Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth

Buckminster Fuller was a remarkable genius whose works are absolutely unique. This book is a good introduction to his transcendent way of thinking. It describes for the first time, the concept that our little planet has finite resources, and since it was written, we have seen that he sensed very well the direction that society was taking. Though his thoughts may seem outdated now in certain ways, this book, and his other works, continue to provide inspired reading within the framework of the quest to understand human life on this planet, and related philosophical ideas.

The "manual" is not philosophy. Its system engineering. Its operand is not Truth, Good, Love,...System engineering can be reduced to one word: efficiency. During the reader I kept thinking this is the stuff that generals read, and I am only a lieutenant. Which is not to say generals are better. It's just that lieutenant's deal with more human problems. While the generals deal with the big picture. For example, when discussing Einstein's Relativity Fuller keeps invoking the equation E=MC^2. This is the over arching general relation between energy and matter. It's the great answer. But to me what is wonderful about Relativity is the equation distance=sqrt(x^2+y^2+z^2+(it)^2). Here time is in the imaginary direction. What is that? We often say we have 4 dimensions. But that is not quite right with this equation. In the small pictures I find delight. In some ways Fuller reminds me of Marx in its grand scheme. Marx has his historical materialism. Fuller has its metaphor of the "manual". But of course Fuller will have nothing of Marxism. For him Marxism will be dead dogmatic metaphysics to be avoided.

R. Buckminster Fuller's (Bucky hereout), designer of the geodesic dome (one can see at EPCOT), lays down the thought patterns of a successful world in this short and concise book based on his discoveries (probably more appropriate than inventions, as he said "I am not tryingto imitate nature, I'm trying to find the principles she uses"). It is in this book that Bucky gives the reader insight into how he thinks, and how to change ones thinking entirely, to see the Earth as a Spaceship. To feel yourself riding the Earth as a Spaceship. Demonstrating from the anceint "pirates" and how evolution is changed through specialization. How a wealthy nation, such as ours, cannot afford to make economical mishaps or delays on such life-giving elements as water. Moving our modes of consciousness into Einsteinian, omni-directional thinking, we can then turn to everyone to "co-operate." To help others, and not gain at the expense of others. Certainly a classic in its own right, this book will change the way you think, not about life or the world, just that you change your thinking, making every action a universal consequence. There is only one Earth, and we are all living in it. Reccomended!

I really mean it. This book makes much more sense than any government plan that I know of. We all need to read this book.

Our forefathers, parents and their peers have delivered us a drastically (wonderfully) complex society with ever increasing difficulties, and opportunities. RBF does an uncommonly fine job of explaining some of the underlying drives that brought us here. Maybe also sheds light on a usefull path to the future.