Resource-based economic model - Revision history

Anarchangel: Link Fix

2012-07-04T11:45:35Z

Link Fix

Anarchangel: Deleted on Wikipedia

2012-07-04T11:44:48Z

Deleted on Wikipedia

Anarchangel: Start

2012-05-12T23:35:32Z

Start

Anarchangel: Start

2012-05-12T23:34:42Z

Start

New page

A '''Resource-Based Economic Model''' is the theoretical socio-economic system recently proposed by the [[Wikipedia:The Venus Project | Venus Project]], a social sustainability advocacy organization located in Venus, Florida. The founder and director of the Venus Project, as well as the creator of the notion of a Resource-Based Economy, is [[Wikipedia:structural engineering | structural engineer]], [[Wikipedia:industrial design | industrial designer]], and [[Wikipedia:futurism | futurist]], [[Wikipedia:Jacque Fresco]], who has advocated a revolutionary change in global socio-economic organization through a comprehensive series of lectures and public events, in addition to a number of popular films and books.<ref name="NYT20090316">Alan Feuer, [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/nyregion/17zeitgeist.html?_r=1 Theyâ€™ve Seen the Future and Dislike the Present]. The New York Times, March 16, 2009. </ref><ref name="HuffPo20100316">Travis Walter Donovan, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/travis-walter-donovan/the-zeitgeist-movement-en_b_501517.html The Zeitgeist Movement: Envisioning A Sustainable Future]. The Huffington Post, March 16, 2010. </ref><ref name="Globes20100318">"[http://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1000547764 Imagine]," by Tzaela Kotler, [[Wikipedia:Globes]] (Israel), March 18, 2010. (Original in Hebrew). [[Wikipedia:Talk:Resource-based_economic_model#Translation_of_Globes_article|English translation]]. </ref><ref name="TheMarker20120119">[http://www.themarker.com/markerweek/1.1620957 The Filmmaker Who Helped Recruit Millions for the Global Protests of the Bottom 99%], Asher Shechter, [[Wikipedia:TheMarker]] (Israel), January 19, 2012, (Original in Hebrew). [[Wikipedia:Talk:Resource-based_economic_model#Translation_of_TheMarker_article|English translation]]. </ref><ref name="FrescoTheBestThat">Jacque Fresco, The Best That Money Can't Buy: Beyond Politics, Poverty, & War [Paperback]. http://books.google.com/books/about/The_best_that_money_can_t_buy.html?id=JhzxAAAAMAAJ</ref><ref name="FrescoLarryKing">Jacque Fresco interview on Larry King TV show, WTVJ, Miami, 1974. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN6puH9DYnQ&feature=related</ref><ref name="FrescoTVNZ"> Jacque Fresco interview on TV New Zealand, TVNZ, Dec 2011. http://tvnz.co.nz/close-up/extra-jaques-fresco-s-venus-project-25-05-video-3464770</ref><ref name="RT20110914">[[Wikipedia:Russia Today]] interview with Peter Joseph, Sept. 14, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_btXktBTEi8</ref><ref name="RT20111202">[[Wikipedia:Russia Today]] interview with Peter Joseph, Dec. 2, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RDihFrV_Os</ref><ref name="FrescoTVP">"Jacque Fresco." The Venus Project, <http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/jacque-fresco></ref> Fresco was recently featured in the 2011 film [[Wikipedia:Zeitgeist: Moving Forward]],<ref name=movingf>TZMOfficialChannel. "ZEITGEIST: MOVING FORWARD | OFFICIAL RELEASE | 2011." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Jan. 2011. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w></ref> in which he discussed the perceived [[Wikipedia:Criticism of capitalism | flaws]] in the current [[Wikipedia:capitalism | capitalist]] system and, according to him, the [[Wikipedia:methodology | methods]] by which said perceived [[Wikipedia:Free_market#Criticisms | problems]] could be reasonably solved.

The concept of a Resource-Based Economic Model is based on several specific principles of social, economical, and political organization, including economic [[cooperation]] [[Wikipedia:cooperation|(WP)]], [[Wikipedia:sustainability | ecological sustainability]], and [[Wikipedia:automation | technological automation]].<ref>"Resource Based Economy." The Venus Project. Web. <http://thevenusproject.com/en/the-venus-project/resource-based-economy></ref> It aims to decrease unnecessary human [[Wikipedia:suffering]] by installing a coherent socio-economic framework based on the sharing of [[Wikipedia:resource | resources]] and the collaboration of [[nations]] [[Wikipedia:nation|(WP)]], as well as attempting to increase the chances of long-term human [[Wikipedia:survival]] (e.g., on a time-scale of 4-5 billion years) through the worldwide implementation of [[Wikipedia:renewable energy]] systems, collective [[Wikipedia:hydroponics | hydroponic farms]], and structurally efficient cities. In order to be globally realized as such, a Resource-Based Economy would require the end of unnecessary [[Wikipedia:violence]] and [[Wikipedia:war | conflict]].

==The Venus Project==
The Venus Project is the social sustainability advocacy organization currently promoting the worldwide implementation of a Resource-Based Economic Model. It operates out of a 21.5 acre Research Centre located in Venus, Florida. Within the center are ten buildings, designed by Fresco, which showcase the architecture of the project. It was started in 1975 by Fresco himself,<ref>Durrani, Noni (2007-10-15). The Future: Jacque Fresco on the Future http://www.forbes.com</ref> along with his research partner and former portrait artist Roxanne Meadows. Together and with the help of other volunteers and employees, the two work to manage the Venus Project's activities. As such, the Venus Project was founded on the idea that all nations are fundamentally corrupt<ref>TZMOfficialChannel. "Zeitgeist Addendum." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Feb. 2010. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EewGMBOB4Gg></ref> and that this corruption comes from the use of money.<ref name=tvpfaq>The Venus Project FAQ. <http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/the-venus-project/faq></ref>{{rp|6}} Fresco instead advocates a socio-economic system in which resources are fairly allocated by a computerized, automated system referred to as the Cybernation.<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|53}} The Venus Project has also been featured in ''[[Wikipedia:Zeitgeist: Addendum]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:Zeitgeist: Moving Forward]]''.

As a socio-economic organization, the Venus Project is based on 18 fundamental proposals,<ref name=aimsand>"Aims and Proposals." Phase 3. The Venus Project. Web. <http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/the-venus-project/aims-a-proposals></ref> which are as follows:

* Realizing the declaration of the world's resources as being the common heritage of all people.
* Transcending the artificial boundaries that currently and arbitrarily separate people.
* Replacing money-based nationalistic economies with a resource-based world economy.
* Assisting in stabilizing the worldâ€™s population through education and voluntary birth control.
* Reclaiming and restoring the natural environment to the best of our ability.
* Redesigning cities, transportation systems, agricultural industries, and industrial plants so that they are energy efficient, clean, and able to conveniently serve the needs of all people.
* Gradually outgrowing corporate entities and governments, (local, national, or supra-national) as means of social management.
* Sharing and applying new technologies for the benefit of all nations.
* Developing and using clean renewable energy sources.
* Manufacturing the highest quality products for the benefit of the worldâ€™s people.
* Requiring environmental impact studies prior to construction of any mega projects.
* Encouraging the widest range of creativity and incentive toward constructive endeavour.
* Outgrowing nationalism, bigotry, and prejudice through education.
* Eliminating elitism, technical or otherwise.
* Arriving at methodologies by careful research rather than random opinions.
* Enhancing communication in schools so that our language is relevant to the physical conditions of the world.
* Providing not only the necessities of life, but also offering challenges that stimulate the mind while emphasizing individuality rather than uniformity.
* Finally, preparing people intellectually and emotionally for the changes and challenges that lie ahead.

==Philosophical Foundation==
As an economic theory, the concept of a Resource-Based Economic Model is based on a particular [[philosophy]] [[Wikipedia:philosophy |(WP)]] conception of reality. As expressed in the 2011 film, [[Wikipedia:Zeitgeist: Moving Forward]], the founder and director of the Venus Project, Jacque Fresco, subscribes to a [[Wikipedia:determinism | deterministic]] view of the [[universe]] [[Wikipedia:universe|(WP]],<ref name=movingf /> ultimately conceptualizing humans as bio-psycho-social products of their respective cultural context. In his view, [[Wikipedia:free will|free will]] only exists if human beings are not influenced in their choices; a condition he considers to be scientifically impossible. As such, a Resource-Based Economic Model is predicated on the notion that, if [[Wikipedia:need | human needs]], e.g., food, water, shelter, clothing, education, etc., are adequately fulfilled, then people will naturally behave in a peaceful manner.<ref name=essay>"Essay." The Venus Project. Web. <http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/the-venus-project/essay></ref> In accordance with this view of the human condition, the Venus Project sees the fulfillment of human needs as a permeating cultural [[Wikipedia:moral imperative | imperative]], and hence provides a socio-economic framework through which this goal can potentially be achieved.

==Critique of Capitalism==
Since a Resource-Based Economic Model is not predicated on a system of [[Wikipedia:finance | financial control]] or [[money| monetary exchange]] [[Wikipedia:money|(WP)]], it is thus diametrically opposed to current [[capitalism|capitalistic]] [[Wikipedia:capitalism|(WP)]] economies which are predominantly based on [[Wikipedia:debt|debt]], [[Wikipedia:wage | wages]], and [[Wikipedia:competition (economics) | competition]]. As such, the Venus Project has criticized capitalistic [[Wikipedia:concept | conceptions]] of [[economics]] [[Wikipedia:economics|(WP)]] for their perceived disregard for long-term socio-economic sustainability and human [[Wikipedia:happiness]]. In the view of Fresco, capitalism (particularly in its manifested forms) is based on unintelligent principles of [[Wikipedia:consumerism | rampant consumerism]], [[Wikipedia:profit (economics) | profit maximization]], [[Wikipedia:debt levels and flows | insurmountable debt]], [[Wikipedia:environmental degradation | environmental destruction]], and [[Wikipedia:unemployment | systemic unemployment]],<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|6}} all of which, according to him, result from the intrinsic capitalist desire for the acquisition of monetary wealth at all costs. In addition to this, the Venus Project also views war as being caused primarily by conflicts between nations over resources and money,<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|6}} and they therefore call for an end to the hoarding of wealth and the initiation of violent wars as such. However, the main focus of the Venus Project's critique of capitalism has been its perceived effects on societal well-being in general, including the creation of planned scarcity and the resultant [[Wikipedia:poverty]] that follows, as well as the material [[Wikipedia:waste]] which emanates from the industrially inefficient practices of many contemporary [[Wikipedia:corporation | corporations]].<ref name=essay /> Overall, proponents of a Resource-Based Economic Model generally view capitalism as morally [[ethics|unethical]] [[Wikipedia:ethics |(WP)]], materially [[Wikipedia:economic efficiency | inefficient]], and ecologically [[Wikipedia:sustainability | unsustainable]], and thus promote a radically different approach to socio-economic organization.

==Principles of a Resource-Based Economic Model==
The following is a descriptive list of the basic fundamental principles upon which a Resource-Based Economic Model operates.

===Peaceful Coexistence and Economic Cooperation===
The essence of a Resource-Based Economic Model is its reliance on the peaceful coexistence of [[Wikipedia:cultural diversity | culturally diverse]] societies<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|11}} through the [[Wikipedia:world peace | cessation of war]] between all peoples and nations. This requirement is of fundamental importance to both the global implementation of an RBEM (Resource-Based Economic Model) and its long-term sustainment. In the view of TVP (The Venus Project), international conflict is simply a case of human beings having severely limited [[knowledge]] [[Wikipedia:knowledge|(WP)]] of alternative, preferable solutions, such as social [[Wikipedia:compromise]] and economic [[Wikipedia:collaboration]]. As such, a Resource-Based Economic Model calls for an abrupt end to all unnecessary [[Wikipedia:war]]s throughout the world in order to focus societal energies on more positive methods of [[Wikipedia:human | anthropic]] growth.<ref name=aimsand /> Furthermore, since a RBE is socially predicated upon serious collaboration between varying nations, the notion of economic cooperation - especially on the global scale - is also of principal importance to the goals of the Venus Project as well. As such, the Venus Project calls for the elimination of theoretically unnecessary [[Wikipedia: competition (economics) | competition]] between [[Wikipedia:country | countries]] and the abandonment of economically restrictive technological [[Wikipedia:patent | patents]],<ref>Thevenusprojectmedia. ""Paradise or Oblivion" Official Trailer." YouTube. YouTube, 09 Feb. 2012. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip_ElRKNTUQ></ref> so that, according to them, the world may have a sufficient opportunity to focus on the realization of a fully optimized socio-economic system. In following with this, a Resource-Based Economic Model would entail a worldwide concentration of industrial capacities on the scientifically guided construction of novel, structurally efficient cities, as well as an intelligent, ecologically motivated societal effort to optimally restore the natural environment to its highest potential.<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|11}}

===Dynamic Equilibrium and Strategic Efficiency===
As explained previously, the [[conservation (ethic) | conservation]] of natural [[ecosystem | ecosystems]] is one of the primary concerns of a Resource-Based Economic Model.<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|10}} In accordance with this, the worldwide establishment of a dynamic equilibrium between [[human | human beings]] and [[nature]] is of serious significance to the aims and proposals of TVP. In the view of Jacque Fresco, dynamic equilibrium means "operating [all socio-economic systems] at the highest potential without environmental neglect".<ref>Thevenusprojectmedia. "Paradise or Oblivion (28 Language Subtitles)." YouTube. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KphWsnhZ4Ag></ref> According to him, the practical application of a society based on dynamic equilibrium would involve compliance with several fundamental principles, including the conduction of [[environmental impact assessment | environmental impact studies]] prior to the construction of any [[megaproject | mega-projects]], the conservation of [[natural resource | physical resources]] in proportion to their respective rates of renewability, and the avoidance of [[environmental degradation | unnecessary environmental destruction]]. In the view of the Venus Project, dynamic equilibrium is essential to the long-term [[sustainability]] of both humanity and the planet upon which it is located.<ref name=movingf /> In order to avoid waste and preserve [[resource]]s, the Venus Project also proposes a production system based primarily on strategic efficiency, or the intelligent avoidance of unnecessary waste through industrially efficient practices.<ref name=movingf /> The notion of strategic efficiency as such is fundamentally predicated upon a single economic principle: [[good (economics) | goods]] produced must be as long-lasting as possible in order to maintain socio-ecological sustainability. In practice, this would essentially involve the [[production (economics) | production]] of socially required materials in an environmentally efficient way. For example, in the framework of an RBEM, if a fuel-efficient [[automobile | car]] can be made to last 20-30 years, and if doing so would not require an untenable amount of resources, then the car should be built. Hence, rather than creating cheap products for the sole [[intention | purpose]] of privately maximizing profit (as is often done in capitalistic economies) a Resource-Based Economy would be predicated on the creation of [[efficiency | efficient]], long-lasting goods.<ref>"Paradise or Oblivion (28 Language Subtitles)." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Mar. 2012. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KphWsnhZ4Ag></ref>

===Technological Automation and Collective Farming===
One of the key differences between previous [[system | systems]] of social organization and a Resource-Based Economic Model, is that the latter is primarily based on the replacement of unnecessary [[manual labour | human labour]] by technological [[automation]].<ref name=aimsand /> From the viewpoint of the Venus Project, harsh, oftentimes monotonous labour is not needed in a [[society]] that is predicated on the full utilization of its [[technology | technological]] and [[science | scientific]] capabilities,<ref>TZMOfficialChannel. "Zeitgeist Addendum." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Feb. 2010. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EewGMBOB4Gg</ref> and, it therefore calls for the long-term cessation of the majority of [[job (role) | jobs]] through the implementation of cybernetically automated [[machine | machines]] in both [[industry]] and [[agriculture]].<ref name=aimsand /> In addition to this goal, however, TVP also calls for the installment of a global, technologically inter-connected transportation system composed primarily of automated trains and other types of advanced vehicles.<ref>"Transportation." The Venus Project. Web. <http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/technology/transportation></ref> In this framework, technology would be used not only for the purpose of societal convenience, but also for the enhancement of human [[life]] in general. Additionally, since a Resource-Based Economic Model is founded on principles of both [[ecology | ecological]] sustainability and societal [[cooperation]], the notion of collective [[hydroponics | hydroponic]] farming, or the agricultural use of waterless mediums in a socially collective manner, is also of fundamental significance. Within a Resource-Based Economy, the agricultural sections of constructed [[city | cities]] would contain numerous hydroponic [[farming]] systems. Each of these would be utilized in order to grow food for the respective community of people for which the farm was built.<ref name=citysys>"City Systems." The Venus Project. Web. <http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/technology/city-systems></ref> After the food is produced as such, it would then be transferred to the strategic access centers located within the city (see below) in which it would be retrieved accordingly by citizens. In addition to the goal of indoor hydroponic farming, however, the Venus Project has also proposed the installation of outdoor agricultural belts that would not be based on the use of [[pesticides]], in order to prevent human [[disease]].<ref name=citysys />

===Scientific Resource Accounting and Management===
As expressed on their website's FAQ, the [[The Venus Project|Venus Project]]'s view on the question of [[government]] in a RBE is as follows: "Only during the transition from a monetary based society to a cybernated high-technological resource based economy of common heritage would it be necessary to utilize the services of systems analysts, engineers, computer programmers, etc. They will not dictate the policies or have any more advantage than other people. Their job will be to carry out the restoration of the environment to near natural conditions as possible on land and in the sea. They will also economically layout the most efficient way to manage transportation, agriculture, city planning, and production."<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|52}} In this framework, the use of government would only be needed in the transitional phase between the current monetary-market system and a Resource-Based Economy. Thereafter, [[cybernetics | cybernetically]] operated machines would control most of the tracking, production, and distribution processes involved in [[resource allocation]]. In accordance with this principle, the Venus Project advocates the construction of four specific technological systems: 1) a Global Resource Tracking System to identify resource localities, 2) a Global Demand and Distribution System to clarify and fulfill current socio-economic needs, 3) a Global Production System to efficiently create required resources, and 4) a computationally-based [[mathematics | mathematical]] [[computer program | program]] to conduct [[statistics | statistical]] projections of resource renewability rates.<ref name=movingf>TZMOfficialChannel. "ZEITGEIST: MOVING FORWARD | OFFICIAL RELEASE | 2011." YouTube. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w></ref> According to the Venus Project, such a comprehensive systems approach to economic planning would be exponentially beneficial to both societal well-being and the tracking of resources in general.<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|73}} In defense of this system, the Venus Project has argued that the current method of resource allocation, i.e., through capitalistic enterprise and conventional politics is unethical and inefficient, and can easily be replaced by an automated system based on [[scientific method | scientific methodology]].<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|69}}

===Renewable Energy Systems and Sustainable City Structures===
Being that a Resource-Based Economic Model entails the establishment of [[social sustainability | societal sustainability]], the use of [[renewable energy]] sources is therefore imperative. As such, an RBEM would involve the global utilization of several types of renewable energy systems, including, but not limited to, [[wind power | wind]], [[solar power | solar]], [[geothermal energy | geothermal]], [[tidal power | tidal]], and [[electric power | electric]] energies.<ref>"Energy." The Venus Project. Web. <http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/technology/energy></ref> According to TVP, the [[reason]] for this is twofold. Firstly, renewable energy systems are clean and therefore environmentally friendly. Secondly, they can be used continuously over long periods of [[time]], whereas a finite substance such as [[oil]], for example, cannot. This would allow [[humanity]] to create a dynamic equilibrium between itself and the [[nature | natural world]], while also increasing its ability to [[survival | survive]] in the long-term as well. In addition to the use of renewable energies, however, the Venus Project also promotes the creation of novel, sustainable cities, and contends that the [[construction]] of new, technologically advanced urban centers is much more preferable to the materially [[waste | wasteful]] redesign of currently extant inefficient ones. Regarding the development of these cities, the Venus Project's website states that, "It would be far easier and would require less energy to build new, efficient cities than to attempt to update and solve the problems of the old ones."<ref name=citysys /> In accordance with this [[principle]], TVP has proposed that humanity [[mining | mine]] the geological resources of contemporary cities in order to use them for the construction of new, more efficient ones.<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|24}} However, they have also suggested that some cities may be set aside as [[architecture | architectural]] museums.<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|24}} Concerning the arrangement of the cities themselves, Fresco believes their structural [[design]] to be materially efficient and architecturally [[simplicity | simplistic]]. As such, each city would be [[geometry | geometrically]] circular in [[shape]], with each compositional ring of the circle representing a different section. Specifically, the cities within a Resource-Based Economy would contain [[agriculture | agricultural]], [[industry | industrial]], [[education | educational]], [[energy | energetical]], [[social]], [[transportation | transportational]], and [[recreation | recreational]] sections, respectively. As explained below from TVP's website, each section would serve multiple socio-economic functions:<ref name=citysys />

* The central dome or theme center will house the core of the cybernated system, educational facilities, access center, computerized communications, networking systems, health and child care facilities.
* The buildings surrounding the central dome provide the community with centers for cultural activities such as the arts, theater, exhibitions, concerts, access centers, and various forms of entertainment.
* Next is the design and development complex for this research and planning city. The design centers are beautifully landscaped in natural surroundings.
* Adjacent the research facilities are dining and other amenities.
* The eight residential districts have a variety of free form unique architecture to fulfil the various needs of the occupant. Each home is immersed in lovely gardens isolating one from another with lush landscaping.
* Areas are set aside for renewable clean sources of energy such as wind generators, solar, heat concentrating systems, geothermal, photovoltaic and others.
* Next are the indoor hydroponic facilities and outdoor agricultural belts which will be used to grow a wide variety of organic plants without the use of pesticides.
* A circular waterway for irrigation and filtration surrounds the agricultural belt.
* The outermost perimeter is utilized for recreational activities such as biking, golfing, hiking and riding, etc.

==Criticism==
The Austrian economist [[Robert P. Murphy]], in his article "Venus Needs Some Austrians", argued that several of TVP's foundational premises, such as the notion that human productivity is not dependent on monetary wealth or property rights, are fundamentally flawed.<ref name=murphy>Murphy, Robert P. "The Ludwig Von Mises Institute." Venus Needs Some Austrians. 30 Aug. 2012. Web. <http://mises.org/daily/4636>.</ref> He writes, "these idealists are wrong to blame our current, dysfunctional world on capitalism or money per se. On the contrary, if everyone respected each other's property rights â€” meaning there would be no more petty crime, but also no more taxation, military conscription, or drug prohibition â€” then humanity would become fantastically wealthy, in material terms."<ref name=murphy /> As such, his basic thesis is that unjustified governmental imposition into the [[economic freedom]] of democratic citizens results in decreased [[productivity]] and diminished prosperity, and that only a capitalistically predicated, [[free market]] economy based on [[libertarianism|libertarian]] principles of individual freedom will result in improved products and an enhanced society.

In addition to this contention, Alex Newman, a writer for The New American, an online [[news]] website, has also argued that the Venus Project's plans for a global socio-economic system based on [[cooperation | social cooperation]] and [[science | scientific methodology]] are [[totalitarianism | totalitarian]] in nature. He writes, "Countless critics have drawn parallels between Frescoâ€™s vision and totalitarian systems that have wreaked havoc and death in the past such as communism, socialism, Marxism, and fascism,"<ref name=thenewa>"Zeitgeist and the Venus Project." The New American. Web. <http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/world-mainmenu-26/north-america-mainmenu-36/6640-zeitgeist-and-the-venus-project></ref> later concluding that, "No matter the brainwashing done, self-interest will reduce any such plan to failure..."<ref name=thenewa /> As expressed, Newman [[belief | believes]] that a Resource-Based Economy is actually a form of [[central planning | central economic planning]], in which [[government]] organizations and scientific [[bureaucracy | bureaucracies]] control the resources and products upon which [[society]] operates, and, as such, he therefore rejects the Venus Project's [[proposition | proposals]].

Economists such as [[Milton Friedman]], [[Friedrich Hayek]] and [[Brink Lindsey]] have also argued that if the market is eliminated along with property, prices, and wages, then the mode of information transmission is eliminated and what will result is a highly inefficient system for transmitting the value, supply, and demand of goods, services, and resources, along with an elimination of the most efficient modes of effective market transactions. Opinions as to what would follow range from the total collapse of civilization and mass starvation<ref>http://mises.org/daily/2197</ref> to mere inefficient allocation.<ref> Bryan Caplan's short critique of economic calculation problem as posed by the Austrian school (among other things): http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/bcaplan/whyaust.htm</ref> Market abolitionists may reply that whilst advocates of the Austrian school recognize equilibrium prices do not exist, they nonetheless claim that these prices can be used as a rational basis, and that markets are hence not efficient.<ref>http://anarchism.pageabode.com/afaq/secI1.html#seci12</ref><ref>http://anarchism.pageabode.com/afaq/secI1.html#seci15</ref>

In response to the criticism involving property rights, supporters of a Resource-Based Economic Model may also reply that they are making a clear distinction between [[private property]] and [[public property]]; while they are calling for the abolition of [[private property]] and its transformation into [[the commons]]/[[public property]], they nonetheless retain respect for [[personal property]] rights.

Other critics of a Resource-Based Economic Model, such as Mike Thomas of the [[Orlando Sentinel]], have suggested that Fresco is a [[utopia | utopian]] dreamer with too optimistic of a [[philosophy]]. As expressed in Thomas' article on Fresco, titled "He's A Dreamer From Venus", the concept of a near-perfect society is a difficult one to [[imagination | imagine]], given the numerous conflicts and disagreements which permeate human society. In following with this, Thomas writes, "Jacque is 78, brilliant by his own account, eccentric by mine," later writing that "I am skeptical [regarding TVP]."<ref>Thomas, Mike. "He's A Dreamer From Venus." Orlando Sentinel. 12 Feb. 1995. Web. <http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1995-02-12/news/9502100636_1_venus-project-jacque-trees></ref>

Alan Feuer of the New York Times, in commenting on a theatrical showing of [[Zeitgeist: Moving Forward]], writes:<ref name="NYT20090316"/> "The evening, which began at 7 with a two-hour critique of monetary economics, became by midnight a utopian presentation of a money-free and computer-driven vision of the future, a wholesale reimagination of civilization, as if [[Karl Marx]] and [[Carl Sagan]] had hired [[John Lennon]] from his [[Imagine (song) | â€œImagineâ€]] days to do no less than redesign the underlying structures of planetary life. In other words, a not entirely inappropriate response to the zeitgeist itself..."<ref name="NYT20090316"/>

==See also==
{{refbegin|3}}
* [[Wikipedia:Criticism of capitalism]]
* [[Wikipedia:Cybernetics]]
* [[Wikipedia:Determinism]]
* [[Wikipedia:Ecology]]
* [[Wikipedia:Economics]]
* [[Wikipedia:Engineering]]
* [[Wikipedia:Environmentalism]]
* [[Wikipedia:Free Will]]
* [[Wikipedia:Futurism]]
* [[Wikipedia:Humanism]]
* [[Wikipedia:Jacque Fresco]]
* [[Wikipedia:Peter Joseph]]
* [[Wikipedia:Sustainability]]
* [[Wikipedia:Systems theory]]
* [[Wikipedia:Technology]]
* [[Wikipedia:The Venus Project]]
* [[Wikipedia:The Zeitgeist Movement]]
* [[Wikipedia:Utopianism]]
* [[Wikipedia:Zeitgeist: Addendum]]
* [[Wikipedia:Zeitgeist: Moving Forward]]

{{refend}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==
*http://thevenusproject.com/
*http://thezeitgeistmovement.com/

[[Category:Commundiput]][[Category:Utopian movements]][[Category:Utopia]][[Category:Cybertopia]][[Category:Computing]][[Category:Governance by method]][[Category:Government by method]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:45, 4 July 2012
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	{{WP+~~NODEL~~}}	+	{{WP+DEL}}
	A '''Resource-Based Economic Model''' is the theoretical socio-economic system recently proposed by the [[Wikipedia:The Venus Project \| Venus Project]], a social sustainability advocacy organization located in Venus, Florida. The founder and director of the Venus Project, as well as the creator of the notion of a Resource-Based Economy, is [[Wikipedia:structural engineering \| structural engineer]], [[Wikipedia:industrial design \| industrial designer]], and [[Wikipedia:futurism \| futurist]], [[Wikipedia:Jacque Fresco]], who has advocated a revolutionary change in global socio-economic organization through a comprehensive series of lectures and public events, in addition to a number of popular films and books.<ref name="NYT20090316">Alan Feuer, [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/nyregion/17zeitgeist.html?_r=1 Theyâ€™ve Seen the Future and Dislike the Present]. The New York Times, March 16, 2009. </ref><ref name="HuffPo20100316">Travis Walter Donovan, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/travis-walter-donovan/the-zeitgeist-movement-en_b_501517.html The Zeitgeist Movement: Envisioning A Sustainable Future]. The Huffington Post, March 16, 2010. </ref><ref name="Globes20100318">"[http://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1000547764 Imagine]," by Tzaela Kotler, [[Wikipedia:Globes]] (Israel), March 18, 2010. (Original in Hebrew). [[Wikipedia:Talk:Resource-based_economic_model#Translation_of_Globes_article\|English translation]]. </ref><ref name="TheMarker20120119">[http://www.themarker.com/markerweek/1.1620957 The Filmmaker Who Helped Recruit Millions for the Global Protests of the Bottom 99%], Asher Shechter, [[Wikipedia:TheMarker]] (Israel), January 19, 2012, (Original in Hebrew). [[Wikipedia:Talk:Resource-based_economic_model#Translation_of_TheMarker_article\|English translation]]. </ref><ref name="FrescoTheBestThat">Jacque Fresco, The Best That Money Can't Buy: Beyond Politics, Poverty, & War [Paperback]. http://books.google.com/books/about/The_best_that_money_can_t_buy.html?id=JhzxAAAAMAAJ</ref><ref name="FrescoLarryKing">Jacque Fresco interview on Larry King TV show, WTVJ, Miami, 1974. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN6puH9DYnQ&feature=related</ref><ref name="FrescoTVNZ"> Jacque Fresco interview on TV New Zealand, TVNZ, Dec 2011. http://tvnz.co.nz/close-up/extra-jaques-fresco-s-venus-project-25-05-video-3464770</ref><ref name="RT20110914">[[Wikipedia:Russia Today]] interview with Peter Joseph, Sept. 14, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_btXktBTEi8</ref><ref name="RT20111202">[[Wikipedia:Russia Today]] interview with Peter Joseph, Dec. 2, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RDihFrV_Os</ref><ref name="FrescoTVP">"Jacque Fresco." The Venus Project, <http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/jacque-fresco></ref> Fresco was recently featured in the 2011 film [[Wikipedia:Zeitgeist: Moving Forward]],<ref name=movingf>TZMOfficialChannel. "ZEITGEIST: MOVING FORWARD \| OFFICIAL RELEASE \| 2011." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Jan. 2011. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w></ref> in which he discussed the perceived [[Wikipedia:Criticism of capitalism \| flaws]] in the current [[Wikipedia:capitalism \| capitalist]] system and, according to him, the [[Wikipedia:methodology \| methods]] by which said perceived [[Wikipedia:Free_market#Criticisms \| problems]] could be reasonably solved.		A '''Resource-Based Economic Model''' is the theoretical socio-economic system recently proposed by the [[Wikipedia:The Venus Project \| Venus Project]], a social sustainability advocacy organization located in Venus, Florida. The founder and director of the Venus Project, as well as the creator of the notion of a Resource-Based Economy, is [[Wikipedia:structural engineering \| structural engineer]], [[Wikipedia:industrial design \| industrial designer]], and [[Wikipedia:futurism \| futurist]], [[Wikipedia:Jacque Fresco]], who has advocated a revolutionary change in global socio-economic organization through a comprehensive series of lectures and public events, in addition to a number of popular films and books.<ref name="NYT20090316">Alan Feuer, [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/nyregion/17zeitgeist.html?_r=1 Theyâ€™ve Seen the Future and Dislike the Present]. The New York Times, March 16, 2009. </ref><ref name="HuffPo20100316">Travis Walter Donovan, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/travis-walter-donovan/the-zeitgeist-movement-en_b_501517.html The Zeitgeist Movement: Envisioning A Sustainable Future]. The Huffington Post, March 16, 2010. </ref><ref name="Globes20100318">"[http://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1000547764 Imagine]," by Tzaela Kotler, [[Wikipedia:Globes]] (Israel), March 18, 2010. (Original in Hebrew). [[Wikipedia:Talk:Resource-based_economic_model#Translation_of_Globes_article\|English translation]]. </ref><ref name="TheMarker20120119">[http://www.themarker.com/markerweek/1.1620957 The Filmmaker Who Helped Recruit Millions for the Global Protests of the Bottom 99%], Asher Shechter, [[Wikipedia:TheMarker]] (Israel), January 19, 2012, (Original in Hebrew). [[Wikipedia:Talk:Resource-based_economic_model#Translation_of_TheMarker_article\|English translation]]. </ref><ref name="FrescoTheBestThat">Jacque Fresco, The Best That Money Can't Buy: Beyond Politics, Poverty, & War [Paperback]. http://books.google.com/books/about/The_best_that_money_can_t_buy.html?id=JhzxAAAAMAAJ</ref><ref name="FrescoLarryKing">Jacque Fresco interview on Larry King TV show, WTVJ, Miami, 1974. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN6puH9DYnQ&feature=related</ref><ref name="FrescoTVNZ"> Jacque Fresco interview on TV New Zealand, TVNZ, Dec 2011. http://tvnz.co.nz/close-up/extra-jaques-fresco-s-venus-project-25-05-video-3464770</ref><ref name="RT20110914">[[Wikipedia:Russia Today]] interview with Peter Joseph, Sept. 14, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_btXktBTEi8</ref><ref name="RT20111202">[[Wikipedia:Russia Today]] interview with Peter Joseph, Dec. 2, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RDihFrV_Os</ref><ref name="FrescoTVP">"Jacque Fresco." The Venus Project, <http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/jacque-fresco></ref> Fresco was recently featured in the 2011 film [[Wikipedia:Zeitgeist: Moving Forward]],<ref name=movingf>TZMOfficialChannel. "ZEITGEIST: MOVING FORWARD \| OFFICIAL RELEASE \| 2011." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Jan. 2011. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w></ref> in which he discussed the perceived [[Wikipedia:Criticism of capitalism \| flaws]] in the current [[Wikipedia:capitalism \| capitalist]] system and, according to him, the [[Wikipedia:methodology \| methods]] by which said perceived [[Wikipedia:Free_market#Criticisms \| problems]] could be reasonably solved.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 A '''Resource-Based Economic Model''' is the theoretical socio-economic system recently proposed by the [[Wikipedia:The Venus Project | Venus Project]], a social sustainability advocacy organization located in Venus, Florida. The founder and director of the Venus Project, as well as the creator of the notion of a Resource-Based Economy, is [[Wikipedia:structural engineering | structural engineer]], [[Wikipedia:industrial design | industrial designer]], and [[Wikipedia:futurism | futurist]], [[Wikipedia:Jacque Fresco]], who has advocated a revolutionary change in global socio-economic organization through a comprehensive series of lectures and public events, in addition to a number of popular films and books.<ref name="NYT20090316">Alan Feuer, [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/nyregion/17zeitgeist.html?_r=1 Theyâ€™ve Seen the Future and Dislike the Present]. The New York Times, March 16, 2009. </ref><ref name="HuffPo20100316">Travis Walter Donovan, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/travis-walter-donovan/the-zeitgeist-movement-en_b_501517.html The Zeitgeist Movement: Envisioning A Sustainable Future]. The Huffington Post, March 16, 2010. </ref><ref name="Globes20100318">"[http://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1000547764 Imagine]," by Tzaela Kotler, [[Wikipedia:Globes]] (Israel), March 18, 2010. (Original in Hebrew). [[Wikipedia:Talk:Resource-based_economic_model#Translation_of_Globes_article|English translation]]. </ref><ref name="TheMarker20120119">[http://www.themarker.com/markerweek/1.1620957 The Filmmaker Who Helped Recruit Millions for the Global Protests of the Bottom 99%], Asher Shechter, [[Wikipedia:TheMarker]] (Israel), January 19, 2012,  (Original in Hebrew). [[Wikipedia:Talk:Resource-based_economic_model#Translation_of_TheMarker_article|English translation]]. </ref><ref name="FrescoTheBestThat">Jacque Fresco, The Best That Money Can't Buy: Beyond Politics, Poverty, & War [Paperback]. http://books.google.com/books/about/The_best_that_money_can_t_buy.html?id=JhzxAAAAMAAJ</ref><ref name="FrescoLarryKing">Jacque Fresco interview on Larry King TV show, WTVJ, Miami, 1974. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN6puH9DYnQ&feature=related</ref><ref name="FrescoTVNZ"> Jacque Fresco interview on TV New Zealand, TVNZ, Dec 2011. http://tvnz.co.nz/close-up/extra-jaques-fresco-s-venus-project-25-05-video-3464770</ref><ref name="RT20110914">[[Wikipedia:Russia Today]] interview with Peter Joseph, Sept. 14, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_btXktBTEi8</ref><ref name="RT20111202">[[Wikipedia:Russia Today]] interview with Peter Joseph, Dec. 2, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RDihFrV_Os</ref><ref name="FrescoTVP">"Jacque Fresco." The Venus Project, <http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/jacque-fresco></ref> Fresco was recently featured in the 2011 film [[Wikipedia:Zeitgeist: Moving Forward]],<ref name=movingf>TZMOfficialChannel. "ZEITGEIST: MOVING FORWARD | OFFICIAL RELEASE | 2011." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Jan. 2011. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w></ref> in which he discussed the perceived [[Wikipedia:Criticism of capitalism | flaws]] in the current [[Wikipedia:capitalism | capitalist]] system and, according to him, the [[Wikipedia:methodology | methods]] by which said perceived [[Wikipedia:Free_market#Criticisms | problems]] could be reasonably solved.
 The concept of a Resource-Based Economic Model is based on several specific principles of social, economical, and political organization, including economic [[cooperation]] [[Wikipedia:cooperation|(WP)]], [[Wikipedia:sustainability | ecological sustainability]], and [[Wikipedia:automation | technological automation]].<ref>"Resource Based Economy." The Venus Project. Web. <http://thevenusproject.com/en/the-venus-project/resource-based-economy></ref> It aims to decrease unnecessary human [[Wikipedia:suffering]] by installing a coherent socio-economic framework based on the sharing of [[Wikipedia:resource | resources]] and the collaboration of [[nations]] [[Wikipedia:nation|(WP)]], as well as attempting to increase the chances of long-term human [[Wikipedia:survival]] (e.g., on a time-scale of 4-5 billion years) through the worldwide implementation of [[Wikipedia:renewable energy]] systems, collective [[Wikipedia:hydroponics | hydroponic farms]], and structurally efficient cities. In order to be globally realized as such, a Resource-Based Economy would require the end of unnecessary [[Wikipedia:violence]] and [[Wikipedia:war | conflict]].
-{{WP+NODEL}}
+{{RED}}
 ==The Venus Project==
 The Venus Project is the social sustainability advocacy organization currently promoting the worldwide implementation of a Resource-Based Economic Model. It operates out of a 21.5 acre Research Centre located in Venus, Florida. Within the center are ten buildings, designed by Fresco, which showcase the architecture of the project. It was started in 1975 by Fresco himself,<ref>Durrani, Noni (2007-10-15). The Future: Jacque Fresco on the Future http://www.forbes.com</ref> along with his research partner and former portrait artist Roxanne Meadows. Together and with the help of other volunteers and employees, the two work to manage the Venus Project's activities. As such, the Venus Project was founded on the idea that all nations are fundamentally corrupt<ref>TZMOfficialChannel. "Zeitgeist Addendum." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Feb. 2010. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EewGMBOB4Gg></ref> and that this corruption comes from the use of money.<ref name=tvpfaq>The Venus Project FAQ. <http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/the-venus-project/faq></ref>{{rp|6}} Fresco instead advocates a socio-economic system in which resources are fairly allocated by a computerized, automated system referred to as the Cybernation.<ref name=tvpfaq />{{rp|53}} The Venus Project has also been featured in ''[[Wikipedia:Zeitgeist: Addendum]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:Zeitgeist: Moving Forward]]''.