SpaceShip Earth - Summary

Squeezed Version : Operating Manual For Spaceship EarthShare
author : Buckminister Fuller


1 - We can predict human's achievements in the next 25 yrs based on the the past achievements. We need to think comprehensively, as we humans have the weakness of clinging on a solution to a problem devised in times of need in the past, without improving or rethinking about it. Metaphorically, just like clinging onto a piano top to survive after the ship has sunk; and in the future all life boats were based on the design of a piano top, although piano top is not necessarily the best design as a lifesaver in the high seas.

2 - The origin of specialisation of humans (jobs) were closely tied to the human sociological hierachical nature (King & subject, Masters & servant), and colonisation. This is not a land planet with sea. The Earth is actually a planet with one vast ocean and some land masses. Those who first master the great ocean with good ships and navigation, ruled the world. These masters had the advantage of information especially about the distribution of resources. Therefore, they employ other humans to work and find solutions for them. Schools were deviced to train servants for these masters. Bucky called these masters as Great Pirates because they operated beyond the law, they set the new law, they even could influence the local customs. e.g. How the British ruled the empire just by controlling the local 'Kings'.

3 - WWI was the turn of event, when these old pirates was fighting a war they couldn't win without the help of the experts (scientist and other specialists). Thus signally the end of the Great Pirate era. But they had left a legacy of their way of econmic accounting, exchange rates, trade balance etc. And also the world concept then was influenced by Thomas Malthus who said humans multiply geometrically and resources by arithmetically. Darwinian's idea of survival of the fittest. This was where the idea of 'scarcity', 'not enough', 'world going into entropy' came about. Marxists' communism went the other extreme by proposing production workers are the most important. Modern science has found out that, the main reason for extinction is actually due to over specialisation. In other words, inflexible, cannot adapt to change.

4 - Why is the Earth a spaceship? It is spining, and travelling 60k/hr orbting the sun, and the solar system is orbiting the centre of the Milky way. It is a self contain system, with the Sun as the energy giving mother ship. By devine design, there isn't any instruction manual because this will force us to use our intellect, enabling us to find many ways to solve or antipate problems. Human child stays helpless longer than any other animal, and he needs to learn almost everthing around him. The total recources of the earth was big enough for humans to experiment and learn the general principal of nature / God.

5 - the resorces of the earth is liken to the egg yoke, providing humans nutrients to grow, before having a strong body and breaking out of the 'shell'. We have just broken the shell, and we will need to spread our wings of intellect or perish. The brain is physical, the mind is metaphysical. So far we are able to define the physical but has yet to comprehend fully the metaphysical. As both combined forms the total universe. Synergy - on its own the Sun giving energy to earth, and the moon causes tidal effect on the sea etc, but put all these elements together, we have the current life sustaining environment on Earth.

6 - We are essential to the regenerating evolution on earth. Just like all the other factors such as gravity, the sun & the moon. We are destine to help to improve the earth. Wealth is not money. And wealth cannot buy yesterday. Wealth is define the number of days we can survive forward, in simple terms. We have vast amount of income (wealth) receive from the Sun in the form of energy.

Law of conservation of energy, says energy cannot be destroyed, it just change to another form. Einsteins' E=MC^2 shows the relationship between Energy and matter (things). Energy actually can be converted to matter vice versa as proven by the atomic bomb. Therefore energy/matter cannot be increased or decreased. However metaphysical portion of wealth is ever incresing. Such as human experience and knowledge, can only increase and not decrease. To sum up, the physical wealth cannot be decreased, and the metaphysical wealth can only increase, it means that, every time we use our wealth it will only increase. Wealth is the product of progessive mastery of matter by mind. Hence all the current accounting system for wealth are based on anti-synergistic and does not reflect the true nature of wealth.

7 - Integral function - man is able to discover and use the general principles of the universe. Just like the same concept of leverage or cup. A cup instead of hands is better for holding water, and if made of ceramic, it also can hold hot water or caustic chemeicals. Our discoveries are accelerating at an accelerating rate.

8 - Regerative landscape - We as human are designed to take care of our Earth. We are all essentially the same, orignated from the same ancestors. As our ancestors migrated to various parts of the world, in breeding and the environment, cause our features and skin colours to be different. Population explosion is a myth, as we industrialise, people will have lesser babies and live longer.

Bucky urged planners, architects and engineers to take the initiatives, go to work and cooperate. there is muct to gain working in synergy than to working at the expense of the other. These are the synergistic rules that evolution is employing and trying to make clear to us. They are not man made laws. They are the infinitely accommodative laws of the intellectual integrity governing universe.