vio r, exp ec ta tions, and va lues. Ournotions of rig ht and wrong , a nd our co nc ep ts of morality are a lso p a rt of ourc ultura l herita ge a nd exp erienc es. This me tho d of c ontrol do es no t req uirethe use of p hysic a l force, a nd has b ee n so suc c essful tha t few rec og nize orfeel the ma nip ula tions.

Ma ny peo p le think g ree d is a p a rt of hum a n na ture. Sinc e p eo p le livedwith sc a rc ity or the threa t o f sc a rc ity for c enturies, tha t ha s d eve lop ed b e-haviora l p a tterns suc h a s g ree d , a nd a d mira tion o f those w ho ha ve a c c u-mulate d we a lth throug h c rime , em b ezzlem ent, and mo re. These p a tternsha ve b een with us for c enturies so ma ny think it is just hum a n na ture a ndc a n not b e c ha ng ed . But c onsid er this exam p le: if it ra ined g old for a w ee k,p eo p le in a sc a rc ity c ulture w ould rush outsid e a nd fill the ir houses with g old .If the rain o f gold c ontinued for yea rs, they wo uld swe ep it o ut of the irhouses a nd throw a wa y their gold rings. In a n environm ent o f ab und a nc ea nd em otiona l sec urity, ma ny neg a tive p a tterns wo uld no long er b e p reva -lent.

Peo p le raised in a moneta ry system where the botto m line is p rofit a relikely to out sourc e p ortions of the ir b usiness ra the r tha n b e c onc erned withthe well b eing o f the ir c ountry a nd em p loyee s. The na ture o f our soc ia l insti-tutions p erpetua tes this b ehavior. For exa mp le , if a mod era te sizedc omp any w ere c onc erned with the w ell b eing o f emp loyees a nd p rovide dme d ic a l c a re, p la yground s for c hild ren, a nd a higher wa ge sc a le, it wo uldno t a ttra c t a s ma ny inve sto rs a s a simila r sized c omp a ny tha t outsourc es a ndinvests in a d vertising a nd new ma c hines wo uld . The m ore huma ne c om p a nywill not b e in b usiness ve ry long . Pred a to ry b eha vior c omes to d om ina te sotha t o ne c a n survive in the business world . This is no t hum a n na ture b ut a b y-p rod uc t of the c ulture.


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In an environme nt of g rea t sc a rc ity of food stuffs, p eo p le ho rd e foo d .This b eha vior results from the sc a rc ity o f foo d . But o n a South Sea isla nd withlow p op ula tion a nd a b unda nt foo d , huma n b eha vior is q uite d ifferent.When fish a re c a ught, they a re sha red with eve ryone .

Ma ny othe r exam p les show how environm ent sets p a tterns a nd va luesa re. In a hostile e nvironm ent, sma ller pe op le w ill tend to d eve lop the w ea p -ons. Afte r World War II, even the most resp ec ta b le Ge rma n fa milies foug htover sc ra p s of foo d in ga rb a g e c a ns to survive . In a sc a rc ity-oriented soc i-ety, ge nerosity is a ra re oc c urrenc e. If a g irl is ve ry a ttrac tive by esta b lishedsoc ia l sta nd a rd s, she w ill a ttrac t ma ny ma le a d mirers. On the other ha nd ,when a g irl is less a ttrac tive , she tend s to d evelop o the r a ttrib utes to levelthe p la ying field. Peo p le with little know led ge of the p hysic a l wo rld tend tosee god s a nd demons a s the p rime c ontrollers of natura l p henome na . Therewa s a time whe n m en o f grea t streng th we re a d mired a nd held in high es-teem in a rmies. The a d vent o f the g un tend ed to e q ua lize the ir c om b a ta b ilities. There ha ve b ee n w a rs ever sinc e peo p le ha ve b ee n on ea rth, andma ny a ttrib ute this to hum a n na ture. But it is rea lly the sc a rc ity o f resourc eswhich c a uses te rrito ria l disp ute s.

Ma ny p eo p le to d a y see ge nes as a rea son for ab erra nt b eha vior, b utthe m a jor influenc es have b ee n show n to b e e nvironm enta l. Ge netic ma ke-up a lone d oes no t fully explain or illumina te huma n b ehavior. The sc ienc esof huma n be havior d ea l with a c om p lex system of g ene s, environm enta lc ond itions (foo d , she lte r, fam ily d yna mic s, ed uc a tion, relig ious tra ining , pe r-sona l expe rienc es), a nd the interp reta tion a nd d ec isions p eo p le m a kea b out the w orld a nd their p lac e in it.

Wha t is c onsid ered a p p rop ria te b eha vior tod a y ma y be c onsid eredun-sa ne in the future. One q uestion tha t rema ins is how muc h of o ur va luesystem is p rogra mme d b y soc iety s effo rts to p erpe tua te e xisting a nd esta b -lished institutions. It is no t hum a n na ture , b ut hum a n b eha vior tha t w e needto b e c onc erned with. That c an e a sily be c hange d by a pp rop riate andreleva nt ed uc a tion, and the d esign of a n environm ent w hic h c oinc id es withthe c a rrying c a p a c ity of the ea rth. Bette r va lues, id ea ls, a nd b eha viorc a nno t b e fully rea lized while there is still hung er, une mp loyment , de p riva -tion, wa r, and p ove rty.


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The Rule of Law

Ma ny pe op le fee l that w e ne ed the rule o f la w to elimina te o ur p rob -lem s. But is it more laws tha t we nee d ? We ha ve ma ny la ws thousa nd sup on tho usa nd s of them - b ut they a re c onstantly be ing b roken.

For insta nc e, the re a re tho usa nd s of la ws a g a inst ste a ling . But if we ex-a mine this mo re c losely and loo k at the sta tistic s, we find tha t a few p eo p lec ontro l mo st of the ea rth s resourc es. Mo st p eo p le ha ve insuffic ient m oneyto p urc ha se eve n the b a rest o f nec essities. How c a n w e think that w ithouta lte ring the se c ond itions, the pa ssing of a la w will p revent stea ling ? This iseven m ore d iffic ult when a d ve rtising ma kes p rod uc ts so e ntic ing . Almost un-know ing ly, p eo p le in the US a re e xp osed to over 2500 a dve rtiseme nts a d a y.

Even a p ea c e trea ty c a nnot p reve nt ano ther wa r if the unde rlyingc a uses a re no t de a lt with. La ws for internationa l c oo p eration do not d ea lwith the rea sons we nee d the la ws -- the y just tend to free ze thing s a s theya re. Reg a rd less of trea ties, na tions tha t have c onq uered la nd a ll over theworld b y forc e a nd violenc e still reta in the ir po sitions of te rrito ria l and re-source a dva nta g e. Trea ties a re only a b a nd -a id o n the prob lem s a nd usu-a lly on ly work to p ostp one c onflic t for a short time .

Perhap s wha t is nee d ed a re d ifferent pe op le in go vernment, ethica lp eo p le who a re c onc erned a b out others. Ma ybe they will wipe o ut co rrup-tion a nd wo rk towa rd s everyone s we ll-b eing. But ev en if the most ethica lp eo p le w ere elec ted to high p osition a nd we ra n out o f resource s, therewould still b e lying , c hea ting, stea ling , a nd c orrup tion. It is not eth ic a l peop le that a re need ed b ut ra ther a w a y of intelligently ma nag ing the Ea rth s resourc es for everyone s we ll-being .

Examining the Cond itions that Ca use the Prob lems

Perhap s the p rob lem lies elsew here tha n in the ena c tment o f morela ws or a p p ointing e thic a l p eo p le to g ove rnme nt. Perhap s we should loo ka t how w e c urrently ob ta in a nd d istrib ute the g oo d s tha t we ne ed . This isd one b y ea rning mo ney, either by e xc ha ng ing one s time , skills, and


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effo rts, or b y investing in the financ ia l system w ith the thoug ht of ge ttingmo re m one y in return, a nd excha ng ing tha t mo ney for g oo d s a nd servic es.This ma y have be en a go od me thod in the p a st when g oo d s we re sc a rc ea nd te c hnolog y wa s in its infanc y, b ut tod a y our a d va nc ed tec hnolog iesc ould b e the to ols for a ve ry d ifferent sc ena rio.

If we look a t things sc ientific a lly, the re is mo re tha n enough foo d a ndma teria l goo d s on Ea rth to ta ke c a re o f all p eo p le s nee d s if ma na gedc orrec tly. There is eno ugh to e na b le e veryone to ha ve a very high sta nd a rdof living with the intellig ent use o f tec hno logy, resourc es, a nd tec hnica l p er-sonne l. When we sa y the use of tec hnolog y, we me a n tec hnology tha t isnot ha rmful to p eo p le o r the e nvironm ent a nd d oe snt wa ste time a ndenergy.

Co nsid er this: when the re is a rec ession a nd p eo p le ha ve little mo neyto b uy things, isn t the Ea rth still the sa me p lac e? Aren t the re still g ood s onthe store shelves a nd la nd to g row c rop s? It is just the rules of the ga me tha twe p la y b y that a re ob solete a nd c a use so muc h suffering.

The e xistenc e o f mo ney is ha rd ly eve r q uestioned or examined , b utlet s c onsid er our use of m oney. Mo ney itself do es no t ha ve a ny va lue . It is

just a p ic ture on a c hea p p iec e of pa pe r with an ag reem ent amo ng p eop lea s to wha t it c a n b uy. If it ra ined hund red d olla r b ills tom orrow , eve ryonewo uld b e ha pp y exc ep t the ba nkers.

There a re m a ny d isa d va nta g es to using this old m etho d of e xc ha ng efor go od s a nd servic es. We will c onsid er just a few here a nd let you a d d tothis list o n yo ur ow n.

Mone y is just a n interferenc e b etwe en w hat one need s a nd wha t one isa b le to g et. It is not mo ney tha t p eo p le nee d , it is a c c ess to resources.

The use of money results in soc ia l strat ific a tion a nd e litism b a sed p rima rilyon ec ono mic d isp a rity.

Peo p le a re no t eq ua l without eq ua l purc ha sing p ow er.

Mo st p eo p le a re slaves to job s they d o no t like b ec a use the y need themoney.


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There is trem end ous c orrup tion , g ree d , c rime, em b ezzlem ent, and morec aused by the need for money.

Mo st la ws a re ena c ted for the b ene fit of c orpo ra tions, whic h haveeno ugh mo ney to lob b y, b rib e, or p ersua d e g ove rnme nt offic ia ls toma ke la ws tha t serve the ir interests.

Those w ho c ontrol purc ha sing p ow er have g rea ter influenc e.

Mo ney is used to c ontrol the b eha vior of tho se w ith limited p urc ha singpower.

Go od s suc h a s foo d s a re som etimes d estroye d to keep p ric es up ; whenthings a re sc a rc e p ric es inc rea se.

There is trem end ous wa ste of ma te ria l a nd stra in on a va ila b le resourc esfrom sup erfic ia l d esig n c ha nges for newe r la ter fa d s ea c h yea r in o rd erto c rea te c ontinuous ma rkets for ma nufac turers.

There is trem end ous environm enta l d eg ra d a tion d ue to the high c ost ofb ette r me thod s of w a ste d isp osa l.

The Ea rth is b eing p lund ered for p rofit.

The b enefits of tec hno logy a re only d istribute d to tho se with suffic ien t p ur-c hasing p ow er.

Mo st imp orta nt, whe n the c orpo ra tion s b ottom line is p rofit, de c isions ina ll a rea s a re m a d e no t for the be nefit of pe op le a nd the environme nt,b ut p rima rily for the a c q uisition of w ea lth, prop erty, and p ow er.

Next Phase in Soc ial Development.

What is it tha t w e a ll have in c om mon? Where should our p riorities lie?All na tions a nd p eop le, reg a rd less of politica l p hilosop hy, religious b elie fs, orsoc ia l c ustom s, d ep end up on na tura l resources; we a ll nee d c lea n a ir a ndwa ter, ara b le la nd for food , a nd the ne c essa ry tec hnolog y a nd p ersonnel toma inta in a high sta nd a rd of living . Perhap s we should up d a te the wa y soc i-ety wo rks so eve ryone on e a rth c a n take a d va ntag e o f our tec hnolog ic a la b ility to ma inta in a c lea n environm ent a nd a high sta nd a rd of living . There


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is not e noug h mo ney to b eg in to p a y for this type of c ha nge , b ut there a remo re tha n eno ugh resources on Ea rth to c rea te it.

To review: the Ea rth ha s a b und ant resources a nd our p ra c tic e ofra tioning the se resource s throug h the use o f mo ney is a n ou td a ted me thodwhic h c a uses muc h suffering . It is not m oney tha t we nee d b ut the intellige nt ma nag ement o f the e a rth s resourc es for the b enefit o f everyone . Wec ould b est work towa rd s a c hieving this b y using a resourc e ba sed e c onomy.

Resource-based Economy

This is a ve ry d ifferent c onc ep t tha n a nything e lse p ut fo rth to d a y. Top ut it simp ly, a resourc e-b a sed ec onomy uses resourc es ra the r tha n money,a nd p eo p le ha ve a c c ess to w hate ver they need without the use of mo ney,c red it, ba rter, or any o ther form o f d eb t o r servitud e. All of the wo rld's resourc es a re he ld a s the c om mo n herita ge o f a ll of Ea rth s p eo p le.

The rea l we a lth of a ny na tion is not its mo ney, but the d eve lop ed a ndp ote ntial resourc es a nd the p eo p le w ho w ork towa rd the e limination ofsc a rc ity for a mo re hum a ne soc iety.

If this is still c onfusing to you c onsid er this: If a g roup of p eop le werestra nd ed on a n isla nd with money, gold, and d ia mo nd s, b ut the isla nd ha dno a ra b le land , fish or c lea n wa ter, their wea lth wo uld b e irreleva nt to theirsurvival.

What if a ll the m one y in the w orld sud d enly disa p p ea red ? As long a stop soil, fa c tories, and o the r resourc es still rem a ined , we c ould b uild a nythingwe c hose to b uild a nd fulfill our ma teria l need s. The b otto m line is tha tmo ney is not wha t p eo p le rea lly nee d ; ra the r, it is a c c ess to the nec essitiesof life .

In a resourc e-ba sed ec onomy, resource s a re used d irec tly to enha nc ethe lives of o ur tota l p op ula tion. In a n ec ono my b a sed on resource s ra thertha n mone y, we c a n ea sily p rod uc e a ll of the nec essities of life a nd p rov id ea ve ry hig h sta nd a rd of living for everyone .


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Cha pter Five

From o ne System to AnotherThe Transition - Signs of the Times

Most p eo p le d on t b eg in to loo k for an a lternative soc ia l a rra nge me ntuntil the irs no long er wo rks for them . A c ha ng e from a system a s entrenc hedin our c ulture a s money w ill most likely req uire a c o lla p se of the c urrentsystem . Som e things tha t a re ha p p ening to d ay c ould b e sig ns tha t thisc olla p se is a lrea d y und erwa y:

The ind ustria lized na tions of the w orld a re insta lling more a nd mo rea utoma ted tec hnolog y in ord er to c om p ete w ith low p ric es in the glob a lec ono my. The result of this new tec hnology is tha t mo re a nd mo re p eo p lelose their job s a nd c a n t ta ke c a re o f them selves a nd the ir families. Witha utoma tion a nd c ybernation used to their fullest p ote ntia l, ma c hines re-p la c e not only ind ustria l workers, b ut a lso mo st p rofessiona ls. Conseq uently,fewe r p eo p le a re a b le to b uy the p rod uc ts that a utom a ted fac tories turnout.

A c ontinuous outsourcing o f job s a nd ma nufac turing p la nts to ove rsea sfor c hea p er la b or, few er environm enta l restric tions, and othe r benefits ma yseem good in the short run b ut will ultima te ly p rove d isa strous. It is likely tha tthe loss of inc om e fo r a ma jority of unem p loye d will b ec om e so g rea t tha tthey w ill lose their homes a nd p ossessions.

A numb er of sc ientists c la im tha t b y the yea r 2030, the re will b e a d ra s-tic shortag e o f ea sily extrac ted oil. Oil ma y not run out , b ut it ma y bec om emo neta rily a nd then p hysic a lly imp ra c tic a l to extra c t it. Eve ntua lly, it w ill re -q uire m ore ene rg y to d rill for it a nd refine it tha n is p ra c tica l. It is likely thesa me will hap p en with na tura l ga s, only more rap id ly.

These d eve lop me nts will crea te trem end ous soc ia l and environm enta ld isrup tions a s busine sses sc ra mble to p ro tec t the ir p rofit ma rg ins and exp lo itmo re o f the ea rth s la nd , wa ter, a nd na tura l resource s. It ma y take thefailure o f the d eb t/ mo ney system for the m a jority of p eo p le to lose c onfi-d enc e in it. Then they c a n examine seriously how a g lob a l resourc e-b a sedec ono my would o p erate , a nd envision w ha t life wo uld b e like in suc h asoc iety. In the c ha p ters tha t follow , we w ill g limp se the p roc esses invo lvedin a d a p ting ourselves to this new w a y of life.


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Cha pter Six

Future By Design Emerging Into a Saner FutureFirst Steps

To b eg in imp lem enting a resource -ba sed ec ono my, soc ia l d esigne rsmust utilize the sc ientific me thod a nd p ose the question What d o w e ha vehere? With the req uirem ent tha t a ll b e p rov id ed for in the m ost effic ient,c omfo rta b le, a nd end uring ma nner p ossib le, the first p riority is making ap urely tec hnic a l a ssessme nt o f ba sic nee d s of the tota l glob a l p op ula tion.The a mo unt of ho using , foo d , wa ter, hea lth c a re, tra nsp ortation, ed uc a tion,a nd other suc h nee d s must b e c om p a red to the a va ila b le resourc es thep la net ha s to offer. This ha s to b e b a la nc ed with the ne ed s of o ther sp ec iesthat m a ke up the w eb of life on Ea rth.

The m a in ob jec tive is to o verc om e sc a rc ity a nd p rovide for the nee d s of a ll the world s p eo ple. In ord er to c rea te a wo rkab le a nd susta ina b lec iviliza tion a s q uic kly a s p ossib le, we need va st a mounts of energy. What isd esp era tely need ed is a n ene rgy d evelop me nt stra teg y on a g lob a l sc a le,req uiring a joint venture o f interna tiona l p la nning on a leve l neve r b efo reachieved.

Energy

One o f the m ost useful me a sures of the d evelop ment of c iviliza tion isthe a mo unt of a va ila b le energy p er pe rson. To a la rg e e xtent the d eg ree ofp hysic a l c om fort you enjoy tod ay c orrelate s with the e nerg y at yourd isp osa l. Ima g ine the p a ra lyses tha t would oc c ur if your elec tric ity andga soline sup p ly were c ut off, a nd you ha d to use yo ur ow n musc les to g etthings d one .

The resource -ba sed ec ono my q uic kly g oe s to wo rk on c lea n source s ofene rg y. This is only po ssib le when there a re no more mone ta ry limita tions inthe w a y of a c c om p lishing or prov id ing wha t s nee d ed . With the restric tionsof p rofit, prop erty, and sc a rc ity e liminate d , resea rc h lab s wo uld quic klyb eg in w orking tog ethe r a nd sha ring informa tion free ly. There w ould b e nonee d for pa tents or p rop rieta ry informa tion sinc e the end goa l is not toma ke mo ney in ord er to c ontinue working , b ut to a c hieve results tha t a refree ly and q uic kly ava ila b le to the p la net s entire p op ula tion.


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This is a p rojec t that m a ny pe op le w ould b e e a ge r a nd g ra teful to w ork on,when the results immed ia te ly b ene fit a ll p eo p le. Inte rd isc ip lina ry tea ms ofq ua lified p ersonne l, in line with the p ro jec t s req uirem ents, will work on en-erg y a nd a utoma ted system s to p rod uc e and supp ly go od s a nd servic es ona ma ssive sc a le . Eve n the university stud ents will help p a rtic ip a te in a rrivinga t fa st m ethod s of so lving these p rob lem s.

These c a n b e the a rmies of the future, a la rge p ea c eful mob iliza tion toresto re a nd p reserve the e a rth a nd its p eo p le. This ha s never bee n d oneb efo re a nd c a n only b e d one when m one y is no o b sta c le. The q uestion isnot d o w e ha ve the mo ney, b ut do we hav e the resourc es a nd m ea ns toa c c om plish this new d irec tion.

During the tra nsition from one system to a nothe r, sc a rc ity reg ions a rep rov id ed with hea t c onc entra tors for coo king a nd sterilizing wa ter. Foo d s forthose a rea s a re d ehyd ra ted a nd c om p ressed to sa ve ship p ing spa c e. Thep a c ka g ing is b iod eg ra d a b le a nd ma y d oub le a s non-co ntam inating fertiliz-ers. Reg ions without a ra b le la nd will use hyd roponic fa rms, la nd -ba sed fishfa rms, and sea fa rming . To c onserve energy d uring the tra nsition, instea d ofea c h fam ily p rep a ring foo d , there a re food d istrib ution c ente rs with foo dshipp ed d irec tly to home s a nd resta ura nts. These ma ssive methods ofsup p lying go od s a nd servic es a re a p p lied throug hout the world .

Vast sourc es of energ y will b e e xp lored a nd d eve lop ed . These inc lud ewind, wa ve a nd tid a l a c tion, oc ea n c urrents, tem p erature d ifferentials,falling wa ter, g eo therma l, elec trosta tic , hydrog en, natural ga s, a lg a e, b io-ma ss, b a c te ria , p ha se transforma tion , a nd the rmionic s (the c onve rsion ofhea t into e lec tric ity by b oiling elec trons off a hot m eta l surfac e a ndc ond ensing them on a c oo ler surfac e). Ad d itiona lly, there is the p ote ntia lof Fresnel lenses to c onc en tra te hea t.

Fusion ene rg y is the sa me e ne rgy tha t d rive s the c osmos a nd the sta rs.When w e lea rn ho w to ha rness it, the w orld s energy p rob lem s will b e solvedforeve r, without a ny d etrime nta l effec ts or da ng erous toxic ma teria ls to b ed isp osed of. The only resid ue would b e the c lea n a sh o f helium.

Oc ea nog ra p hers told us in the la te tw entieth c entury that if we ta p p edthe va st ene rgy p ote ntia l of the wo rld 's oc ea ns oc c up ying 70.8% of theea rth's surfac e, we c ould ea sily me et p resent and future ene rgy nee d s formillions of yea rs to c ome .


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A key element in the d esign o f c ities in the resource -b a sed ec ono my isthe em b ed d ing of all nec essa ry ene rg y ha rnessing within the struc ture o f thec ity itself. This will b e further expla ined in the City sec tion.

Another vast untap p ed energy op tion is the d evelop me nt of p iezo-elec tric ma teria ls, or la minated systems insid e c ylind ers, a c tiva te d b y the risea nd fall of the tid es.

Ge othermal po we r, or pow er extra c ted from the hea t of the ea rth, isb e ing used throughout the world with tremend ous suc c ess. Sc ientists p red ic ttha t if we d eve lop a nd ha rness only 1% of the geo therma l ene rg y ava ila b lein the c rust o f the ea rth, our energy p rob lem s wo uld b e eliminate d . With nomo neta ry restric tion in the resourc e-ba sed ec ono my, soc iety w ould ha vethe c ha nc e to p rov e tho se sc ientists rig ht.

Ge othe rma l ene rg y c a n sup p ly more tha n 500 time s the e nergyc on ta ined in a ll the world s fossil fuel resourc es while red uc ing the threa t o fg lob a l wa rming. Ge othe rma l p ow er p la nts p rod uc e ve ry little p ollutionc om p a red to fossil fuels, and em it no nitrog en o xid e or c a rb on d ioxid e. Arela tive ly sma ll a rea of la nd is required for the p ow er plant itself. Witho ut o ila nd na tura l g a s c om p a nies c ontrolling a mo neta ry ec ono my, ge othe rma lpo wer wo uld b ec om e the most ec onom ic al a nd effic ient wa y to hea t andc oo l b uild ing s. If we were to a p p ly just one tenth o f wha t is c urrent ly sp enton m ilitary equip me nt to the d evelop me nt of g eo therma l ge nera tors, wec ould ha ve long a go solved our ene rg y shortag es.

In a rea s suc h a s Ic eland , ge othe rma l ene rgy is used to g row p la ntsyea r round in e nc losed a rea s. In the resource -b a sed ec ono my using thisme thod , eno rmo us a mo unts of fresh veg eta b les c a n be c ultiva ted in allsea sons. A simila r p roc ess c a n b e used for fish farming a nd in reg ions wherehea ting a nd c oo ling a re ne ed ed . Ma ssive und erwa ter struc tures c ould runa p ortion o f the flow of the Gulf Strea m throug h la rge turb ines to g ene ra tec lea n elec tric p ow er. The turbines wo uld ha ve a c entrifuga l sep a ra tor andd eflec tors to p reve nt ha rm to ma rine life.

A la nd b rid ge o r tunne l a c ross the Bering Stra it b etwee n Asia a nd NorthAme ric a c ould g enerate elec tric a l p ow er a nd c ollec t and p roc ess ma rinep rod uc ts. Benea th a nd a b ove the o c ea n surfac e w ould b e tunnels to tra ns-p ort p a sseng ers a nd ma teria ls. Pip elines c ould b ring fresh w a ter from melting


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ic eb ergs to other p a rts of the world . This struc ture w ould no t only prov id e ap hysic a l link be twe en c ontinents, but wo uld a lso serve a s a n a venue forsoc ia l a nd c ultura l excha nge .

In o ur resource -b a sed ec ono my, there a re c om p rehe nsive stud ies ofthe e nvironm enta l a nd huma n imp a c t b efore starting a ny la rg e p rojec ts.The ma jor c onc ern is to p rote c t a nd restore the environm ent fo r the b ene fitof a ll living c rea tures in the c om munity of life. The p urp ose of the c onstruc -tion a nd d eve lop me nt of these p ow er projec ts is to free huma n beings fromunne c essa ry la b orious ta sks. In ord er to a c hieve this soc iety, we will need toa uto ma te mo st job s a s q uic kly a s p ossib le.


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GEOTHERMAL ENERGY PLANTS

Geothermal energy, with refinements in

c onve rsion te c hnologies, c a n take a mo reprominent role in reducing the threat ofg lob a l wa rming. Rea d ily ava ila b le in manyregions throughout the world, this sourcealone would provide enough cleanene rgy for the next thousand yea rs.

HARNESSING THE GULF STREAM

These und erwa te r struc tures d ivert a portion of theflow of the Gulf Strea m a nd o ther curren ts throughturb ines to g ene ra te c lea n e lec tric p ow er. The

turb ines a re slow turning and wo uld have c entrifuga lsep a ra tors a nd d eflec tors to p reve nt ha rm to ma rinelife.

BERING STRAIGHT DAM

A major development in the future could be the con-struction of a land bridge or tunnel across the BeringStra it. The p rima ry func tion o f this sp an would b e togenerate electrical power and house facilities for col-lecting and processing marine products. Beneath andabove the oc ea n surfac e would b e tunnels to transport

passengers and materials. Pipelines to conduct fresh water from melting icebergs toothe r pa rts of the wo rld ma y also b e inco rporated . Not only co uld this struc ture p rovidea physical link between Asia and North America, it could also serve as an avenue for

soc ia l a nd c ultura l exc hang e.


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Chapter Seven

Cities tha t ThinkDesigning the Future

Loc a l g ove rnme nts sp end lots of time a nd resource s a ttem pting toup d a te our current c ities, roa d s, and tra nsp orta tion systems. The c ost o fop era tion a nd ma intena nc e a nd overa ll ineffic ienc y is hig h. It is less expen-sive to b uild new er c ities from the g round up tha n to restore a nd ma inta inold ones, just a s it is more effic ient a nd less c ostly to d esig n flexib le , sta te ofthe a rt p rod uc tion m ethod s than it is to a ttemp t to up grad e o b soletefactories.

To have a world without p ollution a nd wa ste, yet keep p a rks,p la yground s, art a nd music c ente rs, sc hoo ls, and hea lth c a re ava ila b le toeve ryone without a p ric e ta g, req uires p rofound c hang es in the w a y wep lan o ur c ities a s well a s our lifestyles.

To p ha se in this ne w syste m, the first c ity will te st the v a lidity o f d esignp a ra me ters a nd ma ke nec essa ry c ha nge s a s nee d ed . This new soc ia l direc -tion c ould b e p rom ote d on ma ny fronts with b oo ks, ma ga zines, TV, ra d io,semina rs, thea ter, a nd the me p a rks, We c ould a lso d esign and experimentwith a utom a ted b uild ing p roc esses for the next c ity.

Innova tive multi-dime nsiona l c irc ula r c ities c omb ine the most sop histi-c a ted resources a nd c onstruc tion te c hniq ues ava ila b le. The g eo me tric a llyelega nt c irc ula r a rra ngem ent, surround ed b y p a rks a nd g a rd ens, isd esig ned to o perate with minimum ene rg y to o b ta in the hig hest p ossib lesta nd a rd of living fo r eve ryone . This c ity d esign uses the b est of c lea ntec hnolog y in harmo ny with loc a l ec olog y.

The d esig n a nd d ev elop ment o f these ne w c ities em p ha sizes the resto -ra tion a nd p rotec tion of the environm ent. It m ust b e unde rstoo d that tec h-nolog y w ithout huma n c onc ern is me a ning less.

The ne w c ities wo uld p rov id e a tota l environm ent w ith c lea n a ir a ndwa ter, hea lth c a re, go od nutrition, ente rta inme nt, a c c ess to info rma tion,a nd ed uc a tion for a ll. There wo uld b e a rt a nd music c ente rs, fully eq uip pedma c hine shop s, sc ienc e lab s, hob b y a nd sp orts a rea s, a nd ma nufac turingd istric ts. These new c ities would a lso p rov id e a ll ma nne r of rec rea tion w ithin


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or no d a ma g e from ea rthq ua kes, hurric a nes, termites, and fires. Wind ows willb e c ontrolled elec tronica lly to sha d e or da rken e xternal illumination a ndc om e e q uip pe d with co mp uter-c ontrolled , a utoma tic c lea ning system s thatreq uire no hum an la b or.

Innova tive tec hno log ies ma ke it p ossib le to c onserve resourc es forlesser-d evelop ed reg ions, without sa c rific ing a ny of the c onvenienc es o fa dva nc ed living. It is only throug h suc h innova tions tha t our end g oa l of ahigh stand a rd of living for the e ntire huma n ra c e c a n b e a c hieved .

These c ities c oo rd ina te p rod uc tion a nd d istrib ution , op erating ab a la nc ed -loa d ec ono my so there is no ove r or unde r p rod uc tion.Ac c omplishing this req uires a n a uto nomic nervous system (environmenta lsensors) integ ra ted into a ll a rea s of the soc ia l co mp lex.

For exa mp le, in the a g ric ultura l b elt elec tronic p rob es em b ed d ed inthe soil a utom a tic a lly ma inta in a c onsta nt invento ry of the wa ter tab le, soilc ond itions, nutrients, etc ., a nd a c t ap p rop ria tely without the ne ed forhuma n inte rvention a s c ond itions c ha ng e. This me tho d of industria l elec -tronic feed b a c k wo uld b e a p plied to the entire system .

The c ities would func tion a s evolving , integ ra ted org a nisms ra the r tha na s sta tic struc tures b ec a use their d esig n a c c om mo d a tes to c ha nge. Theseto ta l environments will p ermit the w id est p ossib le ra ng e of ind ivid ua lity a ndc rea tivity for those living in the m.

Design Conside ration

At one time , a rc hitec tura l a d ornments we re a n integ ra l p a rt of c on-struc tion. The lofty columns a nd c olonna d ed p ortic os of a nc ient G ree c ea nd Rom e we re nec essa ry c om p onents of their struc tures. With the a dventof new er, lig htwe ig ht ma teria ls a nd eng inee ring imp rovem ents, we c a n nowsp a n g rea ter d ista nc es without c o lumns or o ther inte rvening sup p ortstructures.

The resourc e-ba sed ec ono my wo uld no long er eng a ge in the c on-sc ious withd ra wa l of e ffic ienc y to ma inta in d esigns felt to b e imp ressive . Ifwe c ontinue to d esign our build ings with consp ic uous wa ste a nd d ec ora-tion, we lessen the sta nd a rd of living for o the rs b y using resources wa ste fully.Designing a b uild ing with ma ny a rtific ia l projec tions d oe s not ind ic a te


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orig ina lity, c rea tivity, or ind ividua lity. Ind ividua lity is exp ressed b y our uniq uewa y of thinking a b out ourselves a nd the world a round us, not b y our externalappearance .

This is no t to d et ra c t from b ea utiful struc tures c rea ted in the p a st w iththe a va ila ble a nd limited tec hnolog y ava ila b le a t the time . How eve r, thec ontinuing a p p lic a tion o f anc ient metho d s of c onstruc tion reta rd s innova -tive and c rea tive thinking , whic h is nec essa ry to a n e me rgent c ulture.

The inte llig ent use o f resources inc orpora ted into struc tures c onsid er-a b ly simplifies our lifestyle a nd red uc es wa ste a nd ma intena nc e. These newc ities would p rov id e for the ne ed s of the inha b ita nts throug h a n effic ienta lloc a tion of resourc es a nd ma teria ls, in an ene rgy-consc ious and p ollution-free environm ent.

Homes

To ma ny in the ea rly twenty-first c entury, the home s of the future ma ya p p ea r surrea l. For exam p le, hom es c a n b e sheltered from the wea ther b yelec tronic m ea ns. The furnishings ma y c onsist of to ta lly d ifferent c onfigura-tions tha t a utom a tic a lly a d just to our bo d y c onto urs. New tec hnolog ies willma ke wa lls en tire ly tra nsp a rent so o c c up a nts c a n view the surround ingla nd sc a p e w ithout a nyone on the o utsid e see ing in. Daylight c an b esoftened a nd subd ued ac c ording to the p referenc e o f the oc c upa nts.These b uild ing s would p rovid e a b a rrier to sound , insec ts, and d ust, andma inta in the d esired inte rna l tem p era ture. Telep hones would b e e ntirelyinvisib le a nd a c omp onent pa rt of the interior struc ture, foc using sound toyour ea r b y elec tronic mea ns. The b uild ing s ma teria ls will g enerate energya nd c ontrol their ow n surround ing c lima te.

With the intellig ent a p p lic a tion o f huma ne te c hnolog ies, a wide a rra yof unique ly ind ivid ua l hom es c a n b e p rov id ed . Struc tura l eleme nts would b eflexib le a nd c ohe rently arra ng ed to best serve ea c h ind ivid ua l. Pre-fab ric a ted mo dula r hom es will em b od y a high d eg ree of flexib ility inc on-c eivab le in the p a st. They c a n be b uilt in any plac e o ne might wa nt, a midstforests, a to p mounta ins, or on rem ote isla nd s. The y c a n be d esig ned a s self-c onta ined resid enc es with therma l g ene ra tors, hea t c onc entrato rs, a ndp hotovo lta ic a rra ys b uilt into the skin o f the b uild ing . Thermo p a nes wouldtint o ut b rig ht sunlight using va riab le p a tte rns of sha d ing . All these fea turesare c ontrolled by the o c c upa nt and supp ly more tha n enough e nergy to


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op erate the entire househo ld . Hom es will a lso c onta in a p rec ise c om b ina -tion of d issimila r meta ls utilizing the the rmoc oup le e ffec t for hea ting a ndc oo ling . Other ma teria ls em b ed d ed in solid -sta te p la stic or c eramicma teria ls wo uld ma ke up the struc ture of the hom e. With this a p p lic a tion,the wa rmer it g ets on the outsid e, the c ooler it b ec omes on the insid e. Thisme tho d serves to hea t o r c ool the b uild ing s. The inte riors of the hom es wouldb e d esig ned to suit the p refe renc es of the ind ividua ls.

Transportation

When tra ve l outsid e the c ity is d esired , c om p uter-guide d vehic les forla nd , sea , air, sp a c e a nd b eyond c a n tra nsp ort pa sseng ers a nd freight. Forra p id mo vem ent of p a sseng ers on la nd a c ross via d uc ts, brid g es, andtunne ls, high-sp ee d ma g-lev tra ins sp a n g rea t d ista nc es a nd will effic ientlyrep la c e mo st a irc ra ft tra nsp ortation. Som e p a sseng er c om p a rtme nts in thetra nsp ort units c a n b e tra nsferred from the mo ving tra in d uring tra nsit, whic helimina tes wa iting time a t sta tions. Ra il, sea , a nd und ersea c ra ft c a n ha nd lemo st freight. Ma ny of the tra nsport units have d eta c ha b le c om p one nts andc onta in sta nd a rd ized c onta iners ma king them ea sy to tra nsfer.

In the c ities va rious typ es of esc a la to rs, eleva to rs, conve yors, and trans-veyo rs c a n b e d esig ned to m ove in a ll d irec tions throug hout, even up thesid es of b uild ing s. They c a n be interc onnec ted with o the r tra nsp ort systemsa nd extend into ho me s a s we ll.

Mo st of the sma ller tra nsp ortation units for p eo p le c a n b e o p erated b yvoice c ontrol. When voice c on trol is not p ra c tic a l or p ossib le, a lterna tiveme thod s suc h a s keyp a d s c a n b e used . Without la rg e c orpo ra tions c ontrol-ling a utomob ile m a nufa c ture fo r p rofit, a ll tra nsp orta tion systems c a n bed esigned a s mo d ula r, c ontinuously upd a ted , a nd p rovide d w ith the la testd evelop me nts in tec hnolog y.


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The o ute r p erime te r is p a rt of the rec rea tiona l a rea withgolf c ourses, hiking and b iking tra ils, and op p ortunities forwater sports. A waterway surrounds the agricultural beltwith its enc losed , tra nsp a ren t b uild ing s. The ap p lica tion of

newer technologies eliminates, once and for all, the useof dangerous chemicals and pesticides. Continuing intothe c ity c ente r, eight g ree n sec tors p rovide c lea n, rene w-ab le sources of energy using w ind, therma l, a nd sola r

ene rgy devic es. The residential be lt fea tures b ea utiful la nd sc a p ing , la kes, and wind ingstrea ms. The ho me s a nd apa rtments a re g rac efully c onto ured to b lend in with the land -scape. A wide range of innovative architecture provides many choices for the occu-pants.

Adjacent to the residential district a wide selection ofhealthy, organically-grown foods are available on a 24-

hour basis. Next are the apartments and design centers,which surround the central dome. Eight domes house thescience, art, music, research, exhibition, entertainment,and c onferenc e c enters, whic h a re a ll fully eq uipp ed a ndava ilab le to everyone. The c entral do me , or theme c en-ter, houses the cybernated system, educational facilities,hea lth c ente r, and fac ilities for shop ping, c om munica tions,networking, and childcare. In addition, it serves as the core for most transportation ser-vice s, whic h take the fo rm o f horizon ta l, ve rtica l, ra d ia l, and c irc ular c onveyo rs tha t sa felymove pa ssengers anywhere within the c ity. This system fac ilita tes effic ient transporta tionfor city residents, eliminating the need for automobiles. City-to-city transportation is pro-

vided b y mo norail and e lec tric a lly ope ra ted vehicles.

CIRCULAR CITIES

TOTAL ENCLOSURE CITIES

Many cities are designed as totalenclosure systems, much like a cruiseship outfitted for a six-month cruise.They c on ta in residenc es, thea te rs,parks , recreat ion, enter ta inmentc enters, hea lth c are, and ed uc a tiona lfacilities, and all the requirements andamenities for a total living environ-ment. Eve rything in the se c ities is a s

nea r to a self-c on ta ined system a s c ond itions a llow . In northern loc a tions or uninha b it-ab le a rea s, c ities c a n be sub terra nea n.


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CYBERNATED COMPLEX

This c ybe rna ted c om p lex utilizes ad vanc ed ima g ingtec hnolog y to p rojec t a 3-D "virtua l" ima ge o f the ea rthin real time. It utilizes satellite communication systemsto provide information on worldwide weather condi-

tions, oc ea n c urrent s, resourc e invento ries, po p ula tion,agricultural conditions, and fish and animal migrationp atterns. The interc onnec ted c yberna ted c om p lexes

UNIVERSITY CITY

This University of Arc hite c ture a nd Environmenta l Stud ies,or "World University," is a testing ground for each phase of

a rc hitec tura l d eve lop me nt. This is a "living a nd c on tinu-a lly evo lving resea rc h institute o pen to a ll. Stud en t p er-formance is based on "competence accreditation" andresearch findings are applied directly to the social struc-ture to b ene fit a ll of huma nity. Peo p le live in the se e xpe ri-

These sup er-sized skysc ra p ers a ssure tha t m ore land is ava ilab le fo rparks and wilderness preserves, while concurrently helping to elimi-nate urban sprawl. Each of these towers encloses a complete envi-ronment, containing a shopping center as well as childcare, educa-tiona l, hea lth, and rec rea tiona l fac ilities. This he lp s red uc e the nee dto tra vel to ou tside fac ilities.

These skysc ra pers a re c onstruc ted of c a rb on fib er-reinforced and p re-stressed c onc rete. They a re sta b ilizedagainst earthquakes and high winds by three massive,elongated, tapered columns, which are 100 feet wide atthe b a se . This trip od -like struc ture is re inforc ed to d iminishc omp ression, tension, and to rsion stresses.

SKYSCRAPERS

rep resen t the b ra in and nervous system of the en tire wo rld c iviliza tion . All informa tion isava ila b le o n d em and to a nyone via the Internet. This single site m a nage s our co mm onheritage o f resource s, and mo nitors the c a rrying c a pa c ity and hea lth of Ea rth.

mental cities and provide feedback on the livability and serviceability of the variousstruc tures. This informa tion is used to formulate mod ific a tions to struc tures so tha t maxi-mum efficienc y, co mfo rt, and sa fety a re a ssured . This fac ility is a lso used to d eve lopmodular construction systems and components that serve a wide range of needs andpreferences. In most instances, the external appearance of the buildings reflects thefunction o f the b uild ing they a re d esig ned from the insid e o ut.


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CENTER FOR DIALOGUE

The mission of The Center forDialogue is to submit the urgentissues of the times to critical ex-a mination, and to ra ise releva ntquestions for informed publicd ia log ue. The p hoto on the rightshows the automated buildingof a dom e s struc ture.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING SYSTEMS

Hydrod yna mic sea fa ring vessels permit hig h-spee d efficient travel. They a re e nergyeffic ient a nd p rovide m aximum c om fort and sa fety for p a sseng ers. They a re ma nufac -tured from durable composite materials, their outermost skin consisting of a thin layer oftitanium, which requires minimal maintenance. Portions of the upper deck slide openwhe n the we a ther p ermits.

SHIPS WITH DETACHABLE COMPONENTS

Many of the transport units have detachable components and contain standardizedcontainers making them easy to transfer. Entire freight sections are unloaded instead ofsep a ra te c onta iners.


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SHIPS AND CANALS

An efficient national transportationsystem would include a network ofwaterways, canals, and irrigationsystems. Many of the ships traversing

these canals are floating automatedplants while others transport passengersand freight. An innova tive a p proac h toeducation could be offered in floatingeducation centers where childrenand adults travel from one area of thec ontinent to the other. This wo uld a llowthem to lea rn a b out the world in whic hthey live, not me rely throug h b oo ks, butthrough experiencing and interactingwith the rea l-world environm ent.

Mega hydrological projects would be an integrated part of intercontinentalplanning, minimizing floods and droughts while aiding the migration of fish, removal ofaccumulated silt, and developing sites to manage and clean agricultural and urbanrun-off. Floo d wa ters wo uld be d iverted to wa ter storag e b a sins, a llowing the w a ter tob e used during p eriod s of d rought. This no t on ly helps ma inta in the wa ter tab le, but a lsoprovides natural firebreaks and an emergency water source for fires. In addition, thesecanals would supply water for farming and irrigation, supply the nations land-based fishfarms, prote c t the we tla nd s a nd wild life, and sup p ly wa ter to rec rea tion a rea s.

AUTOMOBILES

Strea mlined c a rs wo uld p rovide high-spee d ,ene rgy efficient, and sa fe long -ra nge trans-p ortation. Som e vehicles ma y ha ve whe els,while others are equipped with magneticlevitation or air-floatation devices. Vehicleswould be equipped with voice-recognitiontechnology that allows passengers to re-que st their d estination b y voic e c omm and .Self-monito ring syste ms will te ll the vehic leswhen service is required, and they wouldtransport themselves to service andma intena nc e fa c ilities. Use o f c lea n, non-polluting electrical energy would allow for silent vehicle operation. Proximity-sensor de-vic es linked to a utom a ted veloc ity and b ra king systems c a n ena b le the vehicles to a voidcollisions. As a secondary safety measure, the entire interior will contain a protectivemembrane. Within the cities, horizontal, vertical, radial, and circular transveyors wouldserve m ost transp orta tion ne ed s.


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MAG LEV TRAINSMASS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AND MONORAILS

While these high-speed, magnetic levitation trains are in motion, a segment of thepasseng er co mp a rtme nt is either lifted or slid to the side . These d e ta c ha b le sec tions c a nthen take passengers to their local destinations while other compartments are lowered inthe ir p la c e. This me thod a llow s the ma in b od y of the train to rema in in mo tion, savingtime and enha ncing e ffic ienc y. In a d dition, the remo vab le c om pa rtments are spe c iallyeq uipp ed to p rovide a wide ra nge o f tra nsp ortation servic es. These high -spee d ma g-levtra ins and mo nora ils will be used for c ity to c ity tra nsp ortat ion .

BRIDGES

These eleg ant b ridges a re d esigned to c a rry c omp ression , tension, and torsion loa d s in

the simplified expression of its structural members. In some instances Mag-lev trains aresusp end ed bene a th the enc losed tra ffic lanes.

These Vertica l Takeo ff and Land ing (VTOL) a irc ra ft lift p asseng ers and freight b y the useof ring -vortex a ir c olumns. The helic op ter in the foreground ha s a sta tiona ry cen tera round whic h the rotors a re p rop elled b y eng ines a t the ir tips. VTOL a irc ra ft a re p rop elledby a va riety of te c hniques, from duc ted fans to ve c tored jets. They a re d esigned to c om -bine the most desirable attributes of fixed winged aircraft, helicopters, and flying plat-forms. Tra nsc ontinenta l tra vel is a c hieved throug h a dva nc ed a irc ra ft a nd hig h-sp ee dma g -lev trains, a ll integ ra ted into a wo rld wide transp ortat ion system .

AIR TRANSPORTATION

VTOL VTOL Chopper Transcontine nta l


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FUTURE AIRCRAFT

Since milita ry a irc ra ft wou ld be unnec essa ry ina resource-based economy, emphasis isshifted to advancing medical, emergency,service, and transportation vehicles. Here is anexamp le of VTOL (Vertic a l Take-off a nd La nd -ing) aircraft with three synchronous turbines,which allow exceptional maneuverability.

These d elta-co nfigura tion a irc ra ft a re c on-trolled b y elec tro-dynam ic me ans, eliminatingthe need for ailerons, elevators, rudders,spoilers, flaps, or any other mechanical con-trols. In addition to providing better maneu-verability and aerodynamic qualities, thisinnovative technology also serves as an anti-icing system. In the event of an emergencyla nd ing, fuel is ejec ted to p reven t fires.

AIRPORTS

The c entral do me of this a irport c onta insterminals, maintenance facilities, servicec en te rs, and ho te ls. The runw ays a rearranged in a radial configuration, whichallows airplanes to easily take off into theprevailing winds and to avoid dangerouscrosswind landings.

Emergency stations at the edge of therunways are fully equipped with built-infire fighting equipment and emergencya rresting g ea r. All runwa ys a re e q uip pedwith built-in sp rinkler syste ms. Pa sseng ersare transported to and from the airportby underground conveyors. Many of theterminals themselves are constructedunderground for increased safety andmo re e ffic ient use o f the la nd .


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HOMES

The a rc hitec ture a nd ind ividua ldwellings of the cities evolve in anentirely different manner from pasthouses. With the intelligent appli-cation of humane technologies, awide array of unique individualhom es c an b e p rovide d . Theirstruc tura l eleme nts a re flexib le a ndcoherently arranged to best suitind ividua l preferenc e. These p re-f a b r i c a t e d m o d u l a r h o m e s ,embodying a high degree of flexi-bility, c an be b uilt in any plac e o nemight imagine, amid forests, atop

mo unta ins, or on rem ote isla nds.

All these dwellings are self-containedenergy efficient residences with theirown thermal generators and heatconcentrators. Photovoltaic arraysare built into the skin of the buildinga nd into the w id ow s. Thermop a nes,tint out bright sunlight with variablepa tte rns o f sha d ing. All these fe a turesare selected by the occupant tosupply more than enough energy toop erate the en tire househo ld .

Homes are prefabricated from a new type ofpre-stressed reinforced concrete with a flexibleceramic external coating; they are relativelymaintenance-free, fireproof, and impervious to

wea ther. The ir thin she ll c onstruc tion is mass-p rod uc ed in a ma tter of hours. With this type ofconstruction, there is minimal damage fromea rthquakes and hurric a nes.


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sensors they ha ve. Automa ted c ontrol c a n ha p pen whe n sensors a reinsta lled in eve ry conc eiva b le loc a tion a nd linked through a w orld widenetw ork of c om p uters.

During the tra nsition from a mo neta ry soc iety to a resourc e-b a sedsoc iety, tea ms of systems eng ineers, c omp ute r p rogra mmers, systemsa na lysts, resea rc hers, and the like w

designing the future rev

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