“Revolution by design and invention is the only revolution tolerable to all men, all societies, and all political systems anywhere. Every nation welcomed the invention of the airplane, and refrigeration.” - R. Buckminster Fuller, Utopia or Oblivion: the prospects for humanity [1965]
When imagining what the world might be like in one hundred years, it is useful to remember how radically different the world was just a hundred years ago. In 1913, vitamins were just being discovered, stainless steel was invented, and the first electric refrigerator for home use was sold. It would be years before anyone owned a radio.
R. Buckminster Fuller, one of the most visionary thinkers and inventors of the 20th century, was convinced that the history of humans aboard “Spaceship Earth” is best understood by charting our
scientific discoveries,
inventions and
resources. In doing so, we are also able to identify trends useful in anticipating future developments and needs.
Bucky was ahead of his time. As early as 1917, his research disclosed an “accelerating acceleration” of technological evolution with a clear trend of “
doing ever more with ever less”. An ever-increasing number of inventions were rapidly transforming and shrinking the world, while vastly improving the standards of living of increasing numbers of people. He saw this increasing ability to support life as the true measure of “wealth” and realized that for the first time in history, humans had the ability “to make the world work for 100% of humanity,” but only if the focus of technological development shifted from "weaponry to livingry."
Idea photo via Shutterstock\n
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