Symposium Reflection 1:
An article from futurewewant.org talks about the main gist of Jacque Fresco’s idea of a resource based economy. An article from Fresco’s own website, The Venus Project, also gives the main of his ideal economy. Recently, I also found an article that tells what would happen to Russia’s politics if they had a resource economy. The last article on Russia relates to change can be either positive or negative, because it describes the pros and cons of a resource economy being established in Russia. The first two relate to change can be evolutionary or revolutionary, because the whole idea of resource based economy is life- changing. So far, I have learned quite a few things about my topic. I learned that the whole idea of a resource economy started from one man. I also found it interesting that Russia kind of had a resource economy already. We have not changed anything, because we feel strongly about our choices. We hope to interview some economists, to see their perspective on the topic. I myself want to find out more about economics and politics. Our collaboration so far has been pretty well. We both know what we are doing, we are both responsible, and are confident in all we do. I just hope we can find some after-school sessions to further help us on our project.
Symposium Reflection 2: |
I have found out a lot about my topic. I found a lot of pros and cons about it. For our student led research component, we chose to do an interview, because our topic has to do with future changes. WE plan on interviewing an economist from Harvard. We had some complications, because Marco emailed an organization without Ms. Park’s permission. She made us find someone new to interview. We need to get our email approved, making sure we have good questions to ask him. The only thing I don’t like about our collaboration is the lack of communication. Marco should have told me about the email before. Besides that, everything is fine.
|
Symposium Reflection 3:
I learned that our world would have a revolution, and that most people believe that it will not happen in our lifetime. I found that i have been working better with Marco, as when we first started, we had a lack of communication. We printed out dollar bills from various countries, and we printed out pictures of leaves. In the middle of the board, we made some dollar bills turning into leaves, to show our universal theme of change. I plan on making a model of a dollar bill turning into a leaf. We need to finish our tri-fold board and make corrections to our ISD. Then we can start working on our creative piece. We are working a lot better than we were in the beginning of the symposium process.
Symposium Reflection 4:Our driving question was, how did a resource based economy originate and what changes may impact our future communities? We had to remove one of the little people we made, because its head fell off. I learned that this will eventually happen, but not in our life time. The SLR portion of this project made us collaborate more with other students which i believe really helps improve our social skills. Presenting our information helped us improve our vocal skills and it helps us gain confidence. Student led research is not that simple. It involves a lot of planning and takes a lot of time to conduct. I feel that I could have contributed more. My partner worked on most of it, because he had a lot more free time than I did. However, when we worked together, we worked really well. I wish I could have worked more on this project. They should know that it takes a lot of trial and error, and that they need to work really well with their group. It's not easy, but its definitely a fun experience.
Change can be Positive |
There is a lot of controversy with the idea of the Resource-based Economy. Many doubt it would function properly. Often confused for communism or socialism, a Resource Based Economy promises equitable distribution of available resources. We can technically already have a resource economy. As written by The Future We Want, “Modern society has access to highly advanced technology and can make available food, clothing, housing and medical care; update our educational system; and develop a limitless supply of renewable, non-contaminating energy” (TheFutureWeWant.org). Our world already has enough resources to sustain a Resource-Based Economy. If a Resource-Based Economy goes as planned.. A Resource-Based Economy should…
|
Change can be Negative: |
However, like all economies, they are not perfect. A Resource-Based Economy is an alternative plan that is often criticized for sharing ideas with communism. Common factors include equal life, free resources, free access to school and medical attention. Nevertheless, it is inevitable that a resource-based economy has flaws. In addition, novelist and philosopher, Tony DeLorger states in his article, “...money and the pursuit of it reveals a far more negative aspect of humanity, greed. Because money can expand life choices and gain power over those with less of it, it is by nature the corruptor” (DeLorger, 2016). This shows to prove that greed comes in one form or another. Resources may be kept for one. In addition, “The fact that they so often fail to do so suggests that consistent policy failure lies at the root of the problem. Yet if poor governance lies at the root of the resource curse, one must ask why resource-based economies are more likely to suffer from it. The answer must be that the resource wealth somehow distorts their politics in such a way as to produce institutional and policy failures” (Tompson, 2005). Other flaws include, but are not limited to the following;
|
Change can be Evolutionary or Revolutionary
A Resource-Based Economy would be a global change. Our world would quite literally have a revolution. It could potentially lead us to a civilized age. It would change all the world’s governments, making a Resource-Based Economy a revolutionary change. For example, as the Venus Project writes, “The Venus Project proposes a system in which automation and technology would be intelligently integrated into an overall holistic socio-economic design where the primary function would be to maximize the quality of life rather than profits” (The Venus Project). Rather than humans having to work hard labor, robots would take these jobs, making our lives easier. Our world would evolve into a automated, moneyless, and high-standard way of life.Of course, the most noticeable evolutionary or revolutionary changes would include…
- Elimination of currency
- Elimination of social-classes
- Elimination of banking systems
- Elimination of poverty
- Global cooperation
- High-standard living for all humans.
- Establishing a new civilization.
- Replace humans with robots working in dangerous, exhausting, boring jobs.
- Provide all basic necessities to all humans.
- Restoration of global unification
Change is Inevitable:
Based on our findings, we found that if we would want to adapt our communities to a Resource-Based Economy, it would take many years. We would need the whole world to cooperate, and everyone would need to adjust to the new laws. That would take many years. However, many people already believe that a moneyless world would be a good idea. For example, Jacque Fresco states in his documentary, Paradise or Oblivion, “This system will keep installing more and more automation cutting down on the purchasing power of the majority of the people. There will come a time, it’s called the Gaussian curve. Where employment is that *draws imaginary horizontal line* production is this *draws steep exponential increasing line* and purchasing power is that. *draws imaginary drop* The system stops. Banks fail and nothing works anymore. We’re moving in that direction very rapidly”(Fresco, 2012). He knows that eventually, banks will fail. Money would be meaningless. That is where a Resource-Based Economy would come in. The change would therefore, be inevitable. Journalist and author ,Mark Sundeen, wrote about Daniel Suelo. A man who gave up on money and lived a simple life. He states, “His primary residence is the canyons near Arches National Park, where he has lived in a dozen caves tucked into sandstone nooks. In the fall of 2002, two years after quitting money, he homesteaded a majestic alcove high on a cliff, two hundred feet across and fifty feet tall. Sitting inside and gazing into the gorge below felt like heralding himself to the world from inside the bell of a trumpet.”(Sundeen, 2012) Daniel’s motives for a simple monetary-free life include leaving a small ecological footprint and living a stress free life. He has foraged on what nature has to offer and recycles all reusable materials. Daniel also states,"Our whole society is designed so that you have to have moneys. You have to be a part of the capitalist system. It's illegal to live outside of it."(Sundeen,2012) As we found through our survey results, 56% of the people believe that our current monetary system is unfair. If more and more people believe that our economy is unfair, it will end up changing.
|
Change can Generate Additional Change: |
With automation working on difficult or hard labor, humans will be set free. People will not have to work a miserable job for a decent paycheck. According to Psychology today, “We are not intrinsically motivated for work, which is why we need to be paid...They endanger their health. Piece work is so bad for health that it was outlawed by unions and people around the world are mostly paid for time on the job rather than on the basis of productivity.”(Barber, 2010) Humans do not need money we only need what it buys for us. Food, water, electricity, shelter, transportation, medical care etc. People will have all of these necessities covered at no expense. Hence creating true freedom. One common question to commonly pop up is “Will humans become lazy?” To put this into perspective, this would mean that humans would not care for any desires or hobbies. People have a passion for something. If this were false, no inventors, artists, or athletes would exist. Everyone has potential to create or perform amazingly. Liberating humans from unnecessary would unleash full creative and engineering potential. In addition, Fresco goes on to say, “It does not call for uniformity. It absolutely calls for diversity: The more diverse people are, the more individuality. So we emphasize individuality, creativity, and innovativeness. This is the essentials of the design. It is not a group of scientists telling people what to do how to live, where to go, what to follow.” (Fresco, 2012) However, this may also decrease motivation for the working force. If people get opportunities for free they may become a lazy. They might not use their opportunities properly.
|
Change is necessary for Growth:
A resource-based economy will use and integrate the scientific method and a knowledge-based economy. Both alternative economies promise to use the latest scientific research and technological advancements for problem solving, allowing creativity to spark, and
provide a high standard of living for all humans. Take away cost and we are only limited by our imagination and what is physically possible. Possibilities are endless. As the Venus Project writes, “The plans of The Venus Project offer society a broader spectrum of choices based on the scientific possibilities directed toward a new era of peace and sustainability for all. Through the implementation of a global Resourced Based Economy, and a multitude of innovative and environmentally friendly technologies directly applied to the social system, The Venus Project proposals will dramatically reduce crime, poverty, hunger, homelessness, and many other pressing problems that are common throughout the world today” (Venus Project, Aims and Proposals, 2012). A Resource-Based Economy would help our future communities grow scientifically through collaboration and a unified vision for growth and discovery.
provide a high standard of living for all humans. Take away cost and we are only limited by our imagination and what is physically possible. Possibilities are endless. As the Venus Project writes, “The plans of The Venus Project offer society a broader spectrum of choices based on the scientific possibilities directed toward a new era of peace and sustainability for all. Through the implementation of a global Resourced Based Economy, and a multitude of innovative and environmentally friendly technologies directly applied to the social system, The Venus Project proposals will dramatically reduce crime, poverty, hunger, homelessness, and many other pressing problems that are common throughout the world today” (Venus Project, Aims and Proposals, 2012). A Resource-Based Economy would help our future communities grow scientifically through collaboration and a unified vision for growth and discovery.
SLR results
According to our survey, 56.3% of people we interviewed say that our current monetary system does not create fair jobs for people. 31.3% of people think it does create a fair opportunities. This means that our current economic system is not viewed as a way that provides opportunities for all people. According to our survey only 21.9% of people we surveyed are open to live in a resource-based economy. 34% are somewhat opened. The 43.7% rest are not or don't know. This means that more than half of the people we surveyed favor living in a resource-based economy. According to our survey, 37.6% of people we interviewed are positive that a resource-based economy will be adapted within our lifetimes. 43.8% of people we interviewed believe that there will not be a resource based economy within our lifetimes. This means more than half of the people we surveyed think that a resource-based economy believe that a resource-based economy will not be adapted into our life times. According to our survey, surveyed people claimed that the biggest positive impact a resource-based economy will have is on education with an 18.4%. Followed by human rights at 16.3% environment and freedom at 15.3%. According to our survey results, 38.7% of surveyed people believe that a resource based economy will positively influence future generations. 22.6% of surveyed people believed that a resource-based economy will negatively influence future generations. This means that more than half of people that have not chose “I don’t know” think that a resource-based economy will positively influence future generations. According to our survey, only 6.3% people believed that a resource-based economy will end human suffering. 37.5% of people believe that either it will only decrease or not end human suffering.