Difference between revisions of "Resource-Based Economic Model"

Revision as of 14:56, 29 October 2012

In short...

A Resource-Based Economy (RBE) can be defined as the Scientific Method, or Methods of Science, applied for human concern.

According to The Venus Project, it is a "holistic socio-economic system in which all goods and services are available without the use of money".^[1]

According to The Zeitgeist Movement, it is "is about taking a direct technical approach to social management as opposed to a Monetary or even Political one".^[2]

Motivation to transition to RBE

Although this knowledgebase is not concerned with dealing with the perceived problems of the current system, there are some key concerns that are notable for its objectivity and criticality.^[vague]

Continuous Growth in a Finite Planet

The basic common denominator mission of movements and projects of the likes of The Zeitgeist Movement, The Venus Project, The Free World Charter, The RBE10K Project, is to prevent the collapses of Human society and of Earth's natural environment as we have known it since the beginnings of Human History, as a result from continuous growth in a finite planet.

In the Natural world continuous growth always reaches a point of saturation, usually followed by a collapse. An example of this phenomenon is a malign tumor, which grows without stopping until it interferes so drastically with the metabolism of the organism of its host, that ends up causing the death of its hostand consequently its own death too. Another example are buffalo herds in Africa, which tend to grow in numbers until the savannahs they live on cannot sustain them any more, prompting individuals to starve, sometimes even causing mass famine and death.

Exponential trends

Naturally, once learned that continuous growth is impossible, many people feel motivated to prevent the possibility of Humanity's collapse, as they understand that business as usuall would do little or nothing to prevent such collapse. Examples of current exponential trends within the last 200 years are:

• population growth^{[citation needed]}
• deforestation^{[citation needed]}
• carbonisation of the atmosphere^{[citation needed]}
• rise in average temperatures^{[citation needed]}
• acidification of oceans^{[citation needed]}
• loss of habitat and species diversity^{[citation needed]}
• collapse of fisheries^{[citation needed]}
• depletion of petroleum reserves^{[citation needed]}
• loss or salinisation of topsoil^{[citation needed]}
• exhaustion of nutrients in crop land^{[citation needed]}
• risk of a pandemic^{[citation needed]}
• risk of a devastating world war^{[citation needed]}

With these and many other trends that appear to be exponential, a telltale signature of continuous growth, it is not difficult to conclude that our species is accelerating toward a catastrophic end, and with it, many other species as well.

Sustainability

The heart of the solution to continuous growth is Sustainability, and unlike the many organisations that that promote Sustainability as an important issue where we have to make progress being less wasteful and achieve harmony with the environment someday somehow, all of the projects and movements which promote a Resource-Based Economy consider that Sustainability is paramount, is the only way our species has any chances of survival in the long term and past the next couple of generations, and that it is critical that we globally adopt systems and behaviours to ensure Sustainability with the highest degree of importance, and as a matter of non-negotiable top priority.

The Resource-Based Economy proposed as a solution

The social engineer and inventor Jacque Fresco coined a group of social and economic guidelines with the name of Resource-Based Economy, or now also known as Resource-Based Economic Model, or simply RBE or RBEM'. These social and economic guidelines cannot be derived from the meaning of the words Resource-Based Economy, so the name must be thought of just as alabel or an identifier, very loosely related to the actual concept.

Although there has not been as yet any formal and accurate description of a Resource-Based Economy, there are a number of premises that appear to be loosely agreed by all those who actively support the idea of an RBE:

1. Every action or endeavour Humanity takes must be sustainable, i.e. must ensure the feasibility of an age-long continuity of such action or endeavour
2. Technology must be expanded and used in any and all areas in which it can be used to allow for, or increase efficiency of, a capacity for full freedom for any and every person, provided that Sustainability is maintained
3. There is not recognition or protection of any individual's claims to physical or intellectual property

From those understandings, a great deal of principles and values can be derived, such as the replacement of authority with systems, the equality of all people on Earth, physical and psychological health becoming a top social concern, property becoming an obsolete notion, etc.

Notable individual definitions

Definitions by Jacque Fresco

The concept was developed by Jacque Fresco and explained most extensively in his book The Best that Money Can't Buy^[3], in which he describes various notions of a RBE^{[examples needed]} allowing the reader make interpretations of this idea, however the book lacks a clear definition for the term or the concept in a form that clearly delineates what a RBE is and what it is not.^{[neutrality is disputed]}

Despite the lack of a clear definition for what a RBE is, Fresco gives the following clues in a presentation video^[1]:

• What a RBE is NOT
  • "It is entirely different than anything that has ever existed in the past" [0:07-0:14]
  • It is not a technocracy [02:56-03:12]]
• Premises of a RBE
  • A principle of sustainability of the natural environment (extravagance of the island) [0:23-0:41]
  • Production based on the best technical advice to achieve sustainability [01:16-01:27]
  • Arriving at decisions using technical methods as opposed to making decisions by consensus [01:27-01:41]
  • Decisions are made by people with technical competence instead of political or democratic means [02:00-02:16] (needs to expand on his mention of areas you wish to excel in: how are these areas decided or arrived at?)
  • In order to avoid conflicts around sharing resources, a RBE has to be global [03:37-04:02]
  • The needs of the people in a city must be met by the city itself using nearby resources (systems operations) [04:16-04:44]
  • Public access to information about current and future availability of goods and services [04:45-05:00] (needs to expand on the open nature of this information)
  • Open access to goods and services as (opposed to ownership) [04:55-05:10]
  • Conservative use of energy (and resources?); availability to all people [05:11-05:36]
  • Use of automation instead of labour; freedom for all to pursuit personal interests without the need for work [05:42-06:14]
  • In a RBE there is no need for money [07:15-07:24]
  • All resources are declared the common heritage of all the world's people; bring all the separate nations together in one unified system [07:51-08:23]

In their website, TVP states that:^[1]

• "In a resource-based economy all of the world's resources are held as the common heritage of all of Earth's people [...]"

Definitions by Peter Joseph

The documentarist Peter Joseph met Jacque Fresco in Fresco's research centre in Venus, Florida. In order to communicate Fresco's ideas, and due to the lack of accurate definitions for this subject, Peter Joseph was required to make and communicate those interpretations, which may or may not align with Fresco's train of thought. Peter Joseph's documentaries Zeitgeist: Addendum and Zeitgeist Moving Forward had a major impact in the world, rapidly causing the formation of chapters around the world to raise awareness about this notion. The dissolution of TZM and TVP can be seen as the result of differences of interpretation of this idea, and preferences for the actions required to make.

At the time of this writing [October 2012], The Zeitgeist Movement's website states that The 2012 revised orientation is still in development. We suggest you read our FAQ linked below for basic information and then follow-up with the lectures. We also recommend our quick start guide for new members^[4]. The following extensions or differences in those notions, as compared with the Fresco's stated above, can be derived from such information and lectures:

• An intro to a Resource-Based Economy [ TEDx - Peter Joseph ] ^[5]
  • It is based on the Intelligent Management of the Earth's Resources, rather than money [00:08-00:18] (see also ^[3] pp. 73 & 123)
  • Meet the needs of the human population (assumed to be all of it) through the most efficient strategic and sustainable method drawn from the physical world [00:18-00:26]
  • (incomplete)

Crowdsourced definition

From the multiple subjective interpretations spawning from examples, comments, notes, guides, and videos by, or interviews to, Jacque Fresco and Peter Joseph, this wiki promotes the consensus on a well defined, specific, clear definition of a Resource-Based Economy resulting from the general discussion and input that can be expected in a RBE for all kinds of general knoledge and policy making: crowdsourcing. The following is an initial template which is intended to grow as a result of the input of all parties interested or involved, open to any comments and concerns, and ultimately becoming the most trusted referent for meanings and general notions of everything RBE. From this perspective, RBE collapses here and from here it is that it gives rise to the real thing.

Definitions

Population: People living in RBE cities
RBE system: Network of RBE cities and population
Environment: ecosystems of the world, especially those which harbour unique life diversity, or humans living outside the RBE system
Values: One's judgement of what is important in life
Principles: Fundamental propositions that serve as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour, or for a chain of reasoning
Offence: Behaviour that does not abide the principles and values of RBE
Personal belongings: Items of emotional value that can be held by their owner

Values in an RBE system

From the definitions above, values are one's judgement of what is important in life. The following are all the core values expected to be abided by the great majority of the population of the first city, and a reference for all the cities that would follow. Note that Freedom and liberty are intentionally left out as their meanings are too controversial, vague and confusing.

• Human life
• Human health
• Environment's health
• Individuality
• Privacy
• Self-determination
• Personal fulfilment
• Personal responsibility
• Social responsibility
• Collaboration
• Respect for subjectivities of others

Principles of an RBE system

From the definitions above, Principles are fundamental propositions that serve as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour, or for a chain of reasoning. it is expected that all processes and systems implemented in the first RBE city will be consistent with all of these. As a result of this requirement for consistencythe principles must be practicable.

• Sustainability is paramount
• Humans cannot be owned
• Earth's resources cannot be owned
• Authority can only be willingly granted, and for a specific purpose and duration, and can be revoked at any time
• Unfair play (eg being disruptive) cannot be tolerated

Priorities of the RBE system

A multiple number of things may be very important in a RBE. Whilst none should be left unattended, a greater percentage of time and resources shall be directed to issues that are deemed higher priority. There are many modes for prioritisation, however the most popular and successful in everyday life are those implemented in modern multyuser operating systems, called scheduler, which allw for the limited resources of a computer to be shared by all processes running, but ensuring that certain processes are given higher priority (niceness). It is expected that a similar procedure will be implemented in all RBE systems.

1. sustainability of the RBE system and the environment
2. health of the population and the environment

Controversial elements to discuss

Certain topics belong in the domain of philosophy, or are idiosycratic, or relate to subjective and personal preferences. these need to be discussed, formalised, and reduced to a minimum.

• Nature of personal belongings
• Limits of privacy
• Bashing those offenders who won't leave on their own will
• Tolerance boundaries to offending behaviour
• Concept, purpose and function of the notion of "family"

History

Jacque Fresco began using the term Resource-Based Economy, claiming also having originated it^[1][when?], as a name for a socio-economic system he devised and developed as part of his research for The Venus Project.

Development of the concept

Jaque Fresco has mentioned in a number of opportunities^[when?] that his work is based on the work of a multitude of thinkers^[who?], including works by Buckminster Fuller from the [Buckminster Fuller Institute]

Jacque Fresco communicated general ideas about his idea of a RBE^[vague] throughout many years^[when?], expressing them to visitors showing up at his Research Centre in Venus, Florida, and on a number of interviews in shows like Larry King^{[examples needed]}.

Jacque Fresco, his idea of a Resource-Based Economy and the Circular City became more accessible to the public through a documentary film by the documentarist William Gazecki in 2006^[6].

The concept was massively popularised through the films Zeitgeist: Addendum and Zeitgeist Moving Forward by The Zeitgeist Movement founder Peter Joseph, in which the concept was explained in much greater detail. As a result of differences in Peter Joseph's situated knowledge differences with Fresco's, the films included elements that were not fully aligned with TVP's mentality and objectives, causing their movements to dissociate in April 2011.^[7]

As a result of the popularity of the concepts through the various agents that popularised the idea, many movements^[who?] took elements and understandings of the orignal concept and created a variety of similar notions, mostly maintaining the original name Resource-Based Economy, or similar names like Resource-Based Economic Model (RBEM).^[8]

Different idiosyncrasies about notions of Resource-Based Economy

There doesn't seem to be a concerted understanding or description of a Resource-Based Economy. It is the main objective of this Wiki to provide a space for such concerted description, even one that includes the various notions or understandings between or even within advocates of the general notions of a RBE.

Although, according to The Zeitgeist Movement's website, The Venus Project sought Copyright for the term "Resource-Based Economy" (and hence also its definition) in 2010^{[8][unreliable source?]}, at the time of this writing a search for the term in the US Copyright query database renders no matches. Despite this, out of respect for the origins of the term, The Zeitgeist Movement prefers to refer to it as Resource-Based Economic Model, or RBEM.^[8]

Given the The RBE10K Project's involvement in the development of this website is quite significant as it uses it as its main resource for a knowledge-base, there may be biases in some of the understandings about a Resource-Based Economy. In order to alleviate the possibility of bias, it is very important that people from a variety of movements and projects participate actively of the compilation of relevant information about this central topic.

References