Venus Project

A wise man once said, "The world is not dangerous, because of those who do harm, but because of those who look at it without doing anything." This phrase spoken by Albert Einstein sums up the complex nature of human behavior and the effects it has on our planet accurately. If this is really the case, then perhaps it's time to face this simple truth and begin working toward a safer, more productive world where greed, hatred and prejudice are no longer factors that distort our reality and hold us back from reaching our human potential in all aspects of living. Perhaps it's time to ask ourselves what it means to be a human being, and if we should take responsibility for the way things are. If, and only if, we come to a conclusion that we have the power to change our future, should we work toward bringing this desired change. The Venus Project (VP) is one organization that already began their work on major projects that could turn today's reality into a completely new way of life. In the movie Zeitgeist Addendum, the project is described and introduced to viewers in detail. Social engineer and industrial designer Jacque Fresco describes it as “a society that is free of all the old superstitions, incarceration, prisons, police, cruelty and law. All laws will disappear. And the professions will disappear that are no longer valid, such as stockbrokers, bankers, advertising, gone forever. Because it's no longer relevant.” Its main operating Research Center is located in Venus, Florida, and it's the first place where fresh ideas are being implemented. The buildings are dome-shaped and made of concrete, which makes them stable, immune to high winds, resistant to earthquakes, fire, and termites. It saves forests, it gives room for design creativity, and it's only a small fraction of the overall plan that the Venus Project proposes. The essence of this plan of action lies in bringing on social and economic changes that will offer solutions to all kinds of destructive problems such as hunger, poverty, unemployment, crime, violence, Earth's destruction, and global warming among many others. According to the VP, it's not a question of whether things are getting out of control. It's a question of how do we stop the cycle of self-destruction, and what course of action do we take in order to provide a cleaner, safer environment for ourselves and our loved ones. Its main proposition is deeply rooted in concern for the well-being of humans and the planet. The Venus Project proposes a new social system and a resource-based economy that will minimize social problems and maximize the quality of life for all.
According to the beliefs of Venus Project supporters, the current social system is not working. It is not working, because it is based on false assumptions, misleading propaganda, and many political misunderstandings. It's controlled by human greed, hatred and prejudice, because since the day we are born, we are fed and socialized by images, words, gestures, campaigns, slogans, ads and lies of the ruling elite. The major care of most of our nation's leaders is the chance for personal profit; they are rarely concerned with health issues, unemployment, or the environment. The monetary system has been created as the means of profit; through it, humans are only worth what they consume, and the more they consume, the more valuable they become to society. It's natural to want to disagree at this notion of being so irrelevant, but this type of thinking reflects in our social lives, whether we want it to or not. It's reflected in the notion of financial success being the ultimate success, climbing the hierarchy ladder, seeking promotions, and striving for high social status. We give respect to those who own things, not to those who own themselves. What about those who cannot afford a luxurious lifestyle? What about those who cannot afford any lifestyle, and they struggle to have the most basic of human needs met? Is it right that a small percentage of population controls nearly all of Earth's resources, while the rest is forced to battle their way to the top, which is never really attainable anyway? The Venus Project promoters have considered this, and they offer a potential solution that would reduce poverty and the issues that root in poverty such as violence and crime. They explain that our current thinking patterns must change. It's important for all to realize that there are enough of resources for everyone on this planet, and that profit is not the final goal. We compete with each other, because we falsely believe that resources and products are scarce, while the truth is our economies create scarcity in order to gain profit. Competition is unnecessary, because we now have the technology to create and enhance everything that we need. This calls for abolishing the monetary system and the political system as well, for they only emphasize the individual advantage of one's power over others. In a world ruled by competition, the main motives become poisoned with greed, jealousy, and power. There is no room for trust, authenticity and morals in such a world. Jacque Fresco states, "If you came into my store and I said this lamp that I've got is pretty good, but the lamp in the next store is much better, I wouldn't be in business very long. It wouldn't work… If I were ethical, it wouldn't work. So, when you say industry cares for people.. that is not true. They can't afford to be ethical. So your system is not designed to serve the well-being of people… if you still don't understand that, there would be no outsourcing of jobs… if they cared about people. Industry does not care. They only hire people because it hasn't been automated yet. So, don't talk about decency and ethics… we cannot afford it and remain in business.” In a world where desire of profit overtakes morality, humans in a middle of a social crisis begin blaming each other, and the leaders feed on this and create more conflict. The VP supporters believe that the governments of nations do not have the answers, nor do they have the means to solve problems. According to Fresco, "It's not politicians that can solve problems. They have no technical capabilities. They don't know how to solve problems. Even if they were sincere, they don't know how to solve problems. It's the technicians that produce the desalinization plants. It's the technicians that give you electricity…that give you motor vehicles, that heat your house… and cool it in the summertime. It's technology that solves problems, not politics. Politics cannot solve problems, because they are not trained to do so.” With this in mind, the creators of the Venus Project propose a new economy that is based solely on equal distribution of resources.
VP designers describe resource-based economy as a system where goods and services are accessible to all without money, credit, or any form of debt or servitude. Resources and modern technology would be made available to all. The VP seems to support the notion of utilitarianism, which focuses on the greatest good for the greatest amount of people. At this point, we can use technology to create better clothing, housing, and medical care that will benefit all people and stop destroying Earth's environment. The technology allows us to build energy-efficient cities and advanced transportation systems. It also makes use of renewable energy sources, which can conserve it and potentially allow us to have unlimited quantities of it. If we develop new systems such as geothermal, fusion, solar, wind, wave, and tidal energy, we may never have to worry about propelling it. Although many opponents believe that these solutions are weak and inefficient, the VP scientists argue that, "Solar energy, derived from the sun, has such abundance, that one hour of light at high noon, contains more energy than what the entire world consumes in a year. If we could capture .01 of a percent of this energy, the world would never have to use oil, gas or anything else." They also emphasize that even the US department of energy admitted that fully harvested wind in only three states is able to power the entire nation. There would be no more economic profits from energy, because it would no longer be scarce, which would eliminate nations fighting over natural resources, which would save lives. In addition, there would be no more need for competition between certain products, because technology would be used to create only the highest quality goods, and we would no longer be blinded by manipulative ads, which all scream for profit.
In order to solve some of the current issues, the Venus Project proposes a resource-based economy that will use technology to change the social system. It seeks to provide benefits to all humanity, which supports the idea of utilitarianism. In order to reach some of their goals, VP researchers have built a Research Center that is used to generate ideas, research solutions, and create plans and blueprints. They believe that if the human race wants to continue to grow and develop, it must change some of its thinking and the behavior that follows as a consequence. According to the researchers, modern technology can reach much further than we realize. With its use, we can create new cities, new laws, new transportation systems, and we can live at peace with nature, eliminating pollution and destruction. If we manage to handle everyday problems correctly, we can put our attention and all of our focus elsewhere. To demonstrate this point even more closely, Fresco strikes the bull's eye by saying, "If people have access to the necessities of life, without servitude, debt, barter, trade… they behave very differently. You want all these things available without a price tag. Now then, 'you gotta have a price tag, what will motivate people… if man gets everything he wants he will just lay around in the sun'. This is the myth they perpetuate. People in our culture are trained to believe that the monetary system produces incentive, if they have access to things, why should they want to do anything. They will lose their incentive. That's what you're taught to support the monetary system.”