Building a State From Scratch - The Venus Project, Simon Michaux, DSPod #275
Aug 24, 2024
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Simon Michaux, an expert affiliated with the Venus Project, shares insights on sustainable living and community building. He discusses the evolution from the Venus Project to his ambitious Prometheus Project. The conversation highlights the challenges of creating alternative social systems and the impact of Jacques Fresco's innovative designs. Michaux envisions a resource-based economy that prioritizes sustainability, exploring ways to establish self-sufficient communities while addressing urban planning and social governance.
The Venus Project, initiated in the 1980s by Jacques Fresco, sought to create human-centered living outside the capitalist market system.
The project faced significant challenges in resource management and community cohesion, impacting its growth and long-term viability.
Simon Michaux's Prometheus Project aims to build on Venus Project lessons, focusing on a circular economy and sustainable city design.
Systems thinking is emphasized to balance individual and collective needs, while promoting adaptability and resilience in community living.
Jacques Fresco's legacy continues to influence sustainable practices, stressing the importance of education and collaborative governance for successful communities.
Deep dives
The Vision Behind the Venus Project
The Venus Project was initiated by Jacques Fresco in the 1970s, with a focus on creating a new way of living through innovative architectural designs and an alternative social system. The project aimed to address societal issues by developing structures that promote efficient living and sustainability in the face of environmental challenges. Fresco's vision included a resource-based economy designed to nurture human potential while simultaneously protecting the environment. The project was built on the belief that the existing capitalist system fosters inequality and unnecessary suffering, and thus a radical shift in societal organization was necessary.
Challenges Faced by Utopian Projects
As with many utopian projects, the Venus Project encountered numerous complications related to resource management and community organization. The difficulties of gathering like-minded individuals and ensuring cohesion within the community posed significant obstacles to advancing the project. The team needed to navigate bureaucratic challenges, especially concerning zoning regulations and resource allocation, which hindered the project's growth and limited the community's size. The ongoing struggle reflected a broader challenge faced by all utopian attempts to implement alternative lifestyles within the context of current societal structures.
Simon Michaud and the Prometheus Project
Simon Michaud introduced the concept of the Prometheus Project as an expansion of the Venus Project, aiming to address contemporary challenges while utilizing lessons learned from past efforts. By leveraging the framework established by the Venus Project, the Prometheus Project seeks to build a larger community that adheres to the principles of a circular economy. Its objective is to design and implement a self-sufficient city, potentially home to 10,000 residents, operating in harmony with the environment while prioritizing innovative construction methods. Simon emphasized the importance of merging technological advancements with a new social contract to facilitate sustainable living.
The Role of Systems Thinking in City Design
The discussions highlighted the significance of systems thinking in designing a functioning community that accommodates diverse human needs. Imitating and adjusting historical models of cooperative living, the proposed city aims to balance individual aspirations with collective goals. The project advocates for a new social contract that emphasizes collaboration and participation from all community members, striving to reinvent how society approaches urban living. By integrating principles of systems science, the design will facilitate an adaptable and resilient environment built to withstand potential crises.
Lessons from Past Utopian Experiments
The panel acknowledged that previous utopian communities often faced issues with coherence and sustainability due to diverging visions and lack of clear social governance. Observations from places like Mondragon, where collective ownership and worker cooperatives have thrived, served as a source of inspiration. The need for a solid foundational culture and effective leadership remains paramount to ensure the long-term success of the proposed community. The Prometheus Project aims to implement a gradual, experimental approach to city building, addressing challenges iteratively to foster resilience and adaptability.
Jacques Fresco's Lasting Influence
Jacques Fresco's legacy, marked by his extensive explorations of human behavior and environmental sustainability, continues to inform the direction of the Venus and Prometheus Projects. His philosophy posited that societal issues were not merely products of human nature but rather linked to environmental influences and governance structures. The projects aim to create an environment that nurtures positive human interactions while minimizing the potential for conflict and inefficiency. Furthermore, Fresco's approach to education and community engagement remains integral, with an emphasis on cultivating informed and proactive citizenry.
Current State of the Venus Project
The Venus Project currently operates with a small team located in Florida, focusing on refining architectural designs and conducting tours to promote awareness and support for their vision. Despite financial constraints and zoning limitations restricting growth potential, the team remains committed to demonstrating their principles through practical experiments in sustainable living. With a small number of permanent residents, the community aims to develop its agricultural practices and regenerative technologies while planning for future expansion. The hope is to leverage any successes achieved to attract interest and funding, paving the way for a larger operational prototype.
Future Steps for the Prometheus Project
The pathway ahead for the Prometheus Project includes meticulous planning and community mobilization to establish the infrastructure and funding necessary for its success. Future stages of development will focus on constructing pilot programs that embody the ideals of the project while engaging volunteers and acquiring necessary resources. By initiating experimental constructs that can deliver demonstrative success, the team hopes to gain momentum and attract further investment as the vision materializes. These steps aim to build a resilient model of urban living that serves as a compelling alternative to prevailing societal norms.
Engaging with the Broader Community
The project envisions creating a collaborative network of individuals and organizations dedicated to the shared goal of sustainable urban living. By providing accessible information channels, such as workshops and online resources, they aim to foster a community of advocates and participants eager to engage with its innovative solutions. Key strategies involve sharing knowledge through educational opportunities that resonate with those disillusioned by current systems, encouraging a grass-roots push for involvement in the project. Additionally, insights from established models will guide efforts toward cultivating a vibrant and supportive community culture around the new city.
The Venus Project was started in the 1980s by Jacques Fresco and Roxanne Meadows with the aim of showing that it was possible to lead a more human centered existence… as long as you built outside of the capitalist market system. Over the decades, the fortunes of the project have fluctuated - from an initial burst of enthusiasm and action (Meadows and Fresco built almost all the structures on the property by hand themselves) to the grinding reality of what it means to grow a stable and vibrant community, to the immense surge of popularity just as Fresco’s life came to an end. Project members Roxanne Meadows and Nate Dwindiddie come by the show with previous guest Simon Michaux to talk about the failures and successes of the project, and what it might look like when its reborn as the framework for Michaux’s Prometheus Project.
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(00:00) Go!
(00:01:10) Evolution from Venus Project to Prometheus Project
(00:02:45) Challenges and Iterations in Alternative Social Systems
(00:05:19) Vision for Societal Change
(00:22:59) Fresco's Innovations in Architecture and Design
(00:29:34) Technocracy Inc. and its Influence on Jacques Fresco
(00:31:53) Jacques Fresco's Impact on Science Fiction
(00:39:20) Jacques Fresco's Move to Venus, Florida and Community Building
(00:44:54) Jacque Fresco's Vision and Beginnings
(46:18) Social Engineering and Technological Innovation
(47:41) Shift from Technical Designs to Social Values
(49:13) Impact of Digital Age and Global Outreach
(51:44) Jacque Fresco's Vision for a Resource-Based Economy
(57:14) Simon Michaux and Continuing Fresco's Legacy
(01:09:18) Sustainable City Design
(01:13:36) Challenges and Successes of the Venus Project
(01:19:12) Funding and Economic Models
(01:26:02) Experimentation with Alternative Systems
(01:31:20) Building a City According to Jacque Fresco's Design
(01:32:41) Research Institute and Industrial Clusters in the City
(01:37:02) Shifting Focus: Optimizing for Quality of Life
(01:53:08) Community Structure and Stability
(01:56:19) Societal Experiments and Human Nature
(02:00:11) Advancements in System Science
(02:05:14) Urban Living and Cultural Development
(02:14:33) The Future Vision of The Venus Project
(02:15:01) The Role of Advisory Board in The Venus Project
(02:16:52) Educational Initiatives at The Venus Project
(02:18:27) Prometheus: Testing and Innovating Building Materials
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PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities.
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