The Venus Project – The redesign of a Culture

In association with the Zeitgeist Movement

‘It is of no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society’

- J Krishnamurti

‘You must become the change you want to see in the world’

- Ghandi

Our Society consists entirely of institutions

Be it Political institutions, Financial institutions, Educational institutions or Religious institutions

etc…

Unfortunately, these institutions are taken for granted; due to early indoctrination people are

unable to question their presence.

And they are therefore, generally regarded as absolutely necessary in the maintaining of a

stable, productive, and caring world.

This is, unfortunately – not the case.

‘They must find it hard, those who have taken authority as truth, rather than truth as

authority’-Gerald Massey, Egyptologist

Out of all the existing institutions, however - none are more hopelessly adhered to, as the Monetary

System

Money is the foundation which every society is built upon, and the lifeblood upon which other

institutions can flourish

However, very few understand how the system works, let alone how money is created

Thus it is important to understand the very mechanisms of this institution, and how it is the

true fraud of the age

-At least 80% of humanity lives on less that $10 a day

- More than 80 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where income differentials are widening

- 30,000 children die each day, due to poverty alone…

- Nearly a billion people entering the 21st century were unable to read a book, or even spell their own name

- 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic

sanitation

- Half of all children in the world are ‘living in poverty’

- 1 in 3 children are without adequate shelter

- 1 in 5 have no access to safe water

- 1 in 7 have no access to health serviceshttp://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats#src1

One thing is desperately clear

Something is very, very wrong

Let us first examine the five key mechanisms of this system

Mechanism oneThe need for Cyclical Consumption

Employee, Consumer, Employer

The employee performs tasks for the Employer, in exchange for ‘wage’.

The employer provides goods and services to the consumer for ‘profit’.

The employer and employee are also both consumers, as they must purchase goods with the profit/wage they

earnIn other words, it is the act of perpetual

consumption that keeps the system afloat. As this is what keeps the employer in business, without the

employer there is no employee, thus no jobs – no money to consume

So what are the consequences of this?

Consequence one#1 - Nothing physically produced can ever

maintain an operational lifespan longer than what can be endured in order to maintain economic

integrity through ‘cyclical consumption’.Meaning: all goods created, must break down in a respective amount of time, in order to perpetuate

cyclical consumption, thus supporting the Employee, Consumer and Employer.

This shall be referred to as ‘planned obsolescence’

Planned Obsolescence takes two basic forms:a) Intentional: Purposeful withholding of product efficiency, to ensure the product breaks down.

b) Consequential: Short cuts have been taken in production, in an attempt to increase profit, save money and ensure the consumer’s return.(ie: using plastic, instead of more durable materials, such as titanium, which is much more expensive)

Consequence two#2- The introduction of new products and services must be constant to offset any increased efficiency of the prior generations of production, regardless of functional utility, generating endless waste .

Meaning: waste is an unavoidable by-product of the monetary system, as the constant release of new products, regardless of their use to society, results in the obsolete products to be expelled to

landfills – wasting resources, and potentially irreparably damaging the earth

Let’s put this into a different perspective…

Imagine…

The economic ramifications of production methods that strategically maximised product sustainability and efficiency of every creation.

Imagine…

A car, built so efficiently it wouldn’t need repairing for 1OO years.

A house, fireproof, with all appliances made from the most impermeable, highest integrity

resources available.In a saner world, things would be built to last, due to reduction in multiplicity and

maximisation of efficiency.

If this was the case now, however; the whole economic system would collapse as ‘Cyclical Consumption’ would come to a

grinding halt.

Mechanism twoThe abundance of scarcity

“Greed and Competition are not the result of immutable human temperament…greed and fear of scarcity are in fact

being continuously created and amplified as a direct result of the kind of money we are using…We can produce more than

enough food to feed everybody…but there is clearly not enough money to pay for it all. The scarcity is in our national

currencies. In fact, the job of the central banks is to create and maintain that currency scarcity. The direct consequence is that

we have to fight with each other in order to survive.”

- Bernard Lietaer, Founder

of the EU Currency system

Scarcity is perhaps the key component of the monetary system. Thus if something is in extreme

scarcity, it’s also of extreme value. It is of no interest to industry to create a world

of abundance, as increased availability leads to a respective decrease in value.

War, Poverty, and Unethical behaviour is literally built into the system

Furthermore, ‘Cyclical Consumption’ also leads to scarcity, due to the environmental pollution it

creates and perpetuates.

Drinking water used to be abundant – therefore free for everyone. However, due to increased pollution of the water table, and city water systems; people are

now buying commercially sold drinking water. This is often sold at a price higher than that of oil per

gallon.

This creates a sick reinforcement of environmental indifference, for the sole purpose of maximising profit, through

generating scarcity.

Mechanism threeThe priority of profit

First it’s perhaps important to cover the myth of profit as incentive

The idea is: it is a person’s/organisation’s strive for profit that generates the motivation necessary to create

goods that are marketable.

The assumption is: if people were not motivated by their need to survive through profit, little social progress

would be made.It should perhaps be noted, that the most powerful influences on society didn’t come

from corporations seeking profit. The Wright brothers, Isaac Newton, Louis

Pasteur and Einstein didn’t make their contributions for material self interest.

While some creations have come from desire for personal gain – the intent for

those creations is unrelated to human or social concerns. Detached self-interest

and survival are really the true motivations.

In a world where profit is prioritised over everything else, problems aren’t going to be solved, and human concern is never going to

be appropriately applied

A simple glance at the cancer causing preservatives in our food, the planned

obsolescence of almost everything created, and the health care industry, which charges

ridiculous sums of money for a single pill, and thrives off the sickness of the population.

This should make something obvious:‘Profit Based Incentive’ is actually of detriment to

societyFor the true incentive is to exact wealth by any

means possible – not to make any valuable contribution to society. Hence we get inventors

searching for ‘niches in the market’ as opposed to valuable contributions.

Profit is actually a false incentiveAs if there is a problem in society that can’t be

solved, and made a profit from… it won’t be solved.

ConsequencesThe consequences of this are grave – so grave in fact that society has had to create an institution to deal with moral

perversion through the need of profit/income/gain Consequently, if we define ‘crime’ as ‘corruption’, then

‘corruption’ as ‘moral perversion – dishonesty’, a whole new perspective comes into play.

As if you look close enough, you’ll see that every act of strategic monetary gain is corrupt by it’s very construct.

A prime example is advertising.

We can split monetary crime into 3 distinctions:

General Crime – Corporate Crime – Government Crime

General Crime

Derived from the pursuit of money, can range from fraud, to violent robbery.

Society generally doesn’t focus on the psychological causes of such crimes, and writes them off as an anomaly

However, their basis lie in the human’s will to survive, and are also the manifestation of stress, resulting from

deprivation.Merva-Fowles study (1990-92) found strong connections between unemployment and crime. The research was based upon 30 metropolitan

cities, with a total population of around 80 million.

1% rise in unemployment caused:a 6.7% increase in homicidesa 3.4% increase in violent crimesa 2.4% increase in property crime

Which translates as:1,459 additional homicides62,607 additional violent crimes223,500 additional property crimes

Corporate CrimeThis has already been inadvertently covered, as Corporate Crime

tends to manifest itself through planned obsolescence; market manipulation, outsourcing, labour exploitation etc

The motive is usually always profit, whether the crime is governmental, corporate or general – the mechanisms are the

same.Corporate Crime tends to be more serious, however – as it

affects large groups of people, a prime example would be Bayer’s shipment of drugs infected with the AIDS virus

overseas; thus turning an error, into profit.Founded upon the fear of losing what one already has – this

neurosis increases through the unlimited ‘wants’ (a larger house, boats, materialistic futility) due to social stratification.

Government CrimeGovernment Crime is much more complex, as the

perception of Government is largely distorted, through the ‘ruling class’’ perpetuating a false image, via the mass media and other bellicose

chauvinismEg: When we study Nazi Germany; we mustn't

forget that the German people had the Anti-Semitic value system as well a firm self belief in

the country and it’s coloniesThis is no different from the U.K’s and U.S’s invasion

of Iraq, however; preconceived notions aside… let’s examine what a Government within a

monetary system actually represents…

First of all…All members of Government must be paid a wage,

and all projects they devise comes from fundingThis money (apparently) comes from ‘taxes’

imposed on the public, or loans from banks and/or other countries.

Taxes are generated through ‘commerce’, or ‘income through commerce’

While loans must be paid back, either through more commerce, more taxes or more loans,

theoretically.

The role of Government is to invent administrative legislation to handle the functioning of society.

Ideally, this would be solely based upon the viewpoint of the people consenting to their authority

Unfortunately, history alone shows us that this has rarely been the case.

Government in a monetary system serves only as a ‘parent corporation’ to all other corporations working within that

country.

A country’s power is reliant upon it’s economic prosperity, so Government has a ‘vested interest’ in securing and

upgrading the economy

A politician can gain ‘monetary contributions’ from a company he favours in his rulings, while the company

thus gains from the rulings made in favour of itself.

Millions of pounds are spent on lobbying each year, entirely under the pretence of putting the donating

parties ‘agenda into action’.

The greatest form of Governmental collusion is war, as nothing is more profitable for the ruling elite. It

is of unspeakable benefit to the constituents.

“War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best

described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it

is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge

fortunes…” -

Major Smedley D. Butler Two time congressional

Medal of Honour recipient

Before 1980, Afghanistan produced 0% of the world's opium

After the US/CIA backed Mujahideen won the Soviet/Afghan war, by 1986 they were producing 40% of the world's heroin

supply

By 1999, they were producing 80% of the total market supply

But then something unexpected happened…

The Taliban rose to power, and by 2000 they had destroyed most of the opium fields. Production dropped from

3,000+tons to only 185 tons, a 94% reduction

On Sept. 9th 2001, the full Afghanistan invasion plans were on President Bush's desk

Two days later they had their excuse…

Today, opium production in US controlled Afghanistan, which now provides more than 90 percent of the world's heroin, breaks new production records nearly

every year.

‘They do not want your children to be educated. They do not want you to think too much. That is why our country and our world has become so proliferated with entertainments, mass media,

game shows, television shows, amusement parks, drugs, alcohol, and every kind of entertainment

to keep the human mind entertained, so that you don’t get in the way of important people, by

doing too much thinking.’- Jordan Maxwell

The priority of profit creates an ‘us against them’ value system

As people always need to manipulate others to get what they want

Thus we are always going to get social stratification, a have – and have not, a buyer –

seller, an employer – employee, etc; all chiselling off the other to get a better deal.

This constant ‘infighting’ is our means of survival in such a system – and the sick, polluted, distorted

world you see today is the result.

Mechanism fourThe Distortion of Values

Our beliefs and ‘values’ are shaped by our culture. There is a genetic basis to some behaviours and traits; but these serve as

propensities, rather than a definitive.

Advertising serves to inform the public of the products and services that are on sale – and the most effective way to do this is through exploiting the consumer’s ‘values’ – what he

or she regards as important.

A powerful form of doing this is re-associating a person’s identity to a particular value

system. Prime examples of this are religion and patriotism, for through early

indoctrination, a person is conditioned to feel attached to such beliefs, thus the person supports such doctrines unconditionally.

Another prime example is ‘Fashion’

Fashion is not only clothing – as the items sold perpetuate ideologies

A perfect illustration of how successful the commercial fashion industry has become in

manipulating humans for their own gain is the millions of people wearing certain items, merely

for the purpose of expressing that companies brand.

‘Abercrombie and Fitch’ hoodies, along with ‘Prada’ bags are a perfect demonstration of how things have lost their utility or function, for the

perpetuation of societal imposed values.

Sadly – the people wearing such clothing fail to see they are nothing but a walking

advertisement for the brand…

Greed

Another key proponent of the Monetary system’s stability, probably the main psychological mechanism, other than survival.

Due to the inherent stratification of goods and services available to those with more purchasing power, the human being is

conditioned to perpetually want ‘more’, and the ‘more’, seems to go on for infinity.

The result is a society that doesn’t possess a sense of balance or ‘enough’. Advertising increases this proponent as it constantly

depicts the ‘possibilities’, resulting in people questioning their self worth, due to their lack of ‘the best things…’Jealousy

This is an early cultivation… however, regardless of cause – advertising uses this relentlessly.

Exploiting this neurosis by presenting people with things you do not have

Making you feel that these items are necessary, in order for you to feel ‘accepted’ or ‘equal’

Similar to greed – although people are taught to despise others for their material wealth – causing great conflict, and increased

social stratification.

Ego

‘The feeling of superiority over others’

#1. General superiority, based on wealth/class, or position in hierarchy

#2. Arrogance regarding one’s creative contribution, demanding prestige, acknowledgement, or other rewards…

The latter almost seems ‘natural’ as it is so widespread… however, the monetary system is a strong reinforcement for this.

When someone is paid, they are literally being ‘rewarded’ or ‘acknowledge’ for their contribution.

This further propounds a propensity for human’s to ask for credit for their contributions – even when money isn’t being offered.‘If I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulders of

giants’

- Isaac NewtonThis form of Ego has no position when a person

understands that ALL inventions and creations are actually collaborations developed serially, one way or

another.

As for the former (superiority based…)

Our values are based upon what works and helps us to create a better life for ourselves

If we are living in a society which promotes arrogance, egotism, vanity, unenlightened self

interest, greed and competition, these values will be constantly perpetuated within itself.

While many people promote ideas of ‘caring and humility’, these values never prevail – as it is not beneficial for the human to do so in a monetary

system.

Mechanism fiveFiscal Manipulation

Currency used today is called ‘Fiat’ – meaning it’s value is substantiated by Government decree. Thus nothing is ‘backing

up’ the money – unlike the former ‘gold standard’, which theoretically provided a material basis for a countries economy.

The less of money in circulation, the more valuable it is; and vice versa. This is known as ‘inflation’ and ‘deflation’

If more money is pumped into an economy and not put to use – the result will be ‘inflation’, however – if the money is quickly put into the eg: the building of new houses etc, there will be

little subsidiary effect.

The increase of money in an economy is called ‘Monetary Expansion’, while the decrease is called ‘Monetary Contraction’,

thus we get the ‘Expansion and Contraction cycle’ – or the ‘Boom and Bust cycle’.

Thus Monetary Expansion is associated with economic growth, as more money is being put to use, and Monetary Contraction is

usually referred to as a ‘depression’, or ‘recession’.

To understand all this more clearly, we need to understand how money is created, and regulated…

The ‘Expansion and Contraction cycle’ is cyclical, and the pattern is largely controlled by the Central Bank by way of

‘interest rates’

As all money in nearly ever country’s economy is created our of debt through loans, the speed of which money comes

into existence is dependant upon how much people are willing to pay by way of interest to acquire the loan

All Commercial Banks base their interest rates on that of the Central Bank’s.

Thus the Central Bank can control how much money is being borrowed, by raising the interest rates – therefore

controlling how much money is in circulation.

Ie: the Central Bank lowers interest rates – so all other banks do, resulting in more people taking out loans and putting that money to use (expansion). When the Central Bank increases interest, less people take out loans, thus the

economic growth slows (contraction)

Why does the Central Bank need to do this?

It is key to remember these two points:#1. All money is created out of debt through loans

#2. The increase in monetary supply can result in inflation

If the money supply was allowed to constantly expand – the market would become saturated, the economy debased and

prices raised.

Secondly, the amount of money in existence is directly proportional to the amount of debt in existence. So the more

an economy ‘expands’, the more debt there is.

The crisis here is inevitable, as the interest fees to pay back the loans aren’t even in existence. Thus there is always more outstanding debt than money in existence.

Once the debt becomes unmanageable, defaults begin – houses are seized etc

All for money that was never in existence in the first place

Thus we reach the backwards, mind boggling paradigm of…

MONEY = DEBT

‘If there were no debts in our money system, there wouldn’t be any money’

-Marriner EcclesChairman of the Federal Reserve, 1934-1948

David Walker, former U.S Comptroller and chief of GAO stated before the 2004 election, that if large economic changes weren’t made by 2009 – the U.S. wouldn’t be

able to afford the interest payments of the national debt

A study authorised by the U.S. treasury in 2001 found that in order to keep servicing the debt at it’s current state of growth, income tax’s would have to be raised to 65% by

2013.

The current U.S National Debt as of Jan 2009 is $12,250,000,000,000

Only 4 countries don’t owe money to another

The collective debt of all Governments is about 52 trillion dollars, and this is excluding house hold debt.

The whole world is basically bankrupt… But how can the world owe money to itself?

Obviously the whole thing is ridiculous. There is no money… only planetary resources and human ingenuity.

Idealised ‘Boom and Bust’ cycle representation

Realistic ‘Boom and Bust’ cycle representation

However, everything discussed previously pales in comparison, once we realise the ‘ultimate

outsource’.

Propositions for monetary reform etc possess logical merits – but fail to recognise the

unstoppable phenomenon that skyrocketed in the 20th century…

The replacement of human labour with machines…

Money relies on the mechanism of ‘Labour for Income’

If human’s don’t have the option of performing manual labour for a living, the whole system

would collapse instantaneously, as no one can buy goods if they don’t earn money, thus the companies won’t have the money to produce.”We are being afflicted with a new disease of which some

readers may not yet have heard the name, but of which they will hear a great deal in the years to come – namely

‘technological unemployment’. This means unemployment due to our discovery of means of

economizing the use of labor outrunning the pace at which we can find new uses for labor.”

- John Maynard Keynes‘The general theory of unemployment, interest and

money’

”The role of humans as the most important factor of production is bound to diminish in the same way that the

role of horses in agricultural production was first diminished and then eliminated by the introduction of

tractors.”

- Wassily Leontief Nobel Laureate Economist

Market Capitalism is built upon the logic of reducing input costs; it is only logical to wish to automate production, as a machine is far more

efficient than a human

You simply need to look at the trends to see that human labour is slowly being fazed out of the equation…

In 1949, machines did 6% of Cotton picking in South U.S.A.

By 1972, they were doing 100%

The U.S. Steel Industry from 1982 to 2002 increased production from 75million tonnes to 120million tonnes,

while steel workers went from 289,000 to 74,000

In 2003, Alliance Capital did a study of the world’s largest 20 economies at that time, ranging from the period of

1995 to 2002, finding that 31 million manufacturing jobs were lost, while production rose by 30%

The trend is exceedingly clear – and this is a natural transition…

Even the service industry is being affected

Business phone operators have almost all been replaced by computerized voice answering systems, post office tellers are being replaced by self-service

machines, while cashiers are being replaced by computerized kiosks. McDonalds, for example, has

been talking about full automation of its restaurants for many years now, introducing Kiosks to replace

the front of house staff, while using automated cooking tools, such as burger flippers, for the back

of house staff

”The service sector has lost its role as America’s unbridled engine of job creation.”

- Stephen RoachEconomist

We require a new social system that is updated with present day knowledge and modern

methods

So then…What is really relevant to humanity?

The fundamentals of life have been lost in a sea of social, financial, occupational obligations; the majority of which are

largely artificial.

Usually, the work a person submits to, is not reflective of his/her enjoyments/passions – nor does it reflect the

interests of society as a whole.

Ie: a person who sells insurance is participating in an occupation that is only relevant to the monetary system,

and has no natural basis in regard to societal contribution.

Although it could be argued that such people help in a monetary system – it is time for us to step back and begin to

focus on issues that are important to our social progress.Regardless of this, however; what are the near

empirical facets of nature? What do these understandings teach us about how we should

govern on this planet?

Every human needs adequate nutrition, clean air and clean water. Therefore we

must respect the symbiotic nature of the processes inherent

About 40% of deaths worldwide are caused by water, soil and air pollution*.

Why are scientists focusing on esoteric topics such as ‘black holes’ and ‘terra forming’ when we can’t even look

after ourselves yet?

Water is a naturally abundant resource, we just have to preserve and respect the process which produce it.

Unfortunately, short-sited behaviours through the ‘profit incentive’ are damaging these processes, ‘acid rain’, and

water pollution are manifestations of this.

As for food, industry focuses on cheap, competitive food, regardless of nutritional value. An example would be ‘high fructose corn syrup’, which is in many products as a cheap

replacement for Cane Sugar. It has been proven to increase the risk of diabetes and other health problems

substantially.

*http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-08/cuns-pc4081307.php

Our behaviour should be guided by the priority of seeking the highest optimisation of circumstances that preserve and maximise the abundance and

quality of the necessities of life

Thus we must overcome any systems which disturbs, or create the propensity to disturb, the symbiotic environmental processes which keep

our basic needs in order

If we don’t: the consequences of our violation of this order are grave, and could put us passed the

point of no return environmentally.Putting the survival of the human race into

question

The only constant is change and human understandings are always in transition

Nothing is a definite, as everything is subject to change. There is no evidence to support the notion that things we

hold true today, will be appropriate in regards to tomorrow.

Society should be the same, an ‘establishment’ doesn’t exist, as nothing is established. There is no such thing as a ‘civilisation’, as we hold no concept of what is civil, and

there is certainly no such thing as a ‘utopia’ – as such ideals are unachievable, for what they entail is an

emergent process.

”Absolute certainty is a privilege of uneducated minds and fanatics”

- C.J. Keyser

A quick glance at our former basis of knowledge and belief dictates this to us, we’ve gone from believing the

earth is flat to round, from exorcisms, to doctors.

We must bare in mind that nothing is static, and run our society in a way that’s easy to change. As everything we

think and know are probabilities.

The Scientific Method

Nature has specific laws, and these laws are static. Thus it is in our interest to align ourselves with nature the best

we can.

The Scientific appears to be the best way of discovering these laws…#1. Recognising a new idea of problem that needs to be solved

#2. The use of logical reasoning and present knowledge to form a hypothesis

#3. Test the hypothesis in the physical world, through observation

All conclusions require testable proof, not just reason and inference.

A perfect example would be Aristotle…

The Scientific Method should be given utmost credence, as it is this that has provided you

with the quality of life you have now..

Be it a television, a pencil, a table, a computer, an airplane

Science and technology are tools, that can either be used to free or restrain humanity

The choice lies with us…

Dynamic Equilibrium

Occurs when two or more opposing processes proceed at the same rate… for example

There’s a small island with

#1. Wildly growing carrot crop#2. A family of rabbits#3. A family of wolves

The rabbits need the carrots to survive, and the foxes need the rabbits to survive.

If there aren’t enough rabbits for the foxes, they die. If there is a drought – the

carrots stop growing – the rabbits die – the foxes die.

Thus there is a dynamic equilibrium existing in the physical world, which

dictates possibilities.

This shall be termed the‘Carrying capacity of the earth’

And it is our duty to run society in

accordance to this, maintainingequilibrium

The needs of the human population must be in balance with what the earth can give us, in a

safe and sustainable way…

So… what do we have?

The fundamental building blocks of our society are the following…

Energy

Currently, we have no reason, other than the greedy profit based structure, to burn fossil

fuels.Geothermal Energy

2000 zettajoules easily tap-able with improved

technology.The world uses 0.5 zettajoules a year…

The solar radiation reaching the world each year is more than 10,000 times the world’s energy

use.

If only 20% of the wind potential of the planet

was harnessed, it would cover the earths entire

energy needs.

Tidal and Wave power are greatly

understated… In the U.K, 42 sites are available for

this technology to be harnessed. This would power 34% of all the

country’s energy.

What about industrial raw materials?

Some raw materials are in abundance, such as aluminium, iron and silicon

Others are growing scarce, such as copper, zinc, gold and silver

A complete geological survey of the earth’s minerals/elements must be done in the future.

There are 3 components to understanding the carrying capacity of the earth:

a) Knowing exactly what the earth has, as far as component elements/materials

We must have a full survey of all planetary resources. The same way a farmer would survey an acre of land,

test the pH of the soil etc. This info would have a direct relationship to what could be grown

b) Where technology is in regard to synthetic substitutions for certain elements/materialsThis is an important field. Diamonds are extremely

scarce, and were used as a precision machine cutting tool. However, now we can create synthetic diamonds – this scarcity is no longer relevant. The scarcity of any raw material is only as relevant as the amount of work

being put into finding a substitute.

c) How society manages/organises it’s use of these elements/materials

The true cause of scarcity has little to do with natural availability – it’s more to do with our wasteful, exploitive

modes of conduct. In a saner world, we would use materials in a sustainable way, in accordance to the

carrying capacity of the earth.

Food and Water

Water covers 70% of the earth’s surface.

Through new processes such as desalination we are able to extract pure, filtered water

from the sea

Nutrient rich ‘topsoil’ is being eroded at a rate of 1% a year due to short-sighted agricultural techniques. This erosion is taking place at a rate 10 times faster than the soils reparation

rate.

Due to new methods of growing, such as hydroponics, we no longer need soil.

Theoretically we could grow food in the desert, if the correct irrigation methods were

utilised.

Food and water production is only as scarce as we allow.

The Means For Social Evolution

Our Goals

Clean air, water, nutritious food, relevant education, immutable freedom, end of war, an environment that creates well

balanced individuals, abundance, efficient and quick transportation, efficient public

health care, reduced stress and crime

Human extensionalityMethod

The intelligent use of science, through the scientific method in order to understand natural processes,

and then align ourselves

accordingly.

ToolsThe humane use of

technology, through our current knowledge and

human ingenuity. Technology has changed the world in innumerable

ways, and shows no signs of stopping.

The Venus Project

”We call for a straightforward redesign of our culture, in which the age-old inadequacies of war,

poverty, hunger, debt and unnecessary human suffering are viewed not only as avoidable, but also as totally unacceptable. Anything less simply results in a continuation of the same catalogue of problems

inherent in the present system.”

- Jacque Fresco

A Resource Based Economy

Utilises existing resources as opposed to commerce

All goods and services will be accessible without the use currency, debt, trade or barter

Frees humanity from repetitive, monotony that restrains societal growth

Encourages a new incentive system, based upon self-fulfilment, education, social

awareness and creativity as opposed to shallow self-centred goals

All this is foreseeable, and possible, if you want it to be

The Venus Project Recognises…

The earth is abundant with resources

Our old methods of rationing these resources is outdated, and needs to be updated in accordance to present day

knowledge

In fact – they are counterproductive to society

The monetary system was devised thousands of years ago, during times of

great scarcity

It was effective then, but not now

Advancing technology is fazing out humans in the economic labour force.

This will result in an unpreventable paradigm shift…

It will either lead us onto a new social system, in which society is designed to benefit itself, with the use of advanced

technology to advance societal and individual growth

Or a society where unemployment and crime are rampant, Orwellian state laws are

introduced, and the world is perpetually exploited and destroyed.

Survival and quality of life have their basis entirely on the use, management and preservation of the earth’s resources

Now, with our increasing scientific ingenuity to utilise those resources in humane,

manageable, technologically constructive ways, the tradition of labour for resources

no longer has a logical foundation

A resource based economy would have to be on a global scale

The planet can only be effectively examined and utilised from a holistic perspective

It’s time to put aside our religious and nationalistic separatist beliefs, and realise that

we are all subject to the same natural laws

We all possess the same fundamental needs

We are all one

‘My country is the world, and my religion is to do good’

-Thomas Payne

American founding father

Industry and Labour

#1. Survey the planetary resources#2. Decide on what needs to be produced. Orientating from bare necessities (shelter,

food, water) and then to less prioritised goods, such as media, film, musical

instruments etc. #3. Optimisation of production

methods/product lifespan#4. Distribution methods for human access#5. Optimised recycling for those products

that become obsolete or inoperable.

Step 1: Survey the Planetary Resources

With this information, industrial production is adjusted in order to compensate for any

emerging scarcity

Any scarce resource must be immediately addressed, and synthetic substitutes must be

sought after

We can obtain this awareness through real-time electronic feedback coming from all resource sectors on the planet, fed into a

central computer database that monitors any growing scarcity or problem

The U.S. military and Pentagon already have satellites and ocean monitors for the purpose of defence. This technology merely has to be

reoriented

Step 2: Decide on what Production is Required

Even humans themselves don’t know what they really want

As what is considered desirable is constantly changing

Things produced would be as advanced as technologically possible

Step 3: Optimisation of Production/Product Lifespan

Utilisation of the most powerful materials and methods, whilst outputting the most long

lasting and effective products.

Machine labour has been proven continuously to be more efficient than that of humans

Labour automation coupled with scientifically managed resources will allow for a fluid,

scarcity-less environment.

Step 4: Distribution Methods for Human Access

Warehouse like distribution centres, as well as automated delivery would be the most simplistic

method for now

Due to no money, these is little need for one to ‘horde’ items

In fact, possession would become a burden

Theft would be irrelevant to anyone, as if everything is free, why would it be necessary?

The products certainly couldn’t be sold.

To obtain a product, one would go online, request it, and it would be made available to

them as soon as possible.

Step 4: Optimised Recycling of Obsolete or Inoperable Goods

Everything produced would have the consideration of recycling incorporated in

advance

Ensuring that obsolete products could be reused, dramatically reducing waste.

Machines controlled by… who?

Machinery today is being combined with computerisation

This combination of machine with computer intelligence is known as cybernation

Probably the most influential and powerful inventions of humanity to date

These tools have the capability to change the entire fabric of society; beginning with the freeing

of the human labour force.“Ultimate automation…will make our modern industry as primitive and outdated as the stone

age man looks to us today.” -

Albert Einstein

Distrust in machines is a product of indoctrination through science fiction, or

based upon personal experience (car breaking down, computer freezing etc)

Remember; machines only do what we program them to

‘The popular idea, fostered by comic strips and the cheaper forms of science fiction, that intelligent machines must be malevolent entities hostile to man, is so absurd that it is

hardly worth wasting energy to refute it.’

- C. Clarke

‘Profiles of the Future’

Furthermore, it is the need for cyclical consumption that reduces the efficiency of products – not technological incapability

Cars today possess warning lights on the dashboard, alerting the driver of any problems

that may have occurred

This idea can be expanded to all machinery to the degree that not only will the problem be

diagnosed, but supplemental machines will be directed to replace the broken part in real time.

Even more advanced are ‘shape memory alloys’

If there is any physical structural damage, an electric current would be charged through the

part, instantaneously resulting in it ‘remembering’ the determined shape.

Government

Irrelevant‘(The) tremendous and still accelerating

development of science and technology has not been accompanied by an equal development in

social, economic and political patterns… Capitalism, fascism and communism will be regarded as primitive experiments directed towards the

adjustment of modern society to modern methods’ -

Dr. Ralph Linton

Our problems aren’t political – they are technical

Thus it would seem completely irrational to base the management of the world and it’s resources upon

opinion. It isn’t a case of ‘who makes the decisions’, its ‘how the decision is made’

Human sense and attributes are constrained – such laws do not apply to

machinesThus it would seem logical to delegate such decision

making to machines, for they should be regarded as an extension to human attributes. We are gifted with the

powerful tool of technological invention. We must embrace this and use it for our benefit

Technology requires no subjectivityThere is no ‘liberal’ or ‘republican’ way to design an

airplane, so why are we using these out of date modes of thought today? Society is a technological creation,

with it’s component variables no different from that of a physical creation.

In a state of abundance, the State has no basis to exist

Government would be a Cybernated System, combined with industry, this responsible for the production and

distribution of goods, along with resource and environmental management.

An idealised version of this system would be as follows…

A Central Database containing catalogues of every known material and technological

understanding for problem solving and invention

Computers have the ability to catalogue information and logically compute it on a scale much larger than humans

can.

The most effective decisions are made through the consideration of all relevant variable

Once this associative system emerges, which is able to contextually cross relate all present day knowledge and disciplines, the limitations of our physical and cognitive

development will be irrelevant.

This process of enquiry and interaction is no different from using a calculator, just on much larger proportions

It’s perhaps of importance to note; the U.S. military already possesses a similar system, only it’s purpose is to

design military tactics.

An earth-wide autonomic nervous system, with environmental sensors in all relevant areas of the planet, generating ‘Industrial Electronic Feedback’ regarding resources,

operations, and other environmental issues

This system would be connected with the database

Keeps track of all resources, while monitoring the earth for environmental disturbances

This would take time, however, if we were to build them regionally, then over time interlinking them, it could happen

sooner than you think.

The database would automatically rearrange industrial production in accordance to the resources reported to be

abundant, or growing scarce. Thus dynamic equilibrium will be preserved

Full international cooperation would be required.

Interdisciplinary teams would oversee the system, and orient research projects to continue growth, efficiency and social

evolution

Only about 5% of people would be needed to monitor and improve these mechanised processes

What about Democracy!?

In a society where industry and government are combined into one entity, traditional concepts of

elections and political parties hold no logical basis

There was never a true democratic system in place, and there never will be if we remain on a

monetary system, or in scarcity

So, how would a person participate?

Everyone would be able to contribute to the Central Database

This database, with it’s historical knowledge and full integration of up-to-date scientific understanding would

then analyse the proposition

If the idea was compatible with human resources, and had a logical scientific basis, it would be forwarded to the

Interdisciplinary teams who would test the idea, and then oversee it’s implementation.

These Interdisciplinary teams would be selected and organised by the Central Database Program, based

on what they have already contributed to the system.

This is a true election, based on what a person has done, not on what they say they will do.

What about Corruption?

The public’s fear of corrupt behaviour will have no basis, as there is no incentive for it.

This team isn’t paid for their contribution – they’ll do it because they want to

Their world view will have been expanded to realise that their reward is the fruits of the world from a holistic

perspective In a 1992 Gallop Poll, more than 50% of American adults volunteered time for social causes, at an average of

4.2hours per week; totalling at 20.5billion hours.

This truly is an admirable statistic, as through the profound sickness of our present society – the human

spirit still pulls through, in an aid to help our fellow man without reward.

In the future, those who choose to work in with the Cybernated System, will do so because it is an honour to

serve humanity. It will be understood that it is in self interest for humanity to work together for the greater

good.

Education

Cities that think…

The first city is thought to have occurred in 5400 B.C.E. in Ancient Sumeria

We have witnessed vast technological growth in the construct of cities

Water tables, electronic grid, gas lines, phone lines, sewage systems etc

However – the cities we possess today are extremely technologically outdated in the face of technological

development and scientific ingenuity.

We must take a systems approach to our cities, thus interconnecting the elements; houses, power, and

production facilities; with the processes; waste disposal , irrigation, power distribution, services and production

In a resource based economy, the cities embrace changed – and are built with the emergent nature of the

universe in mind

Circular Cities

Permits the most efficient use of resources, travel techniques and functionality, with minimum expenditure

of energy

The circular design is to allow the highest standard of living in the most productive and efficient way possible

These cities serve as extensions of human activity, a utilitarian expression; in complete harmony with planet – everything done would be in accordance to the dynamic

equilibrium of the environment

Outermost PerimeterDesigned for nature orientated recreation. Lush gardens and parks for hiking, water sports and any other outdoor

activity

Agricultural BeltFood is grown here all year round through hydroponics

and alternative outdoor methods

Residential and Energy Production areasEight green areas are positioned around the city, each section will have the latest, location oriented energy

production technology. The largest of these sections is the ‘Residential Belt’, containing unique homes and

apartments.

Educational, Scientific and Research CentresAll educational facilities will be located here, as well as

distribution centres

The Central DatabaseWould effectively act as the ‘brain’ of the city itself. A

mini Government, monitoring the production and distribution of all goods. Eight smaller domes surround

this, in which conferences and other miscellaneous activities can take place.

Transportation

Within the city, escalators and elevators, along with conveyors and transveyors, move in all directions and

are interconnected with other transportation processes. Reducing the need for automobile usage.

For travelling outside the city, monorails, cars and aircraft are available

Intercontinental and Continental travel would be done through Maglev trains.

Airports and international shipping systems would also be implemented in and around the cities.

Our central means of transport today is reliant upon fossil fuels

The battery technology to run an electric car for 200 miles, at over 100 miles an hour exists

And has done for some while

However due to patents on such technology by the oil industry, the technology is expensive and

unreliable.

There is absolutely no reason other than pure, corrupt profit interest, that every single transport vehicle in the world isn’t clean, and sustainable.

Maglev Technology

Maglev technology is on pace to render the airplane obsolete

It uses magnets for propulsion – and has no wheels, so nothing can wear out, as it is fully suspended by a

magnetic field.

Requires less than 2% of the energy required to power and airplane

Current technology would allow us to construct a train with the optimum speed of 4000mph, in a

motionless, frictionless tube.

Fast, clean and efficient.

LifestyleFamily

Monetary economics undermines family cohesion and child care

Stress is always high due to insurance, medicinal, educational, employment insecurity costs etc

In a Resource Based Economy, the integrity of the family will return

Activities

The cultural values of the society would undergo profound change

With the whole word cooperating, and abundance for all – freedom would increase to a point

indescribable by today’s standards

What will people do?

The answer is simple…

Whatever you want to do

The monetary system undermines the entire concept of freedom, as freedom can never exist, due to it being limited by ones

purchasing power

This diminishes creative outlook, as people have an extremely limited perception of

what can be doneA woman in ancient times had the sole role of walking from her hut to a nearby creak to fetch water every

day for cooking and consumption.She would most likely feel displaced if she was told a plumbing system could be built into her house that

would render such tasks unnecessary.

The Burden of Possession

Today, social status is associated with what one owns

The need for ‘Cyclical Consumption’ manipulates the masses into thinking they ‘need’ specific items – that serve

no real utility

It’s because of this bombardment of advertising, that humans are trapped in this artificial system of materialism

In a resource based economy, there is no real need for property

Property is not a capitalistic idea, it is a primitive mechanism for protecting items one has, which are in

scarcity

In a Resource Based economy, no one owns anything – instead, they possess unrestricted access, to everything.

Ownership, is a burden

One would be able to travel the world constantly, the idea of living in one place would be reprehensible to the

culturally affluent mind

Everything is available without restriction, thus there is no need for abuse as there is nothing to gain – and there

certainly is no reason to steal.

Household items would be obtained through central distribution – made customised, to suite the needs of the individual(s). Recreational items would be available by

request

If you go to a golf course, and you select (on site) the gold club of your choosing, you play golf… and then put

the club back. Keep it if you want… but that’s your burden. Why carry a golf club to and from the course,

when you have a fine selection on arrival?

Our homes today are full of futility – due to the supposed value the items possess… this would no longer be the

case

Human Nature?

Or Human Behaviour?

Many people at a glance, would reject the idea of a Resource Based economy, this is due to the

presupposition that greed, competition and corruption are inherent, or human nature

First we must examine, what a criminal is, and then define what causes such aberrant

behaviour…

The entire concept of criminality is temporal, and subject to the standards of the society.

Only 600 or so years ago, the Aztecs were sacrificing thousands to their God, would you class this as criminal activity? They certainly wouldn’t have.

Is a criminal someone who steals food for his starving family?

Even behavioural geneticists will admit that a ‘criminal gene’ is yet to be found, now they are focusing on Neurochemicals in the brain, which may provide a propensity towards such behaviour, not cause it.

Twin comparison studies are also being done

Today, the most heavily cited studies regarding a genetic bases of personality are ‘reared apart twins studies’

However, this sort of study is still plagued by similar environmental conditions, despite their distance.

The Minnesota study380 pairs of identical reared apart twins were studied

A famous one would the ‘Jim Twins’ study

Jim Lewis and Jim Springer were separated weeks after birth, and lived 45 miles away from each other in Ohio.

-Both twins are married to women named Betty and divorced from women named Linda.

-One has named his first son James Alan while the other named his first son James Allan.

-Both twins have an adopted brother whose name is Larry.-Both named their pet dog "Toy.“

-Both had some law-enforcement training and had been a part time Deputy Sheriff’s in Ohio.

-Each did poorly in spelling and well in math.-Each did carpentry, mechanical drawing, and block lettering.

86% of the state is white82% are Christian

Linda is #3 most popular American nameBetty is #14

James is the most popular name in AmericaThe dog being named toy is most probably an

associative issue

Genes supply nothing but a propensity for certain actions

The Merva-Fowles study also found that a 1% increase of unemployment resulted in…

a 5.6% increase in death from heart attacks

a 3.1% increase in death from strokes

Those who were unemployed were also more likely to take part in cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol

consumption, unhealthy eating, depression and stress

If a person needs to survive they will act accordingly – does this make them a criminal?

In the words of Epidemiology professor Sir Micheal Marmot in reference to the Baboon

study:

“I would say that what we have learned… from the study of the nonhuman primates is that the

conditions in whichpeople live…are absolutely vital to their health. I

think what we are trying to create is a better society…how can we

create a society that has the conditions which will allow people to flourish, and that’s where this is

heading- to createa better society that promotes human flourishing.”

“One of the things the baboons teach us is that if they are able to, in one generation, transform what

are supposed tobe textbook social systems, ‘engraved in stone’… we don’t have an excuse when we say there are certain

inevitabilitiesof human social systems.”

The Judicial System