The Best That Money Can't Buy: Beyond Politics, Poverty, & War [Paperback]

Jacque Fresco (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2002

Jacque Fresco envisions a global civilization in which science and technology are applied with human and environmental concern to secure, protect, and encourage a more humane world for all people. This book offers a possible way out of our recurring cycles of boom and recession, famine, poverty, a declining environment, and territorial conflicts where peace is merely the interval between wars. It outlines an attainable, humane social design of the near future where human rights are no longer paper proclamations but a way of life. The Best That Money Can't Buy is a challenge to all people to work toward a society in which all of the world's resources become the common heritage of all of the earth's people. It is accompanied by 70 color photos of Fresco's original designs, which illuminate the fulfilling lifestyle of a global, resource-based economy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I must admit that I'm impressed - the book is beautifully produced." -- Arthur C. Clarke, author

"Original and holistic, this book stirs the mind, the heart, and the soul with its combination of vision and pragmatics." -- Dr. Arthur Shostak, Professor of Sociology, Drexel University

"This non-fictional watershed work ... is a prophetic, humanitarian blueprint for a new world." -- Forry Ackerman, author

About the Author

Futurist Jacque Fresco has written seven books and produced four videos detailing his vision of an attainable global future for humankind in our technological age. His background includes industrial design, human factors engineering, architectural design and construction, research engineering, and technical consulting. His works and ideas have been presented on numerous television and radio talk shows throughout the world, and articles about him have been featured in many national and international magazines and newspapers. Fresco has also created 'The Venus Project,' a twenty-five acre research facility in Florida which provides a practical demonstration of many of his design concepts and completed, fully-functioning structures.

Product Details

• Paperback: 166 pages
• Publisher: Global Cyber Visions (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964880679
• ISBN-13: 978-0964880672
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 10.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #927,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Utopia just in real time October 10, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

The Best That Money Can't Buy - Beyond Politics, War, and Poverty. In the context of these troubled times, the title itself seems the epitome of Utopian thinking. Within these pages, however, are not the meanderings of well-intentioned dreamers, but straight-forward analyses of, and solutions to, many of the troubles that continue to plague the world, in spite of - and often, under the present scarcity-oriented distribution system of advantage, because of - the vast technological achievements of the modern age.

Even the term Utopian rankles Fresco, who sees stagnation in the notion of a civilization that feels it has "arrived" at some sort of ultimate state of being. Rather, The Best That Money Can't Buy takes Utopia beyond an unattainable (and undesirable) dead end to an exciting, dynamic, and perpetual quest not for perfection, but for the next step in social development, pulsing with all the vitality of the unquenchable human spirit. The Best That Money Can't Buy takes all the most admirable, humane hopes and aspirations of humankind, dovetails them with known and developing technologies, and comes up with a comprehensive design for the future that surpasses any that have been offered thus far. Fresco's work doesn't just break new ground; he fuses it into glass viaducts to provide fresh water to the whole world.

Fresco's unique, streetwise background in behavioral science eminently qualifies him to identify the roles of culture and physical environment as shapers of much of humanity's past and present situation - and the surest footing for establishing a new direction for civilization, based on manageable data and enhanced communication, rather than the vagaries of philosophical remnants of an age of ignorance, scarcity, and superstition.

Fresco even takes into account the tendency of some humans to establish a pecking order of advantage by, for the most part, taking them out of the loop when it comes to making decisions based on their inevitable prejudices, psychological limitations, and an inherent lack of a sufficient knowledge base to render objective decisions that favor all members of society equally. Instead, Fresco leaves the arrival at (not "making" of) decisions to computers. An intimidating prospect to some, no doubt, until one considers the major roles computers play in things like landing jetliners safely or transporting one's messages across thousands of mile.

Particularly notable is Fresco's prescription for a new incentive system based on personal achievement and satisfaction, rather than on the shallow, socially divisive, and ultimately environmentally disastrous value system based on a ceaseless quest for exclusive access to ever more consumptive material possessions. The environmental impact (or lack of) under Fresco's proposed "resource-based economy" is profound, as are the social benefits. Producing the highest quality, most durable goods for common use by all not only guarantees the most efficient allocation of natural resources and energy, but has the potential to eliminate the vast majority of social ills born of the inequities of distribution so highly touted by champions of the present monetary system as one of its chief motivators of "incentive

A resource-based economy, as envisioned by Fresco, transcends the need for property and proprietary "rights" that present monumental roadblocks to cooperative endeavor. One need only consider the millions lost to the AIDS epidemic due to the refusal of pharmaceutical companies to allow the affected nations to develop their own, more affordable treatments; or the 13,000 who die each day from water-related diseases while private industry privatizes access to fresh water, to realize the inherent failures of the present property-oriented system to meet the basic needs of the human family

Any new line of thinking is bound to find its detractors in those who have found a measure of advantage in the current social arrangement, or even those who haven't, but remain culture-bound due to societal pressures and influences - especially those who hold onto the archaic notion that money is a viable instrument for rewarding contributive effort and distributing goods and services on the basis of whomever "deserves" them. Fresco's proposals are certain to raise the eyebrows, if not the hackles, of anyone who holds onto the notion of the "dignity" of work - a dignity which business, above all other spheres of human activity, has always been willing to forego in the name of faster production and expanded sales. Indeed, much of the psychological stress we see today is the aftershock of seeing one's usefulness rendered impotent by advancing technology.

The net effect of the Machine Age has been to elevate humans beyond the drudgery of arduous, dangerous work. Fresco simply extends this trend to the next level. While Fresco's work may appear threatening in its tendency to strip the human animal of its functionality, the trend is not of his making - but the proposals to manage technological change for maximum social benefit with minimal environmental damage are.

Good fences don't make good neighbors. They make selfish and uncooperative ones that in this age, where even one's thoughts are subject to copyright, can be a detriment to the information sharing essential to human betterment and progress. Fresco's thinking is not only out of the box; it's not even in the same warehouse. He cuts through the dilatory and inhibitive system of proprietary "rights" and leads the reader into an oft-mooted, but hitherto unrealized, distribution system in which all are not simply offered a chance for a leg up at someone else's expense, but afforded an equal footing simply because it's there for everyone.

The Best That Money Can't Buy is not for the faint at heart - but then, neither are the inevitable challenges of an increasingly complex world. Humankind can simply sit idly by and let a handful of elitists direct technology for their exclusive benefit, or they can themselves be the pioneers of a culture in which no one, and everyone, is elite. Perhaps bold works like this will dissipate some of the fog of scarcity thinking and embolden, and empower, more people to reach for that next level of understanding.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars World peace is possible and Mr. Fresco offers an indepth, feasible, practical and sustainable path to it. October 4, 2006

By C. Dickerson

Format:Paperback

Global peace is so very important as a goal we must leave no stone unturned in exploring the possibilities of making it real. Too many of us are trapped in the box of complacency and denial. Any American citizen should have enough common sense to realize that business as usual is not working, never has worked and never will work to develop world peace. Any Economic paradigm built upon a class system is inherently flawed. Capitalism, deceptive though it may be, is built upon a class structure. Just ask the indigenous native, the Hispanics, or descendents of the slaves in The USA.

No human being is a second class citizen whether they are a citizen of a nation or the world. No human being will ever accept second class citizenship status. How can any rational human being in this day and time not understand this?

The use of monetary economics is, practically, as old as human civilization and although peace has endured as the most common dream of humanity it has never been actually attained. A popular definition of 'insanity' is doing the same things over and over expecting different results. Capitalism is the epitome of monetary economics. Communism, socialism, Fascism all use money to regulate resource distribution and are but variations of monetary economics. Monetary Economics is manmade - Not God given - and it is flawed like any other creation of mankind!

Capitalism is most compatible with a Plutocracy (a wealthy minority controls government) and it is rational because the wealthy are the most adept at monetary policy and practice. We know it is a ruthless affair. In a system that thrives upon competition, and Capitalistic competition is dog-eat-dog at best, the winners rule. A Plutocracy just inevitably emerges within such systems. A plutocracy is not what the citizens of the United States admit to desire. Such systems divide the general population, creates strife and gross inequities. Deceit, fear and violence are required to maintain order is such societies. At some point in all of our lives we have probably wondered, "There must be a better way to live1". There is . . . but we must escape the trappings of thinking within the box constructed and maintained for us by the gatekeepers of our Economic establishment and the media. "The Best That Money Can't Buy", takes us outside the box and revives our dreams of world peace with a virtual guide to world peace that was relatively impossible much of the twentieth century.

Democracy demands an economic system of different stripes. Democracy cannot thrive in a Capitalistic society. It is just incompatible. What is wrong with our systemic methodology for determining who gets how much of what and what is our best alternative for a systemic adjustment that makes everyone a winner and allows democracy to thrive? . . .

Jacque Fresco's work breaks it all down and lays out a virtual blueprint for the kind of society we dream about the most. Don't give up on your dreams of peace. Dreams are what makes our world whatever it is and whatever it is to become. If we can imagine it - we can create it! Believe that and prepare to embrace a new strategy for peace, the end of needless human suffering and an abundant world with no losers.

Remember what they said about: the Airplane, electricity, space travel, and breaking the sound barrier? Ignore the nay-sayers and make peace real.

C. Dickerson

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solution to our Future May 18, 2002

By Marco Scorcelletti

Format:Paperback

A book like this was long in coming, but finally it is here! As a long time seeker to newer and better solutions to the problems our society is facing, I have never read such all-encompassing proposals as those put forth by Mr. Jacque Fresco in `The Best that Money Can't Buy'.

The ideas presented in this book are nothing short of groundbreaking and brilliant.Imagine a Society where Money is obsolete and no longer required, where technology is put full-force in service of mankind,and where all resources are declared the common heritage of all people.

This book goes against the competitive trends of Corporate Globalization which we are seeing today,trends which are slowly shrinking out the middle class and empoverishing vast numbers of people while an elite few are becoming ever-more wealthy.When the prime directive in our society is Profit rather than People, it is the inevitable result to have a constantly diminished quality of life, an erosion of our environment, and an increase in social unrest in all parts of the world.

Mr. Fresco has researched and studied this problem for the past sixty years, and this book contains a comprehensive blue-print for a new culture in which the development of humanity's full potential is put at the forefront, as well as an emphasis on the conservation of our Earth and it's natural resources.What is so revolutionary is the marriage of high technology with a people-oriented culture.A world For the people, By the people. The net result is a society where we are liberated from the oppression of constantly trying to survive, and are free to finally pursue the untapped potential that is in each one of us individually, and collectively as a species.

As Mr. Fresco has stated, `Our civilization hasn't even begun to get off the ground'.