In Critical Path, pg. xviii, Bucky wrote: “Ninety-nine percent of humanity does not know that we have the option to “make it” economically on this planet and in the Universe. We do. It can only be accomplished, however, through a design science initiative and technological revolution”.
It seems that by these words, by his 28 books, his Chronofile, his lecturing and teaching, Bucky placed education before, or at least on par with accomplishment of specific tools.
Bucky also stated: “earning a living is obsolete” “60-70% of all jobs in America…not producing life support” and “earth has 4 billion billionaires who have yet to be informed of their good fortune”.
Since Critical Path was published in 1981 design science has produced and widely, not fully, distributed: digital technology, cell phones, personal computers and access to the internet. We have fully entered the Information Age. Specific technologies, however, have not and can not deliver on their full potential because they exist in a system or context that does not allow it. Financial systems are based on the belief in scarcity and then produce it when things become too abundant. Case in point: OPEC (The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) restricts the supply of oil in order to keep the price up. Financial systems value scarcity most. That is why an old Bugatti automobile, easily outperformed by millions of more practical vehicles, is valued in millions, and the practical vehicles are valued only in thousands.
At present, we are well into an obvious failure of all financial systems on the planet. What began in the United States as a high foreclosure rate in subprime mortgages, has led to a general credit freeze, a bailout of the financial industry, a loan to keep the Big Three automakers from bankruptcy and is leading to a high foreclosure rate in Alt-A, Ninja and Commercial loans. A $50 Billion investment fraud has been uncovered. Financial breakdown has spreading to Iceland, Europe, Russia, China, India, etc. The less obvious failures of financial systems: 20 million deaths EACH year due to starvation; pollution of the air, land and seas; we build “labor saving devices” and then labor more than ever; working to “earn a living” and never getting to do what we love to do.
And while the financial systems self-destruct, the ability, the know-how to produce life support (the economy) continues to expand. And while the economic management systems (finance) breakdown, human beings suffer because life support is not fully distributed. All this because, as Bucky said: “We have a crisis of ignorance”.
I urge the Challenge jury, and each and every one of us, to consider the possibility that education and implementation projects that will support the shift of economic management systems from finance (based on scarcity) to systems based on the actual condition of abundance, is the most effective design science trimtab currently available, that can positively impact all humanity and the environment. This is something that each one of us can participate in.

William Daniels Copyright. Please distribute this freely for non-commercial purposes.
503-314-6902 I am available to speak, write on specific topics, etc.
wdinpdx@yahoo.com see: BillionsofBillionaires.blogspot.com; BFI.org; “Critical Path” by
3/6/09 R. Buckminster Fuller