Venus Project and Laudato Si

The transition advocated by the Venus Project and the conversion exhorted in Pope Francis encyclical “Laudato Si” share some common ground.

Source: https://www.thevenusproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/tvp_smi1200_series1_2of10_commonheritage.jpg

Jacque Fresco, Founder of The Venus Project, comments that the only hope for developing a new civilization is to accept responsibility for improving our lives through knowledge, understanding, and a deeper comprehension of humanity’s relationship to natural processes of evolution. Our future is determined by the effort we put forth to achieve this transition.

The Venus Project proposes directing our technology and resources toward the maximum benefit of people and planet, and seeking out new ways of thinking and living that emphasize and celebrate the vast potential of the human spirit. We have the tools at hand to design and build a future that is worthy of the human potential.1 

In this sixth episode of "Understanding Laudato Si," Fr. Daniel P. Horan, OFM, explores the second half of Chapter Two. The four subheadings of Chapter Two examined here include the themes of: (A) The message of each creature in the harmony of creation; (B) A universal communion; (C) The common destination of goods;

and (D) The gaze of Jesus.

95. The natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone. If we make something our own, it is only to administer it for the good of all. If we do not, we burden our consciences with the weight of having denied the existence of others. That is why the New Zealand bishops asked what the commandment “Thou shall not kill” means when “twenty percent of the world’s population consumes resources at a rate that robs the poor nations and future generations of what they need to survive”.[78]2 

Laudato Si and the Venus Project both understand the earth’s resources to be the common heritage and responsibility of all peoples. The possibility of complementary action in acting on the direction of these projects is worth exploration.

References

1	(n.d.). What Kind of World (a series: #2 of 10) | The Venus Project. Retrieved June 29, 2019, from https://www.thevenusproject.com/multimedia/%E2%80%A8what-kind-of-world-a-series-2-of-10/
2	(2015, May 24). Laudato si' (24 May 2015) - La Santa Sede. Retrieved June 29, 2019, from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html