Jacque Fresco & The Venus Project

metrocard

Legend
Very briefly, The Venus Project is an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change; one that works toward a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive toward where human rights are not only paper proclamations but also a way of life.

The Venus Project presents a vision not of what the future will be, but what it can be if we apply what we already know in order to achieve a sustainable new world civilization. It calls for a straightforward redesign of our culture in which the age-old problems of war, poverty, hunger, debt, and unnecessary human suffering are viewed not only as avoidable, but as totally unacceptable. Anything less will result in a continuation of the same catalog of problems found in today?s world.

The Venus Project presents an alternative vision for a sustainable world civilization unlike any political, economic or social system that has gone before. It envisions a time in the near future when money, politics, self and national-interest have been phased out. Although this vision may seem idealistic, it is based upon years of study and experimental research. It spans the gambit from education, transportation, clean sources of energy to total city systems.

Many people believe what is needed is a higher sense of ethical standards and the enactment of international laws and treaties to assure a sustainable global society. Even if the most ethical people in the world were elected to political office, without sufficient resources we would still have many of the same problems we have today. As long as a few nations control most of the world?s resources and profit is the bottom line, the same cycle of events will prevail.

As global challenges and scientific information proliferate, nations and people face common threats that transcend national boundaries. Overpopulation, energy shortages, global warming, environmental pollution, water scarcity, economic catastrophe, the spread of uncontrollable disease, and the technological displacement of people by machines threaten each of us. Although many people are dedicated to alleviating those conditions, our social and environmental problems will remain insurmountable as long as a few powerful nations and financial interests maintain control of and consume most of the world?s resources and the monetary system prevails.

If we really wish to put an end to our ongoing international and social problems, we must declare Earth and all of its resources the common heritage of all of the world?s people.

Earth is abundant and has plentiful resources. Our practice of rationing resources through monetary control is no longer relevant and is counter-productive to our survival. Today we have highly advanced technologies, but our social and economic system has not kept up with our technological capabilities. We could easily create a world of abundance for all, free of servitude and debt based on the carrying capacity of the earth?s resources. With the intelligent and humane application of science and technology, the people of the earth can guide and shape the future together while protecting the environment. We don?t have enough money to accomplish these ends but we do have more than enough resources. This is why we advocate a Resource-Based Economy.


What is the Venus Project?
To transcend these limitations, The Venus Project proposes we work toward a worldwide, resource-based economy, in which the planetary resources are held as the common heritage of all the earth's inhabitants. The current practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant, counter-productive, and falls far short of meeting humanity?s needs.

Simply stated, a resource-based economy utilizes existing resources - rather than money - to provide an equitable method of distribution in the most humane and efficient manner. It is a system in which all goods and services are available to everyone without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form of debt or servitude.

To better understand a resource-based economy, consider this. If all the money in the world disappeared overnight, as long as topsoil, factories, personnel and other resources were left intact, we could build anything we needed to fulfill most human needs. It is not money that people require, but rather free access to most of their needs without worrying about financial security or having to appeal to a government bureaucracy. In a resource-based economy of abundance, money will become irrelevant.

We have arrived at a time when new innovations in science and technology can easily provide abundance to all of the world?s people. It is no longer necessary to perpetuate the conscious withdrawal of efficiency by planned obsolescence, perpetuated by our old and outworn profit system. If we are genuinely concerned about the environment and our fellow human beings, if we really want to end territorial disputes, war, crime, poverty and hunger, we must consciously reconsider the social processes that led us to a world where these factors are common. Like it or not, it is our social processes ? political practices, belief systems, profit-based economy, our culture-driven behavioral norms ? that lead to and support hunger, war, disease and environmental damage.

The aim of this new social design is to encourage an incentive system no longer directed toward the shallow and self-centered goals of wealth, property, and power. These new incentives would encourage people toward self-fulfillment and creativity, both materially and spiritually.

The Monetary System that we live in today
Our current system is not capable of providing a high standard of living for everyone, nor can it ensure the protection of the environment because the major motive is profit. Businesses aren't entirely to blame; they are forced to operate this way in order to retain the competitive edge. Additionally, with the advent of automation, cybernation, and artificial intelligence, there will be an ever-increasing replacement of people by automated systems. As a result, fewer people will be able to purchase goods and services even though our capability to produce an abundance will continue to exist. This is well-documented in Jeremy Rifkin's book The End of Work: The Decline of the Global Labor Force and the Dawn of the Post-market Era (Putnam, 1995). The Venus Project offers a fresh approach that reverses the negative aspects experienced in our current applications of automation and artificial intelligence. This project eliminates the disastrous consequences that such approaches can have on our society, i.e. the displacement of millions of workers, skilled and unskilled alike.

Government
It is not enough to criticize, point out the shortcomings of society, or advocate that people of high moral character be elected into office; this would do little to advance civilization. What is needed is the intelligent management of the earth?s resources, and a comprehensive and workable arrangement of environmental and social affairs that are in strict accord with existing resources and the carrying capacity of our planet. Even with the election of men and women of impeccable character into government, without available resources and advanced technology, war, poverty, and corruption will prevail no matter how many new laws are passed or treaties signed. It is not democracy that elevated our standard of living, it is our resources, water, arable land, and new technology. Rhetoric and paper proclamations are irrelevant in the management of human and social affairs.

On Money

If all the money in the world were destroyed, as long as we have sufficient arable land, the factories, the necessary resources, and technical personnel, we could build anything and even supply an abundance. During the Depression, there were vacuum cleaners in store windows and automobiles in car lots. The Earth was still the same place. There was just no money in people's wallets and very little purchasing power. At the beginning of World War II, the U.S. had about 600 first-class fighting aircraft. We rapidly overcame this short-supply by turning out over 90,000 planes per year. The question at the start of World War II was: Do we have enough funds to produce the required implements of war? The answer was No, we did not have enough money or gold, but we did have more than enough resources. It was the available resources and technical personnel that enabled the U.S. to achieve the production and efficiency required to win the war.

It appears that the real wealth of any nation is in its natural resources and its people who are working toward a more humane life-style through the elimination of scarcity. All social systems, regardless of their political philosophy, religious beliefs, or social mores, ultimately depend upon natural resources -- i.e. clean air and water and arable land area -- and the industrial equipment and technical personnel for a high standard of living. The money- based system was designed hundreds of years ago and was hardly appropriate for that time. We still utilize this same outmoded system, which is probably responsible for most of today's problems. I have no doubt that even the wealthiest person today would be far better off in the high-energy society that The Venus Project proposes.

The single most important aspect of the project is the social direction of all nations working together on the restoration of the environment in a resource-based economy. The aim is the common heritage of all Earth's resources by all of the world's people. This we see as the only process to end the present cycle of events of war, poverty, hunger, political corruption, and environmental degradation. The technology that we present can make it possible for the global population to obtain a very high standard of living; one higher than ever imagined possible.

We could eventually surpass the artificial boundaries that divide people. If you fail to grasp the significance consider this: in the United States when the states joined together the militias disappeared at the borders and Americans were free of territorial disputes. This same process can be applied globally where all science and technology are utilized for the benefit of all of Earth's inhabitants.
 

Paul1355

All Star
His view on religion, poining to the Christian Judeo God, completely shows me this guy is an every day average person.

Maybe he is right on politics and the whole world based economy which is actually in the bible and is talked about in detail thousands of years before today.

This is not a religion thread so I will not make it one but the only video I watched was his view on religion, which seemed atheistic(i dont know if it is) by him all of a sudden pointing to the Christian Judeo God, which most atheist point the finger to.

I'll answer his confusion. We are tempted as a test so God knows who truly loves him and will follow his word and not "lean on their own understanding" It's quite simple but complicated if u never looked at it this way...Your a father..your son is very selfish and only cares about himself, you give him the ability to do what he wants but you tell him what he should do and how he should do it to have eternal happiness which is the best gift you can ever receive, you know it and he knows it...the son still denies everything you say and goes against you by not obeying a simple command as "don't eat the tree of knowledge" becauswe he accepted temptation to achieve his own selfish desires instead of accpeting the words by the one that created him!...Your entire personality is love so you don't strike him down or kill him but you tell him he can't have..for example.. the glorious house or car you bought him and that he has to go somewhere else. You still give your son the ability to populate the earth but there has to be a consequence for the sin, that is the curse of the offspring which is us being born in sin because of the sin that was caused by the first created human being.

Jacque doesn't see it this way, instead he sees God as an angry man with a pitchfork which is a complete mis understanding. If he only knew how much the Christian God (Jesus) loved him he wouldn't even think of saying that. If he only looked extensively at the story of Jesus instead of thinking he has all the asnwers, he would see this.

I rest my case.

But I do believe America is turning into a tyranny if not already secretly.
 

metrocard

Legend
Religion is all belief, no facts. Lets be fair here and not try to force feed your beliefs on something else with something that could not, never has been and never will be proven 100% factual. Science is FACTS, have a way stronger base and can give more to life than religion ever can.

I grew up in catholic all my life...in the BX with a lot of catholic cats from PR to Italians to Irish...its just a bunch of JUNK to make the mind SIMPLE. When you grow up religion, you limit yourself from reaching full potential as a human by submitting yourself to parables and fairytales of an imaginary man in the sky. Its outdated and corrupted. People are just too afraid to break away from tradition and realize they're only limiting themselves and CONDITIONING themselves to being lesser humans.
 

Paul1355

All Star
Simple yes, but simply mis understood

Religion is all belief, no facts. Lets be fair here and not try to force feed your beliefs on something else with something that could not, never has been and never will be proven 100% factual. Science is FACTS, have a way stronger base and can give more to life than religion ever can.

I grew up in catholic all my life...in the BX with a lot of catholic cats from PR to Italians to Irish...its just a bunch of JUNK to make the mind SIMPLE. When you grow up religion, you limit yourself from reaching full potential as a human by submitting yourself to parables and fairytales of an imaginary man in the sky. Its outdated and corrupted. People are just too afraid to break away from tradition and realize they're only limiting themselves and CONDITIONING themselves to being lesser humans.
I am not going to argue on this because then it turns into a religion thread but I answered the confusion that Jacque had. Jacque had the bible completely wrong but i don't blame him because most of society mins interprets like Jacque does.

Metro, the Catholic church in my opinion actually scares kids away from knowing Christ than actually getting them to go to church and read the stories in the bible. The make the Church the center point as if the Church is more important than the bible itself, this is so wrong an un biblical. You probably experienced this since this is very common.
Many things in Catholicism are not according to scripture, which Christ, his disciples, and his apostles were strongly against.

If you ever want details I can tell you and you can tell your family of catholics so they can take a look at how they worship and represent the Christian faith. They know Christ died for them but they have major holes and question marks about doing things NOT according to the bible.

The Bible has to be the most complex book I have ever read with symbolism, parallels, literature,etc that will blow your mind away and have you studying for hours just on one verse. If you ever got into it that is, most people of the catholic faith just listen to the priest and only think of God on sundays, this is not biblical.

You study enough and you'll see like many others that science, history, and archeological findings back up scripture very accurately which amazes me.
SOme people on this forum think otherwise but I see how they all mis interpret the bible. The bible interprets itself, since they don;t know the bible, they are at a disadvantage when interpreting it. Does this make sense? So listening to someone like Jacque talk about the bible is like a baby talking about advanced mathematics.
This took me years to figure out so I don't expect you to find all this out in one sitting.

Just be open to the fact that most people mis-interpret scripture and Christ all together. People usually do their own thing and put God on the side for when they desperately need help, those are the religious people that are lose.



What is his view on the goverment's recent moves?
 
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