Film Summary
August 2nd, 2006 by Elliott Maynard
Future by Design is a documentary film by Academy Award nominated filmmaker William Gazecki, which shares the life and far-reaching vision of Jacque Fresco, a modern Leonardo Da Vinci. Peer to Einstein and Buckminster Fuller, Jacque is a self-taught Futurist, who describes himself most often as a ‘Generalist,’ or ‘Multi-Disciplinarian’ – a student of many interrelated fields. He is a prolific inventor, having spent his entire life (he is now 90 years old) conceiving of and devising inventions on various scales, which entail the use of Innovative Technology.
The Film explores Fresco’s world of the Future, where the Scientific Method, and not Politics, rules world operations, and all human activities and efforts are directed towards achieving dynamic equilibrium between Man and Nature.
Future by Design is a visually and intellectually engaging exploration of one man’s vision for a future, where war is outdated, there is no shortage of any necessary resources, and our focus as a species is on Sustainability. But far from presenting a Vision of Utopia, this documentary demonstrates a ‘Possible Future’ – with real, viable alternatives to our current paradigms of Militarism and Commercialism.
Future by Design is a documentary film by Academy Award nominated filmmaker William Gazecki, which shares the life and far-reaching vision of Jacque Fresco, a modern Leonardo Da Vinci. Peer to Einstein and Buckminster Fuller, Jacque is a self-taught Futurist, who describes himself most often as a ‘Generalist,’ or ‘Multi-Disciplinarian’ – a student of many interrelated fields. He is a prolific inventor, having spent his entire life (he is now 90 years old) conceiving of and devising inventions on various scales, which entail the use of Innovative Technology.
The Film explores Fresco’s world of the Future, where the Scientific Method, and not Politics, rules world operations, and all human activities and efforts are directed towards achieving dynamic equilibrium between Man and Nature.
Future by Design is a visually and intellectually engaging exploration of one man’s vision for a future, where war is outdated, there is no shortage of any necessary resources, and our focus as a species is on Sustainability. But far from presenting a Vision of Utopia, this documentary demonstrates a ‘Possible Future’ – with real, viable alternatives to our current paradigms of Militarism and Commercialism.
…Courtesy of Academy Award nominated filmmaker, William Gazecki.
www.futurebydesignthemovie.com
Film Overview
“Future by Design is the life story of Jacque Fresco, a modern-day Leonardo Da Vinci. Jacque can be best described as a self-taught Futurist. He describes himself most often as a “generalist” or multi-disciplinarian – a student of many interrelated fields. His areas of focus and interest span many disciplines: Architecture, Technology, Systems- Engineering, Urban Planning, Sociology, Psychology, History, Aerospace/Airplane Design, Automobile and Boat Design, Transportation Systems such as Monorail and Maglev Trains, Material Sciences, etc. He is a prolific inventor, having spent his entire life conceiving of and devising inventions on various scales, which entail the use of Innovative Technology.
The hallmarks of Jacque’s work are Efficiency and Planning. Born in 1916 and impacted by the great depression, Jacque’s outlook on life has been one of optimism and a strong desire to improve the human condition. After years of thoughtful research and consideration, the main thrust of Jacque’s work has emerged in what he refers to as a “Resource-Based Economy.” A Resource-Based Economy is a society where Automation and Technology replace servitude and menial labor, and where resources are distributed according to the needs of the population, balanced with the carrying capacity of the Natural Environment. Much of the technology Jacque has developed over the years is designed to support and implement the cybernated culture he envisions. In Fresco’s World of the Future, all activities and efforts are directed towards productive solutions to real and physical problems. It is a society which utilizes Energy, Materials, and Human Potential in the most organized and efficient manner possible. From Jacque’s perspective, professions and industries which do not contribute to the physical well-being of the population are deemed “inconsequential.”
Jacque’s research has led him to the conclusion that one of the most harmful beliefs carried by the majority of people is the general assumption that “there is not enough to go around” for everyone. Jacque calls this tendency or belief “scarcity.” The perception of scarcity on a mass-scale throughout history has led to the accumulation of wealth, the gross obsession for power, and the tendency to manipulate people in order to protect one’s resources or belongings (property). In Fresco’s projection of a Functional Future, where each individual’s needs are met, the tendency to want to accumulate material things or exercise power will become minimal - or unnecessary. In a Resource-Based Economy, the use of resources is balanced with the needs of the population. This is done through the gathering of information and the use of Artificial Intelligence and Automated Technologies to apportion resources on a fair and equitable basis based on the physical needs rather on other factors, such as perceived threat, or the domination of central power structures. In the Future by Design, governance is maintained by the cybernated system, and depends wholly upon information derived from the physical environment. Beliefs, biases, prejudices, class systems, religions, nation-states, and their priorities play no role in determining “who gets what” in the future. In Jacque’s synthesis of elements, he firmly believes that equitable use of physical resources, combined with a dramatic shift in elevating the level of education of the public will create a functional, equitable world, capable of long-term sustainability. He believes that when people are born into a system where it is understood and assumed that all physical needs will be met, and that access to resources will be unfettered, that the majority of individuals will grow up psychologically healthy. His feeling is that the aberrant behavior which results in crime or in some kind of overt harm, is not the result of any moral crisis or ethical violation, but is really determined by one’s environment.
In Future by Design, all systems work together. The Personal, Social, Economic, Industrial and Governance Arenas are all interconnected and balanced into one functional system. The Future by Design is a true Participatory Democracy, where each member of society has the opportunity to input their needs, opinions and preferences into a Central Computer, which then assesses and analyzes all information to determine the use of resources in manufacturing and distribution of goods and services.
As a Futurist, Jacque is not only a conceptualist and theoretician, but he is also an engineer and designer. Each one of his concepts and ideas has a firm foundation in the physical world. Whether through his study of Animal and Human Behavior, Science and the Methodologies of Science, or Physical Engineering Principles, everything he has conceived of is rooted in Practical Reality. The basic overall concept of the Future by Design is the application of the Scientific Method to Social Systems, wherein all processes are based upon measurable factors, rather than beliefs and opinions. Jacque is not an Utopianist. He has always based his work on the Processes of Nature and how organisms and systems function in a natural “eco-balance.” In Jacque’s estimation, there is no such thing as Utopia, as Utopias are generally conceived of as a status-quo, or end-result, never to be surpassed. In Jacque’s estimation, once our basic needs are met, and we have eliminated usurious and superfluous, inefficient efforts (i.e. Militarism, Commercialism, etc.), we can then focus the whole of human effort on an endless cycle of constant improvement and endless evolution.”
…Courtesy of Academy Award nominated filmmaker, William Gazecki