The Venus Project: Bombastic Dream or Realizable Future?

Truth is born into this world only with pangs and tribulations, and every fresh truth is received unwillingly. To expect the world to receive a new truth, or even an old truth, without challenging it, is to look for one of those miracles which do not occur—Alfred Russel Wallace
In my last post about circles and circular design, I suggested that environment can play a major role in determining a culture. I recently ran across a site on a new social design by Jacque Fresco and the Venus Project, which originates in Venus, Florida. Yes, his city is in the shape of a circle. And yes, his suggested social design involves a change in “culture” and zeitgeist.

Upon entering the site, you are instantly greeted by spectacular images, portraying streamlined houses, futuristic skyscrapers, flying vehicles and cybernetic cities. The home page begins with this proclamation: “The Venus Project is an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change, one that works towards a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive toward where human rights are no longer paper proclamations but a way of life.”


I found their idealistic mandate somewhat naïve: “The sole purpose of this sophisticated technology is to free people from boring monotonous tasks, make available a much higher standard of living, and provide more leisure time.” And yet… dare we to achieve such a thing? Certainly we can dream. This is the stuff we science fiction writers play with all the time.

The Venus Project’s “thinking city” is either an inspirational concept in new city design or a spectacular visual dream with little practical basis. It is, in fact, difficult to interpret which Jacque Fresco’s elaborate designs fall under because of the vague, overly simple, often obscure and rather pedantic language used to describe these fascinating concepts. Under the umbrella concept of “Cities that Think” Fresco includes a Cybernated Government, University of Global Resource Management, Subterranean Cities and Intelligent Housing. Reality aside, the project’s designs in general city planning, transportation, fuel, housing and recreation are imaginative, very attractive and suggestive of a clean, energy efficient and streamlined future. How the artist’s concepts are achieved is another matter.

Here are some examples of their new “world” society:

Cybernated government: “The human mind is far too simple to handle and put to practical use the voluminous information needed to operate a highly technical and advanced world society…Eventually the central cybernated systems will coordinate all of the machinery and equipment that serve the entire city, the nation and ultimately the world. One can think of it as an electronic automatic nervous system extending into all areas of the social complex.”

Obsolete Monetary System: “Our current monetary system is not capable of providing a high standard of living for everyone, nor can it ensure the protection of the environment because the major motive is profit…In a monetary system purchasing power is not related to our capacity to produce goods and services. Today money is used to regulate the economy not for the benefit of the general populace, but for those who control the financial wealth of nations.”

Resource-Based Economy: “Simply stated, a resource-based economy utilizes existing resources rather than money and provides an equitable method of distributing these resources in the most efficient manner for the entire population. It is a system in which all goods and services are available without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form or debt or servitude…Earth is abundant with plentiful resources; today our practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant and counter productive to our survival.”

Like I said, I found that some of the descriptions, particularly of the cybernated government, to be a combination of simplified polemic with condescension and some unrealistic observations. There is a kind of tension in the arguments that in some cases detract from some truly interesting and intriguing ideas. I know what it is… this all reminds me of a hodgepodge Italian Wedding soup of old and new pulp science fiction with some Granola thrown in for spice. The words reflect an edgy new-age pseudo-science that doesn’t inspire confidence in the scientist side of me. Yet, the artist dreamer in me soars with the fantastic imagery and wonderful concepts. I want to embrace the magic. The lofty ideals. It’s too bad the rhetoric gets in the way…

And the words. They speak to wonderful concepts and a society that is peacefully and serenely integrated with this planet. But a critical word here and there gets in the way or is left out. Take this sentence, for instance: “All of this could only be accomplished in a resource-based world economy where all of the world’s resources are held as the common heritage of all of the earth’s peoples.” Held by whom? And what about life other than humanity? The environment? The very use of the word “resource” implies exploitation. And there is so much unsaid that boggles the imagination.

Heck, maybe all they need is a better copywriter…

Check out the site and let me know what you think. It’s definitely worth a discussion.

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.