August 4, 2008
A Resource Based Economy
Whilst the Group of Eight and the World Trade Organization chatter away to little effect, and Bill Gates ponders how to tweak capitalism so that the "one billion people live on less than a dollar a day" can benefit from it, you may be wondering if there isn't a better way to organize society. In the 20th century the alternative most often put forward was communism. That doesn't seem to have worked out terribly well either though.
I suppose the idea is hopelessly utopian, but one man has suggested another alternative for the 21st century. Jacque Fresco was one of the founders of the Revell Plastics Company, he's written 13 books, he has produced hundreds of inventions, and he's been the subject of several documentaries including the award-winning "Future by Design". He advocates an alternative to capitalism and communism which he terms the Resource Based Economy, and he has set up the Venus Project to promote the idea.
Here's a few quotes to give you the gist of the concept:
The premise upon which this system is based is that the Earth is abundant with plentiful resource; our practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant and counter productive to our survival.
This approach to global governance has nothing whatever in common with the present aims of an elite to form a world government with themselves and large corporations at the helm, and the vast majority of the world's population subservient to them. Our vision of globalization empowers each and every person on the planet to be the best they can be, not to live in abject subjugation to a corporate governing body.
As we outgrow the need for professions based on the monetary system, for instance lawyers, bankers, insurance agents, marketing and advertising personnel, salespersons, and stockbrokers, a considerable amount of waste will be eliminated.
Money is only important in a society when certain resources for survival must be rationed and the people accept money as an exchange medium for the scarce resources. Money is a social convention, an agreement if you will. It is neither a natural resource nor does it represent one. It is not necessary for survival unless we have been conditioned to accept it as such.
"Money is not necessary for survival" – Now there's a thought!
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Comments on A Resource Based Economy »
he is a wonderful man, his ideas and life works are truly revolutionary, if they were ever able to be carried out, the world would be a far better place, not perfect, as he says, but much better than what we have now.
I have recently read a lot of blogs about this idea. It always seems to be the first comment on everyones board is that they never actually researched a single thing about the depths of these ideas. That alone is one of the greatest flaws that our environment has made us do. It saddens me that change is something so radical and COMMUNISITC. The reality of communism is a good one, but, like every other system of government, we have never seen anything close to communism, democracy, or socialism. The symantics alone just evoke fear in peoples minds and hearts. The ideas and technology expressed by Jacque are the best, he thinks and what technology has developed to, that we know of today. Humans don't know how to make something as perfect as we think it could be, but once the best known is implemented, the next step can only get better. I have done a lot of research on Jacques' ideas and this man is a living Einstein, Plato, Marx, Darwin, Jesus, ect. But what history shows us is that these people are either considered insane, or society says this man is just ahead of his time. So, learning from history, along with knowledge and the ability to gain knowledge, are of the most luxury things humanity has. Unfortunately humanity is dumbed down and supresssed in many ways in order for this system we call human society to continue in a downward spiral, ultimately to our demise. I have brought this subject up to many people and the more and i talk with people the more and more i believe humanity will just destroy itself. It's not a shame, its just ignorance and the failure of humans to grasp the abilities of the only thing that has gotten us to the point at which we are at now, and that is the brain.
The most important thing right now is the understanding that we have knowledge and the ability to change the problems that we have created. It does take drastic measure to reengineer society as we know it, but the possibilities of today with the knowledge and technology we have, can start these changes. Hopefully this economic disaster that has engulfed the world can get a lot more information to the minds of many more people. The key is to become knowledgeable and from there, present clear and precise ideas. It is impossible to present a new society like we could a telephone, but like any other revolutionary in the history of the world, whether positive or negative are some the great ideas in which this revolution needs to present.
I pine and dream of a day where this world would come to fruition.
People want to hold onto their concept of how things are. As long as people can't think outside of our current system, we won't see this.
I would like to be part of this eventuality. I am afraid in my lifetime, I won't see it.
I would just like to encourage everyone who blogged in SUPPORT of the Venus Project. It starts with you. Keep conversting,keep blogging, tell your families, tellyour friends, spread the word! The great inventors of the past were not concerned with directly profiting from thier inventions, instead they sought to improve the conditions of the world in which they lived.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"
- Edmund Burke
Be encouraged
-Alex Kelly
I just recently found out about the Venus Project and have to say saddens me. All the comments from above supporting the theory are true, and considering that we believe our civilisation is the most advanced of all while we live in a system that has been thought out centuries ago and has hardly changed except for technological inovation should be confusing to much more people.
I would like to add a frase to the one above which Albert Einstein said himself:
„Die Welt wird nicht bedroht von den Menschen, die böse sind, sondern von denen, die das Böse zulassen.“
("The world is not threatened by people who are evil, but from those who allow the evil.")
Understanding the Difference between a Free Market ( Capitalistic) vs. a Resource Based Society.
Attached is a graph showing the difference between free market (Capitalism) and a resource based society.
Assume Product A represents all producible goods and services and Product B represents Energy.
We currently live in a society which is at point X on the graph (Inefficient use of resources, as corporations and governments create scarcity in the market to keep prices high.)
Points A,B and C represent true free market (capitalism) assuming every corporation and government where a non-profit organization in our society.
Point Y represents us achieving The Venus Project through higher efficiencies.
Switch to a Resource Based society, reduce your electric consumption with Energy Efficient products and Alternative Energy.
http://www.investopedia.com/university/economics/economics2.asp
So we have a choice, we can either be an electricity consumer or a electricity producer. We need to work as a T.E.A.M. – Together Everyone Achieves More.
Together we will make the Venus Project a Reality
Sincerely,
Johnny Freedom
I think Jacques ideas are great. A resource based economy where there are no wars and people adopt new technologies such as free energy and UFO type technologies. These type of technologies are presently not adopted because some companies would lose money and the economy would collapse. But free energy tech would be adopted in a resource based economy. I think Jacque Frescoe is a genius. I totally support him.
I find your point of views interesting and read it with an open mind too. I do agree that this Jaques Frescoe is blessed with an expanded brain – and havn't we been told that most of us only benefits from 90 % og ours.
I strongly believe that persons mentioned in your comment like Einstein and Plato had much greater visions than they were able to benefit from in their own limited time on earth.
Soeren Kierkegaard was a philosofer that also shared thoughts that his own generation called crazy – he spoke forth ideas and truths that the comming generations graped.
I believe that human kind are created for eternal existing – created by an unlimited maker of the whole universe.
I believe that we're living in a momentarely timeframe here on earth. We have indeed fallen out of the umlimited relationship with the creator – and we come to short with the lot of phantastic ideas we're able to figure out in our visions thanks to our brain.
YES WE CAN build up a truly phantastic society – but never can we agree – always the Kain & Abel syndrom to disturb.
YES WE CAN build up arcitectur and tecnology like the one Jaques Frescoe shows in his movie – theroticaly!
Once we could even build a mighty high tower in Babylon hungry after paying a visit to the creator of the world.
If we just hosted a godly nature all unselfish and reightious in our mortal body – WE truly could have been omnipotent – just like our creator.
BUT isn't it just sad – we always want all that to happen parallel to the Kingdom of God – without Him. Like Kain envied Abel – mankind envy the Creator and try to put Him away – to our own dead and perdition.
In the Bible He revealed Himself and He even expanded mankinds vision to have faith in Him and trust that in His house everything are possible and a much more wonderful unlimited and new world.
ONLY ONE thing departs mankind from the godly relationship -
THE SIN – the selfishnes, stubbornes and envy.
Jesus Christ – the Son of the living God became on of us – He is the only one who obeyed the creator. Unselfish and full of mercy, rightiousnes and love He stood up against the evil one. By the grace of God we can be born of the same spirit who ruled and reigned in the heart of Lord Jesus.
Read all the 4 gospels on NT – and you'll come to know and understand that we really have no other choise and hope of a better world, than to recieve foregivness, a new character and
the same nature that lives in the Son of God.
@Dorthe Nielsen. It is the close minded and hopefulness of the imaginary that aids in peoples fears of a better future which requires change. If a person whole heartedly believed the movie "Matrix" was real, years after the actors passed away, would that person sound any more idiotic than a Christian today? No, you fail to recognize the laws of nature by saying that god can overcome them. When you die and your eyeballs biodegrade, you can't use them to see anymore. That goes with every function of a human being, including consciousness meaning that you can hope for a Utopia after death, but when you die and can't prove the existence of heaven or your beliefs, realistic and rational people can help bring about an as close to an Utopia as we can.
Keep hoping for the impossible and you are about as helpful as anyone who refuses to be employed now and take advantage of gov't programs even though they are capable of working.
Keep spreading your terroristic threats to convince people to join your cult (be with us or be sent to hell) and you will find that not only did you aid in the destruction of humanity, but you did so with your own desire to not educate yourself with facts and instead rely on make believe to solve the world's problems.
Essentially, your argument as uninspiring as it is, is to not change the world through human technological means, but to deal with the suffering today to enjoy heaven tomorrow. If you really feel that spiteful towards technology helping humanity, then get rid of your computer and head back to the days when working was done 7 days a week from sun up to sun down and then tell me that technology hasn't helped and shouldn't help humanity in the future.