Difference between revisions of "Fundamental resources/Intro"
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| − | [[Image:Earth and sun.jpg|right| | + | [[Image:Earth and sun.jpg|right|180px]] So what have we got to work with? Mankind's '''fundamental resources''' are [[Fundamental resources#Material|material]], [[Fundamental resources#Energy|energy]], [[Fundamental resources#Human intelligence|intelligence]] and [[Fundamental resources#Information|information]]. In reality they are all so enormously abundant that it's incredible to think that there are people in this world who are still going without the basic human necessities. |
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| − | In the past a lack of technology could be considered a significant cause of scarcity but that is certainly not a reason any more. Despite common perceptions, there is no actual lack of material or energy available to us. Emerging methods of co-operation and advanced automation have the potential to unlock | + | In the past a lack of technology could be considered a significant cause of scarcity but that is certainly not a reason any more. Despite common perceptions, there is no actual lack of material or energy available to us. Emerging methods of co-operation and advanced automation have the potential to unlock these resources to provide a good standard of living in all parts of the world, while causing minimal harm to the natural environment - a combination that although is hard to imagine today and might appear at first glance to be contradictory, is very much possible. |
</p> | </p> | ||
| − | An important trend in technological progress is the tendency of products and processes to steadily become more | + | An important trend in technological progress is the tendency of products and processes to steadily become more effective while using less material and energy {{en}} i.e. doing more with less {{en}} something that {{wp|Buckminster_Fuller|Buckminster Fuller}} termed {{wp|Ephemeralization|ephemeralization}}. |
Latest revision as of 12:46, 18 July 2010
In the past a lack of technology could be considered a significant cause of scarcity but that is certainly not a reason any more. Despite common perceptions, there is no actual lack of material or energy available to us. Emerging methods of co-operation and advanced automation have the potential to unlock these resources to provide a good standard of living in all parts of the world, while causing minimal harm to the natural environment - a combination that although is hard to imagine today and might appear at first glance to be contradictory, is very much possible.
An important trend in technological progress is the tendency of products and processes to steadily become more effective while using less material and energy – i.e. doing more with less – something that Buckminster Fuller 
termed ephemeralization .
