As the evening labored on with a Power Point presentation, a panel talk with Mr. Fresco and a spirited question and answer session, some basic themes emerged: modern economics is a fraud; global debt will crush the planet; society itself is dying from the profit motive; and people ought to wise up to the fact that more than legislation — or presidential administrations — needs to change.Can anyone seriously argue with any of those points? The question is now how do we address these issues. I'm not quite sure I can sign on with this solution yet:
That’s where Mr. Fresco came in, an author, lecturer and former aircraft engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio who has spent the last six decades working on the Venus Project, a futuristic society where (adjust your seatbelts, now) machines would control government and industry and safeguard the planet’s fragile resources by means of an artificially intelligent “earthwide autonomic sensor system” — a super-brain of sorts connected to, yes, all human knowledge.But I am very encouraged that people are beginning to ask these questions, certainly. If any of you went, please share with us.
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4 comments:
Hi Chris,
While I agree with the Joseph’s biting critique of failed systems like scarcity economics and politics and, more importantly, the necessity of re-imagining civilization, I tend to shy away from a tightly held belief in technological solutions for all social ills. The end result of techno-utopia will be same as it ever was: concentrated power produces despotism.
Possibly decentralized solutions such as the type of TAZs proposed by John Robb at Global Guerrillas and many in the permaculture community will help to create a viable alternative.
I am quite pleased that the Zeitgeisters have a swelling group of people interested in solutions. It means people are questioning. I just hope they apply some critical thought to all things they are hearing.
Nicely put, Sidney. I have had some trouble putting those same ideas into language, & appreciate reading what I've been thinking ever since encountering the Zeitgeist phenomenon.
Critical thinking & self-guided assessment of the individual's own place in the universe is the key to all this "new paradigm" ideas making any sort of headway.
Permaculture is really where its at in the sense of critical thinking applied, & removes the need for some glittery automated "utopia" while providing a sense of "DIY" that seems to enliven the human spirit rather than guide it through a mechanical playpen.
A quick second note towards Chris...
The "automated" guidance part of the post really struck me as this seemingly borg-like aspect of alien possibility, the negative controlling farm scenario. I just don't like the sound of it.
You guys hit the nail on the head, for me, I saw the Z2 movie as well and was a little set aback when the "solution" was delivered with certainty on the silver platter of technology - The Venus Project.
As a schooled Product Designer cum "mystic", I have come to really understand the difference between inner derived solutions and outer derived solutions, to put it in a simple light. Technology, as it is generally portrayed, is merely gadgets and robots to clean messes and lift heavy things. BUT, these external solutions do not solve the big problem people are experiencing en mass relating to their inability to rely on strength/knowledge/wisdom/dependence from within. An ever increasing dependency on external solutions-materialism-will not solve anything. Perpetuating it without criticism or care will only prove the Mayans right; we are currently in the age of materialism.
BTW, interesting quote here from NY Times on Mr. Joseph stance regarding 9/11 - "(Zeitgeist)may be most famous for alleging that the attacks of Sept. 11 were an “inside job” perpetrated by a power-hungry government on its witless population, a point of view that Mr. Joseph said he has recently “moved away from."
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