Resource Based Economy6 min read

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Note: This page will be under construction for a long time as I get things together.

Much of what you find here will be heavily based on my post: The Cancer of Capitalism and Its Antidote and reformulated for a general information page. There will also be texted pulled from other RBE works I am working on.

Resource Based Economy Defined

We will start with the broad definition and, as we go, we will increasing add focus to the explanation so you can get a better understanding as to what a Resource Based Economy (or post-scarcity economy or open access economy) really is.

RBE Definition

“To each according to what we can equitably provide

The term and concept of a  Resource Based Economy (RBE) was coined in 1969 (his Looking Forward book?) by Jacque Fresco, the founder of the Venus Project.

A Resource Based Economy (RBE) is defined as: a global socioeconomic system that will utilize existing resources (natural and technological) to provide an equitable method of distribution of goods and services in the most humane and efficient manner for the entire population without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form of symbolic exchange.

Flow chart of systemic RBE representation
Flow chart of systemic RBE representation

We have 5 parts that we will work with and explain:

  • Global: is a modifier for all aspects of the definition of a Resource Based Economy – meaning world-wide, all of the nations of the world working together for the benefit of all of humanity
  • Resources: sharing all of the of the world’s various resources : natural (water, minerals, food, etc), technological (manufacturing, computers, intellectual property, etc) and human (personal skills: engineering, agronomy, carpentry, knowledge, etc) shared to solve the problems facing our world
  • Goods and services: sharing all of the world’s products that are manufactured or delivered (food, water, clothes, computers) or services (energy, internet, food preparation, home design) rendered to humans
  • Humans: All the worlds, resources and goods and services are there to benefit ALL  humanity and not just a select few.
  • Equitable: is a modifier for goods and services – ensures that ALL of humanity has equal (as equal as possible) access to all goods and services
  • No Money: Perhaps the most important and world-shaking phrase here is ‘without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form of symbolic exchange‘; no money. All things are available for free. As was covered in the previous section, money is the creator of most of our world’s problems and once we get rid of that and share all the things life will be better for all.

The RBE Trinity

Flowchart showing the systems of the RBE Trinity
Flowchart showing the systems of the RBE Trinity

A RBE proposes a design for a global society that has a specific function – maintaining the ecological balance while improving the standard of living for all its members. To achieve a more humane and meaningful approach to shaping civilization the primary guidelines will be these three interdependent ideas:

  1. The intelligent use of science, technology, and manufacturing as the driving force to achieve a truly sustainable future where the primary concern is:
  2. … the protection and sustainable management of the environment and its resources
  3. … for the well-being and benefit of ALL the people of the world.

Here we have 4 terms to work with:

  • Sustainable Management: is a global modifier for all things within RBE. Creating processes that are environmentally friendly, efficient, and automated are very important to making life easier for all of humanity.
  • Technology: creating technology using sustainable processes where the entire lifecycle (manufacturing, delivery, use, and recycling) is environmentally friendly, efficient,  and automated
  • Environment: sustainable management of the environment and its natural resources is of prime concern here which includes efforts to reclaim and repair all environmental damage and to prevent it
  • Humans: creating sustainable manufacturing processes and protecting and fixing the environment to ensure that ALL humanity has a healthy environment to live in

RBE + Trinity

When we put together the diagram for RBE and the Trinity we get something like this:

Flowchart showing RBE + RBE Trinity Systems
Flowchart showing RBE + RBE Trinity Systems

Key Modifiers: You will note that the key modifiers here are: global, equitable, and sustainable management. RBE works within a methodology that is global, sustainable,  and equitable to help ensure that we have a planet to live on with air to breathe, food to eat, and water to drink and that all people have access to these. Poisoning these things is probably not a smart thing to do.

A global sustainably managed process to manufacture and deliver goods and services equitably to ALL of humanity while protecting and remediating the environment.

Radical Systemic Philosophical Evolution

The core values of humanity needs to follow my post: The 8 Philosophical Pillars for Peace in Humanity (8P3H).

Radical Systemic Technical Evolution

The world will have to change drastically to save itself through technical systemic and philosophical changes. The table below shows traits of Monetary Systems and how they will change in a Resource Based Economy:

The Transition from Monetary Systems to a Resource Based Economy
Monetary SystemsResource Based Economy
individual propertyresource access
globalized distributed production processlocalized production
manual laborautomation and efficiency
proprietaryopen source
disconnected devices and dataGlobal Digital Feedback System (IoT)
individual government and politicianstechnological/science based management

Isn’t this just socialism or communism? No, because the lens with which they are both defined and understood is through monetary systems – owning the means of production. Also, no because neither is no where near radical enough.

We do not know what it means to be civilized while we have war, poverty, exploitation, and suffering.

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