Review of 'Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
A while ago, I read the Communist Manifesto. It was a curious experience, as I reacted to Marx's assessment of society's condition alternately with "this guy is on point!" and "this guy is full of shit!" I had a similar experience with Fuller, though, perhaps due to obfuscation, but probably at least as much to personal appeal, I had a more favorable impression of Bucky. As Dr Ray Stantz might say, "he's either a certified genius or an authentic wacko," but I am inclined to believe the former.
Fuller's incredibly inventive and eccentric diction makes comprehension of his message challenging. I have to admit I didn't understand anywhere near everything, but parsing his on-the-fly coinage of words and phrases would have taken too long. Just getting a grasp on his arguments is difficult enough, even though what I think he is trying to say is fairly simple.
We inhabit a …
A while ago, I read the Communist Manifesto. It was a curious experience, as I reacted to Marx's assessment of society's condition alternately with "this guy is on point!" and "this guy is full of shit!" I had a similar experience with Fuller, though, perhaps due to obfuscation, but probably at least as much to personal appeal, I had a more favorable impression of Bucky. As Dr Ray Stantz might say, "he's either a certified genius or an authentic wacko," but I am inclined to believe the former.
Fuller's incredibly inventive and eccentric diction makes comprehension of his message challenging. I have to admit I didn't understand anywhere near everything, but parsing his on-the-fly coinage of words and phrases would have taken too long. Just getting a grasp on his arguments is difficult enough, even though what I think he is trying to say is fairly simple.
We inhabit a closed system called Spaceship Earth, provided with energy by supply ships we call the Sun and the Moon. Up until recently, this fact has been obscured not only by our ignorance, but by the powers that be, who selfishly benefitted from our dependence and subservience on the artificially constructed walls of separation - nations, social classes, money, specialization, etc. Only by learning to live synergistically, which Fuller says we are capable of doing in a crisis, can we unlock our full potential. This means looking at the Earth as an integrated system.
I think the overall argument he presents is sound and thoroughly thought-provoking, if one can look past his wacky ideas and wackier ways of expressing them.
