Jacque Fresco Manufacturing engineer, industrial designer and futurist Date of Birth: 13.03.1916 Country: USA

Biography of Jacques Fresco

Industrial engineer, industrial designer, social engineer, and futurist, Jacques Fresco is known worldwide for his work on the documentary film "Zeitgeist: Addendum" and as the director and founder of The Venus Project. He was born on March 13, 1916, in New York City, into an ordinary American family. His childhood was spent on the streets of his hometown, where he grew up as a sociable and curious child. He had many friends from different nationalities, which influenced his views on society.

Fresco attended a local public school, but he started facing problems with his teachers due to his beliefs. At the age of 14, during a school gathering, Jacques refused to give the traditional pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States. He explained his behavior by saying, "I will not pledge allegiance to the flag of one nation because we are indebted to the people who lived before us and who have done so much for all of us. Among them are representatives of every nation. I prefer to pledge allegiance to planet Earth and all life on it." According to Fresco, this was the moment when he began to understand the importance of thinking globally. However, his teacher punished him by taking him to the school principal. When asked about his attitude towards U.S. history, Fresco stated that it resembled propaganda rather than actual history.

After being questioned by the principal about which books he would like to read and what interested him the most, Jacques was allowed to return to class but was seated at the back. The principal permitted him to read the books he desired and pursue self-education, as long as he provided weekly reports on what he had learned. This led Fresco to visit museums and libraries, and he even had his own small laboratory at home. During this time, Jacques developed a passion for science and read his first scientific works. Two years later, when the school principal passed away, Fresco lost his privileges. He left school and continued his education on the streets of New York City.

During the Great Depression, the United States was in a difficult economic situation, and many people gathered in parks and on the streets for public discussions. This period saw an increase in the activities of various social and religious movements, as well as philosophers. Fresco attended many gatherings and became interested in different ideas. The Great Depression became the most significant period in his life, as it deeply affected him. He couldn't understand why millions of people were starving and living in extreme poverty while the world remained unchanged, with factories and resources in place. He questioned whether the societal rules were outdated and inevitably leading to destruction.

A few years later, Jacques worked in a social center that provided assistance to drug addicts, alcoholics, and troubled teenagers. However, he quickly realized that his work was meaningless in the long run. While helping one person in need, the system would generate a thousand more. He decided that it was necessary to search for and address the root causes of problems instead of fighting their consequences.

In his search for solutions and answers, Jacques Fresco traveled to the South Pacific Islands, where he interacted with indigenous people who still followed their traditional society's untouched ways. He recalls, "The islanders would walk around freely completely naked, and the men would respectfully interact with the opposite sex without staring at their naked bodies. During conversations, they always looked each other in the eyes. At that time, the first missionaries arrived on the island to teach the 'savages' and make them civilized. The Polynesians were very curious and willingly attended church, but the nudity of the locals greatly disturbed the missionaries. So, they started distributing t-shirts to everyone attending the church. The local women found the shirts uncomfortable and simply cut holes in the top part before confidently going to Sunday service. I once asked a local shaman about his thoughts on the presence of missionaries on the island, and he shook his head and muttered, 'They are evil.'"

Fresco was deeply struck by the way these people distributed their resources among themselves, which opened his eyes. He realized the catastrophic consequences of scarcity and how it influenced people's behavior and values. On the island, when the natives caught fish, they would simply go around and share it with everyone nearby. There was an abundance of fish, enough for everyone and even more. Problems arose when, due to various reasons, it became impossible to feed the entire tribe. In such cases, human behavior drastically changed, and people started hoarding, stealing, deceiving, and even fighting.

Another crucial factor that shaped Jacques Fresco's approach to problem-solving was World War II. He observed that the United States allocated vast resources to the Manhattan Project, developing weapons of mass destruction. The price was not a concern. It was the most extensive and costly project of that time. Fresco wondered why such resources and efforts couldn't be directed towards improving life and solving common problems. If such efforts were possible during war, why not apply them in peacetime, but not for destruction? He was disappointed by the intense focus of scientists on terraforming other planets while wars, poverty, and environmental neglect continued to plague Earth.

During his younger years, Fresco worked at a social assistance center, traveled, observed different societies, and discovered the flaws of the current system. This led him to develop The Venus Project. The project aims to create a resource-based economy, relying on technological solutions to meet human needs and reduce the necessity for human labor in production. Fresco believes that the current monetary system is flawed and leads to greed, wealth disparities, discrimination, and crime. He suggests replacing it with a system where everyone receives what they need without the need for money. Automation plays a significant role in this vision, as it eliminates the necessity for human work. According to Fresco, people would still be motivated to work because they would be free to pursue their own interests and passions.

Fresco's vision involves the redistribution of Earth's resources, which should be the common heritage of humanity, rather than the possession of a few individuals. He argues that the current practice of distributing resources through monetary methods is inadequate and inefficient for human survival.

Jacques Fresco began developing The Venus Project around 1975. His work builds upon the ideas of technocracy, advocating for a technologically advanced society. However, Fresco distinguishes himself from technocrats by focusing on building real systems with real models. The project has sparked interest and discussions, and it continues to inspire individuals dedicated to creating a more sustainable and harmonious world.