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Movimento Zeitgeist Italia simposio 2010 - Federico Pistono, Daniele Mancinelli

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    [The Zeitgeist Movement Italy]
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    [in collaboration with]
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    [Il Movimento Umanista]
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    [presents]
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    [Federico Pistono]
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    [Daniele Mancinelli]
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    [2nd International Symposium "Foundation of the New Civilization" - Parchi di Studio e di Riflessione, 29–31 October 2010]
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    Let's proceed with the lecture in area 2: science and technology with Federico Pistono
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    He's film-maker, blogger, and IT expert. In 2002 He wins a scholarship for an international college,
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    in 2007 funds "Grilli biellesi", a nonprofit association of volounteers.
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    from 2008 he starts working in a media farm in Verona as a film director and web programmer,
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    in 2009 graduates with a degree in computer science and wins an international contest of bloggers and journalists.
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    Since May 2009 He's the italian coordinator of The Zeitgeist Movement
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    a social movement counting half a million members all over the world considered the activist arm of the Venus project.
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    In this report also collaborates Daniele Mancinelli for the technical part,
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    He has a degree in chemistry and pharmaceutical technology and worked on his master in molecular biology in Norway,
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    currently he's a research manager in the nutraceutical field.
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    The title of the lecture is: The Venus Project and The Zeitgeist Movement.
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    I'd like to thank the Human Centre for having invited us here
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    and for the opportunity to talk about our project
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    and our idea of society.
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    I also thank the previous speakers,
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    and in particular Professor Baracca for having pointed out a few problems in our society.
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    I'll try not to sin of pride
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    presenting a possible solution
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    to the problems identified earlier.
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    Technology advances at an exponential rate,
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    and yet our living conditions don't seem to improve accordingly.
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    Society seems to be paralysed by something that restrain and divert it.
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    So, how can a normal person, like me or you, contribute for the betterment of society and everyone's life?
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    How can we solve the problems that affect the human species
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    that we talked about before?
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    Let's have a quick look of the future of the human species and how you can help.
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    I want to say that the current economic system
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    kills true innovation and the development of human culture,
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    and that we have to learn to base our activities on the resources of the planet,
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    living in harmony with it, rather than destroying it.
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    That's all. We can all go home now...
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    OK, I'm here to share with you some very simple thoughts,
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    which too often are forgotten or misunderstood.
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    [Exponential graph]
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    This chart represents the exponential growth of technology through time.
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    There are no numbers because the purpose is just to show a concept.
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    [X Axis: "Time", Y axis: "Technological Progress"]
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    What does "exponential growth" mean?
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    A linear growth is when you add up the same relative amount through time,
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    but when you multiply a positive amount by itself, that's an exponential growth.
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    People confuse this idea with Moore's Law,
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    which predicts that CPU performance and the number of transistors,
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    double every 18 months.
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    It's an error.
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    The human species has increased its technological knowledge
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    which constantly doubles every 14 months for over 100 years.
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    The exponential growth started long before Gordon Moore was even born.
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    From the industrial revolution to mass production,
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    from punch cards to the **thermionic valves**
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    not only transistors, but DNA sequencing,
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    the reverse-engineering of the human brain,
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    number of inventions and discoveries, nanotechnologies,
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    mass communications, the ability to store information.
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    all these and many other aspect have risen exponentially.
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    It's hard to think in terms of exponential growth because our brain doesn't work that way,
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    it didn't evolve with that goal.
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    Try to imagine: 30 thousand years ago, in the savannah.
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    We're fleeing from a tiger that wants to eat you.
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    What's more useful to our survival?
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    Being able to think in linear terms, where the tiger will be 10 seconds
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    I mean, the tiger starts to run, 30-40km/h
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    or in exponential terms?
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    maybe those who think linearly will survive more.
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    Otherwise we start running to early, we get tired and the tiger... "gnam"!
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    So only the ones that made linear projections in the near future survived.
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    What does it mean reason in exponential terms?
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    This evolutionary heritage doesn't help much when we want to project ourselves into the future.
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    Here's an example: suppose I want to make reproduce a bacterial colony in this glass,
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    I now go to the lab and let it reproduce
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    so I feed it and every minute the colony reproduces.
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    Please, those who already know the story, don't spoil it
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    OK, every minute, this colony doubles in size, eating up all the resources
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    After 60 minutes the colony has filled the glass completely and all bacteria die.
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    Now, imagine the glass is empty. I put the bacterial colony, doubles every, after 60 minutes the glass is full.
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    The question is: after 55 minutes, what percentage of the glass the colony has filled?
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    Half? Less than half?
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    3.125%.
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    3.125% after 55 minutes. 6.250% a minute later, then 12, 24...
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    In 6 doubling we reach 120% and... all dead.
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    Now imagine this anthropomorphic bacteria.
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    They live and multiply for 55 minutes, they have meetings, then suddenly one comes out and says: "guys, we need a bigger glass!"
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    And they say: are you nuts?
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    "It's been 55 minutes, and we're only at 3%! Shut up, dude, we've still got hours left..."
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    4-5 minutes and they're all dead. That's exponential growth.
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    We're like the bacteria. 5 minutes on evolutionary scale and... we're all done!
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    But nobody explains that in these terms. It seems too simple, but it is that simple.
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    The economic system is based on exponential growth, in technology
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    but also in the trade of goods and services for profit.
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    We have to buy stuff that we don't need with money that we don't have.
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    Something doesn't work!
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    Thanks to this wonderful exponential growth, we can now enjoy all the comfort of modern life.
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    Medicine, computers, mobile phones, Internet, movies, airplanes, power plants!
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    Everything.
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    Technology allows us to do incredible things.
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    In the end, however, I need to ask myself a question. What makes my life meaningful?
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    Technology?
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    All the wonders of science and technology are nothing but thousands of tons of junk,
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    unless they serve to improve people's life.
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    Technology should free people from hard, monotonous, dangerous and repetitive jobs; and also degrading
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    to elevate them in a way that they can finally achieve their potential.
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    Sure, in our civilised world technological progress grows at an exponential rate, just look at the numbers
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    but I believe this chart is incomplete, and we need to draw another line.
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    [exponential and linear chart]
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    Here it is. This is the Zeitgeist line.
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    Zeitgeist is a German word literally meaning "spirit of time"
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    that is "the defining spirit or mood of society through time".
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    And we see that the Zeitgeist can't catch up. It's a linear trend.
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    Because we are not used to think exponentially
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    Our educational system is based on linear projections, linear way of teaching.
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    We don't update our knowledge at exponential rate.
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    The gap between the two lines become wider and wider.
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    This is a problem.
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    The culture, the Zeitgeist, can't catch up with technology. We see that every day!
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    Infinite economic growth is not only unsustainable but also ecologically deleterious.
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    The market system is not based on the intelligent management of the limited earth's resources
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    but on their constant exploitation for profit.
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    Infinite growth on one hand, finite resources on the other.
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    That doesn't work, sooner or later either of them must end.
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    An economist and all his theories... bullshit! It's that simple!
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    Don't think that because an argument is simple than there must be something wrong with it.
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    It's really that simple!
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    We have finite resources and seemingly infinite desires.
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    That's want you to believe it's true. But it's not. Something has to change.
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    Everyday we pollute lands, rivers, oceans, and most important people's minds.
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    There's only one reason.
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    I've been thinking about that and I've arrived at this conclusion:
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    we have forgotten what is relevant.
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    The only economic model that has a chance to succeed, in any society
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    is based on the management and preservation of the natural resources, not on money for sure, which is an invention.
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    Resources, on the contrary, are real.
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    This is what I've learned from the Zeitgeist Movement and the Venus Project,
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    and that's the reason why I decided to become the Italian coordinator
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    and dedicate my spare time to this project.
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    So the question is: How do we bring this line [the Zeitgeist]
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    to the step of the technology? avoiding so the collapse.
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    I think the answer is right before a simple word:
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    (the word is simple, but resolution is difficult)
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    "Education".
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    Education is the only thing can save us.
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    and here the Zeitgeist movement comes in his rule.
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    It is a social movement that points to a radical change of our values on global scale,
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    to raise the zeitgeist, or the spiritual culture of the society,
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    to a more human and sane level, based on earth resources,
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    on our scientific and technological knowledge,
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    and on freedom of people, that will finally dedicate to something
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    they feel more important for their lives, elevating their potential.
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    That's it. This is relevant.
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    Almost all problems that humanity is facing
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    are at the range of a technical solution.
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    no doubt about this, You can ask to any scientist that has done a minimum
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    a tiny bit of true research, on this subject.
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    Nobody will tell you that problems won't have a technical solution.
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    energetic problems would be irrelevant if we did not use a paralyzing system
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    That has to invest on non renewable resources.
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    We have solar nano photovoltaic cells that are efficient and economic too,
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    the production of solar energy has been doubling every 24 months since last 20 years.
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    Google and Kurzweil have forecast we're only 8 steps behind,
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    this means that with the trend of the last 20 years applied to the next 16, we will have achieved the whole earth production,
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    only by solar energy.
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    The offshore wind farm installations are increasingly a reality, and costs are repaid in few years
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    every week there are news of some new nation or corporation that has installed 50, 100 wind farms, more and more bigger.
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    They are more and more efficient, they repay costs in lesser time and produce more and more energy.
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    It's so obvious.
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    Portugal and the UK are already installing tidal power plants.
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    A form of energy which is not even mentioned, during energy conferences.
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    Free energy, from the sea.
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    A 2006 MIT study has shown that with today's technology, not therefore with speculative prototypes,
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    only with the geothermal energy, we could produce enough power to satisfy all of man's needs
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    several times, for thousand years.
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    The geothermal is an energy with very low environmental impact, and with the next generation can be reduced to almost zero,
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    and is now available everywhere. Italy is a country rich in geothermal energy
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    and we are not using it at all. It is simple: who makes money if it is an energy that doesn't cost anything?
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    Who's going to pay for that? Who makes profit?
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    When you create abundance, the profit disappears. Then the abundance is the enemy of profit.
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    Many say to me: "OK, energy... but we are too many on this planet!
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    We are almost 7 billion, and shortly 8, 9, 10 in 2050. How can we produce food for all?
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    We are already exploiting every part of the planet with a heavy subsistence farming,
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    there's no more space, no more food".
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    Do not believe this, that's not true!
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    OK, if we stopped eating like pigs every day maybe we'd solve the problem...
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    Jokes aside, a healthier diet would benefit us, eat less meat -like some decades ago-
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    Anyway.
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    Technically that's not a problem. A synergy of aeroponics, hydroponics and aquaponics
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    made in a controlled environment on vertical buildings
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    drastically reduce the ecological footprint and the demand of water:
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    we would save 90% of water and 80% of space if we compare it to traditional methods.
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    It would require no pesticides at all.
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    Pesticides and weed-killers are made with petrol. Don't believe to anyone saying that there's no space. That's not true.
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    [A question from the audience] "What's the name of these cultures you talked about?"
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    Hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics. These cultures do not need earth.
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    On the water, on air using water vapour, the roots absorb it
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    or you can have an integrated system, where fish and plants live in symbiosis
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    plants will commute their waste as a nutrient for fishes and vice-versa:
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    it's an integrated cycle. It works perfectly nothing is wasted.
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    No need for pesticides, oil. Abundance for all...
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    But why should we do it? Where is the profit?
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    I could go on with these examples, but you can find many free books, videos, publications about this technology
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    on our site: www.zeitgeistitalia.org you can find the links
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    to new scientist, nature, science, physorg, all detailed scientific publications wit the names of the authors
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    there's the singularity university at Stanford, that's working on these projects
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    on zeitgeistitalia.org you can find all references, at the end of the presentation I'll show the links, and a PDF will be available on the site
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    The problem is that people don't even know that these solutions actually exist.
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    All these technologies are here, at hand, in 2010, not in 2200!
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    But then, how's possible that even with these technologies our society is falling down?
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    According to a UN report of 2010, every 5 seconds a child die from starvation.
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    Another one is dead.
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    Think about what it means.
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    Today, we could provide food to everyone and more, but we do not do this.
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    Why?
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    For profit?
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    A question comes back to my mind: "What's does really matter? What makes my life meaningful?"
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    There are multinationals like Monsanto that actually patented life forms.
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    They sell infertile seeds to farmers, and these people find themselves to be trapped between lawyers and patents
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    and if they don't follow the rules, they're over.
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    These are the things that people must know.
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    To solve a problem, there are some basic and necessary conditions:
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    1. First of all, you must understand that there's a problem.
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    Otherwise you would think that everything's alright and if someone gives you a solution,
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    the reaction could be "A solution to what? I'm fine, what do you want from me?"
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    2. You must find a solution
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    Otherwise, you would just keep talking without doing nothing.
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    3. You must find an adequate number of people concerned about it.
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    Then you can start doing things for real.
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    Forgive my "quotation marks".
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    The first step is to get through mental scarcity,
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    and this is achieved with education.
    Broadly speaking.
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    Education is not only learn by heart the Euclid's and Pytagora's theorems
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    Education is about all your life.
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    Education is to know how to talk to people, how to be empathic.
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    Education is to know how to raise a child, know how to teach, know how to listen to what others have to say.
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    Education is all our life.
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    Don't be tricked by how they distorted words in the last years:
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    science = atomic bomb, education = go to school and take good grades
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    Nothing like that.
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    Many people ask to me: "So, the Zeitgeist Movement is only about education?
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    Why don't you start making something more practical? The first experimental city? When will you start gather some funds
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    to make the perfect city, where everything is recycled and people just come there and robots make everything?..."
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    When do you do something practical?
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    Asking questions like this just proves a person didn't understand a single word.
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    Imagine to take a native Australian
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    Let's make a "thought experiment" just like Einstein
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    Take this native Australian and "throw" him in the center of Manhattan, in Times Square.
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    Try to imagine how he could feel. Probably he will go crazy after 2 or 3 days.
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    Alright, now take a person who believes in the current economic system based on profit
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    and put him into a sustainable city, where everything is recycled, where people help each other
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    and he will go crazy after 3 days.
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    "Where is the police? Why aren't doors locked? Safety... ahhhh!"
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    Be serious. Before doing something
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    you need to understand why you are doing it.
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    From my point of view, we've got two options.
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    Option Number zero: maintain the status quo.
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    Keep things the way they are.
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    What is the world going to be like?
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    If we look at the trends, we can make predictions for the next 10, 20, 30 years.
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    I see a world dominated by a handful of corporations.
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    They will hold patents on everything: new ideas, inventions, technologies, medicines.
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    And life.
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    Technology will grow at a rate so fast...
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    (this is only the beginning and there's a significant increase. I didn't mark the next steps otherwise you wouldn't even see the blue line,
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    you wouldn't notice the difference with the X axis, while the other goes straight up, almost vertically)
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    Exponential growth doesn't seem relevant when you consider small numbers, but it goes out of control as numbers get bigger. It's unimaginable.
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    The gap between the two lines will be so wide that the average person will not have a clue of what's happening
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    "Oh God! I don't understand anything... ahhh!"
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    and will search an authority figure who would give security. More locks, more police, complete scan even on the train
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    Ah, yes! More locks on our doors.
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    More police.
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    Yes! Full body scan. Not just on airports, but also on train stations,
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    even in the public offices, if you have gobble a clip, they shot you 'cause they think you have a bomb...
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    Relax, relax.
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    In 20 year we'll have microchip small as a cell, and it will cost less than waste paper.
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    We'll have power to alter material at molecular level, at very low cost.
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    That means possibility to replicate anything only having basic information.
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    The question is: who control these technologies?
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    That's an handful of corporations?
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    Whose aim - i would remember it - is profit?
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    That's the army?
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    All knowledge is shared, in good science. If it isn't, it's bad science, and it's a kind of tyranny.
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    I don't like that: centralized power, minds ruined, resources destroyed.
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    all because of the profit mechanism and for not taking into account what is really relevant.
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    Finally, I'm sorry to say that, the possible extinction of the human species because of its inability to live in dynamic equilibrium with the environment.
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    I'm not a doomsday guy, but that's a realistic possibility, according to the past trends.
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    That was option number zero.
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    Now I'd like to introduce option number one, at least I'll try. I'm not saying it's an easy one or the right one, or the best one,
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    but surely it's better than option number zero.
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    We begin a process of cultural evolution that is up to date with our technological understandings.
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    Applying the scientific method, we gradually get rid of all the irrelevant beliefs and paralysing dogmas,
  • 32:43 - 32:49
    and base our activities on what the planet can provide,
  • 32:49 - 32:52
    not on what somebody arbitrarily wants.
  • 32:52 - 33:01
    All knowledge is shared, everything is crystal clear, everyone has access to resources
  • 33:01 - 33:05
    and available information.
  • 33:05 - 33:11
    Open source: free access, shared knowledge, well informed people.
  • 33:11 - 33:18
    In my opinion, it's impossible to prevent war, terrorism, crime,
  • 33:18 - 33:23
    without addressing the root causes that generates them.
  • 33:23 - 33:37
    Abundant resources, healthy planet, high quality education, high standard of living for everyone, not one human being excluded.
  • 33:37 - 33:41
    Not one excluded!
  • 33:41 - 33:47
    Not only 350 million Europeans, 330 million Americans, 130 million Japanese... no.
  • 33:47 - 33:57
    7 billion people today, 10 billion in 2060... everybody, the same high standard of living
  • 33:57 - 34:06
    I'm very positive about the future. Why? Because I'm a crazy idealist?
  • 34:06 - 34:12
    Maybe... the truth is I don't see any other options.
  • 34:12 - 34:18
    As far as I'm concerned, the only option truly valid in number one.
  • 34:18 - 34:22
    Actually I'm positive because I've got a memory.
  • 34:22 - 34:28
    Yep, I'm young but I wasn't born the other day, and I remember what happened in the past
  • 34:28 - 34:33
    and what I've seen, the change in our culture
  • 34:33 - 34:42
    Let's step back. Imagine. Imagine I go back to my professor of economy at college,
  • 34:42 - 34:53
    Simon Folley, English, 8 years ago, saying: "Professor, I've got an extraordinary idea for a new economic model.
  • 34:53 - 35:04
    Here's how it works: you take a bunch of people around the world with a highly qualified job,
  • 35:04 - 35:12
    and they work on a project for free, 20 or 30 hours a week".
  • 35:12 - 35:15
    At this point Simon looks a little bit skeptical.
  • 35:15 - 35:19
    "Wait, I'm not done!
  • 35:19 - 35:23
    what they create, they give it way to the world,
  • 35:23 - 35:30
    for free, instead of selling it. It's going to be a huge success!"
  • 35:30 - 35:42
    He would have thought I was crazy. Nevertheless, today we have Linux and BSD, free operating systems
  • 35:42 - 35:49
    running on almost every server in the world;
  • 35:49 - 35:59
    Apache, the most popular web server in the world, Wikipedia, the largest encyclopedia in history,
  • 35:59 - 36:06
    even more accurate than the British Encyclopedia and Microsoft Encarta, which both have paid teams of experts working on them
  • 36:06 - 36:12
    and the articles are less than one tenth compared to Wikipedia.
  • 36:12 - 36:29
    What's happening? Why these people, who already have a job, the technical skills,
  • 36:29 - 36:36
    during their limited spare time are willing to do another job, even more difficult,
  • 36:36 - 36:44
    not for their clients, but for somebody else, FOR FREE!
  • 36:44 - 36:52
    It's a rather weird economic behaviour, don't you think so?
  • 36:52 - 36:59
    In just one year, the Zeitgeist Movement has reached half a million members all over the world,
  • 36:59 - 37:10
    has produced two movies, a third one is coming out soon, two books, tens of recorded conferences all over the world.
  • 37:10 - 37:15
    There are hundreds of activist groups scattered in 100 countries, who translate material to their language,
  • 37:15 - 37:24
    organise meetings, movie screenings, discussions, create podcast, articles, music, art.
  • 37:24 - 37:32
    All shared for free on the internet, under a Creative Common license. All done by volunteers.
  • 37:32 - 37:39
    The Italian chapter has now 10,000 contacts and keep rising every day.
  • 37:39 - 37:53
    Then, the old concept that people only work for profit, and without the money incentive nobody does anything
  • 37:53 - 37:58
    maybe it's not true.
  • 37:58 - 38:05
    It's hard to break the old schemes, because we're prisoners of common sense.
  • 38:05 - 38:16
    It's difficult to realise that something we take for granted is actually wrong, and that reason is...
  • 38:16 - 38:22
    ... that we take it for granted!
  • 38:22 - 38:32
    For example, we are used to believe that for one's life is meaningful you need to have a job and make money.
  • 38:32 - 38:35
    When you meet someone you say: "How do you do? I'm Federico. What do you do in life?"
  • 38:35 - 38:39
    Meaning: "What's your job?"
  • 38:39 - 38:43
    Because it's not: "What's your job", it's "Who are you?"
  • 38:43 - 38:47
    How many times you really like your job and you wouldn't do anything else
  • 38:47 - 38:51
    and if they tell you: "You can do anything you want" you'd answer "I want to do what I do!"?
  • 38:51 - 38:54
    How many times?
  • 38:54 - 39:00
    One in 10, 20, 100?
  • 39:00 - 39:07
    Or the belief that some people are born evil, or competitive,
  • 39:07 - 39:21
    and that it's "human nature" to fight to survive.
  • 39:27 - 39:30
    I think that's not true.
  • 39:30 - 39:37
    and I say this because the latest scientific studies lead to just that conclusion.
  • 39:37 - 39:47
    In our brain, there are mirror neurons: we feel emotions and empathic stress in response to what we see in others.
  • 39:47 - 39:52
    It's part of our biology. I'm not making stuff up, guys.
  • 39:52 - 40:00
    We're programmed by natural selection to be empathic, cooperative, curious;
  • 40:00 - 40:06
    and not competitive, destructive and lazy.
  • 40:06 - 40:10
    But we have forgotten that.
  • 40:10 - 40:18
    We have to broaden our sense of identity, to all human beings and all the other living creature
  • 40:18 - 40:25
    that are part of our evolutionary family, and the biosphere as our community.
  • 40:25 - 40:33
    In the words of the great Carl Sagan: "We are one planet".
  • 40:35 - 40:41
    What we're celebrating with this lecture is the gift of human imagination,
  • 40:41 - 40:47
    the ability to imagine a different future.
  • 40:47 - 40:55
    As Sir Ken Robinson said, we have to careful and use this gift wisely,
  • 40:55 - 41:00
    to avoid some of the scenarios we have talked about.
  • 41:00 - 41:06
    And that's possible only if we realise the real value of our creativeness.
  • 41:06 - 41:12
    If we really are an empathic society, let's show our true nature.
  • 41:12 - 41:19
    Unless we leave our creativity to be repressed by the education system and the establishment,
  • 41:19 - 41:24
    we can open a discussion, from here, the foundation for a new civilization.
  • 41:24 - 41:38
    Let's start rethinking the role of the human species on this planet, a collaborative society is far too efficient than a competitive one.
  • 41:39 - 41:44
    Together we can lay the foundations for a new civilization
  • 41:44 - 41:45
    empathic
  • 41:45 - 41:47
    sustainable
  • 41:47 - 41:49
    evolving
  • 41:49 - 41:51
    humane.
  • 41:51 - 41:54
    Thank you
  • 42:26 - 42:28
    Any questions?
  • 42:34 - 42:43
    I really like the name of the Movement... Zeitgeist... spirit of time
  • 42:43 - 42:46
    in particular the word spirit
  • 42:46 - 42:51
    because it's in some way connected with spirituality, with something deeper.
  • 42:51 - 42:54
    I agree with everything you said,
  • 42:54 - 42:57
    the door is already open,
  • 42:57 - 43:04
    but I'd like to know, how do you see the spiritual aspect?
  • 43:06 - 43:08
    Thank you
  • 43:08 - 43:17
    Well, the movement has the aim to provide the social foundations
  • 43:17 - 43:22
    to give every human being the opportunity to flourish, in all their aspects,
  • 43:22 - 43:31
    education, social relationships, and also spirituality
  • 43:31 - 43:41
    and our priority is to make sure that everyone can realise their potential
  • 43:41 - 43:48
    and when one has access to the resources he needs, and no longer need to work to make a living,
  • 43:48 - 43:55
    because we can, through automation and advanced technologies, without any problem,
  • 43:55 - 44:02
    provide clean water, houses, energy and food for everyone;
  • 44:02 - 44:08
    if you were born in a reality that offers you, as one of your rights, all these resources
  • 44:08 - 44:16
    you could begin exploring your spirituality without being stressed because of work or because of people,
  • 44:16 - 44:23
    and when education will make you understand how to live in a proactive way,
  • 44:23 - 44:31
    how to think and call into question nature, life, everything you will learn, your spirituality, your world, the stars
  • 44:31 - 44:40
    when finally you will have the time for yourself, then you will be able to think to your spirituality too, and in a much efficient way than you could do today.
  • 44:40 - 44:45
    Today you have to "dematerialize" yourself from what actually makes you sad or stress in your everyday life
  • 44:45 - 44:51
    like work, for example
  • 44:51 - 45:00
    you have to meditate in order to push away your problems and, finally, be in contact with your spirituality
  • 45:00 - 45:13
    if you wouldn't have to use time and energy trying to eliminate stress, don't you think it would be easier?
  • 45:13 - 45:22
    What we actually think is that it is much more important to educate people about what we could do and how to do it:
  • 45:22 - 45:27
    Venus Project is not the end, but just the beginning of our path.
  • 45:27 - 45:34
    We don't see our society as a civilization,
  • 45:34 - 45:39
    a civilized society, indeed, will exist when everyone will have access to the resources they need
  • 45:39 - 45:42
    and when productions will be an automated process,
  • 45:42 - 45:46
    when someone will take care of his kitchen-garden because it is a passion, not because he would otherwise die of starvation,
  • 45:46 - 45:50
    when someone will have the chance to work as a artisan because he enjoys it,
  • 45:50 - 45:55
    He makes his sculpture, and then, since not to sell for a living
  • 45:55 - 45:58
    and maybe he will not be forced to sell his work, but he could even give it for free, as a gift
  • 45:58 - 46:07
    and making gift will give you much more satisfaction than keeping everything just for yourself
  • 46:07 - 46:11
    and that's why this is the only future we have, together.
  • 46:11 - 46:14
    People usually think of a dualism in our society: rich and poor.
  • 46:14 - 46:16
    The poor hates the rich,
  • 46:16 - 46:20
    and the rich fears the poor.
  • 46:20 - 46:22
    Thats's just wrong,
  • 46:22 - 46:26
    we need rich people too, and make them understand that the only way they have to be happy
  • 46:26 - 46:30
    is giving something, help other
  • 46:30 - 46:33
    and not because some strange mistic theory says that,
  • 46:33 - 46:36
    it's a scientific fact:
  • 46:36 - 46:48
    making a FMRI scan we can see how our brain responds to an action made for ourself and our profit
  • 46:48 - 46:50
    or when we do something for others.
  • 46:50 - 46:58
    The satisfaction you receive when you do something altruistic is much more deep
  • 46:58 - 47:00
    and we have to make people understand this.
  • 47:00 - 47:01
    If you look at rich people,
  • 47:01 - 47:09
    you will see that among them there is the highest percentage of suicides or the highest usage of antidepressants
  • 47:09 - 47:15
    because, since they were young, they were educated
  • 47:15 - 47:22
    to think that the most relevant thing is to make money, and that acquiring more goods will make them happy.
  • 47:22 - 47:26
    At the age of 30, 40, 50, 60 years
  • 47:26 - 47:33
    they see that their life is empty, and the only thing that they are able to do leads them to be even more unhappy.
  • 47:33 - 47:39
    So, why shouldn't we make them understand
  • 47:39 - 47:45
    concepts like sharing and cooperations, from now?
  • 47:45 - 47:51
    I think that this is spirituality too,
  • 47:51 - 47:57
    this is what we call "social therapy"
  • 47:57 - 48:00
    real education is an education of our spirit too,
  • 48:00 - 48:02
    an education on how to relate with others,
  • 48:02 - 48:04
    how to relate with nature,
  • 48:04 - 48:06
    with other species,
  • 48:06 - 48:11
    that we actually abuse like they were objects,
  • 48:11 - 48:14
    That's spirituality too!
  • 48:25 - 48:28
    Do you have any other question?
  • 48:35 - 48:40
    When will Zeitgeist's next film be released?
  • 48:41 - 48:47
    The next Zeitgeist's film, which is named "Moving Forward", will be released during January, in 2011,
  • 48:47 - 48:52
    it will be released in more than 20 languages and in more than 60 countries,
  • 48:52 - 48:57
    we will try to make it visible in some selected cinemas,
  • 48:57 - 49:01
    an event that Zeitgeist's member will organize in their cities.
  • 49:01 - 49:07
    Here you can find something about our project, everything is free
  • 49:07 - 49:16
    there are some DvDs of Zeitgeist Addendum and a multimedial introduction to the movement
  • 49:16 - 49:19
    and even some copies of the "Orientation guide for the activist"
  • 49:19 - 49:23
    and if someone is really interested I can give them for free, even if they are for my personal use
  • 49:23 - 49:31
    by the way, you can download them from the site in .pdf to print the book or buy it
  • 49:31 - 49:41
    at its cost price, we don't have profit from it.
  • 49:41 - 49:46
    I'd like to make a question to Daniele
  • 49:47 - 49:54
    "Hi, Daniele. I was wondering about
  • 49:54 - 50:07
    how your position in a big multinational affects your participation in Zeitgest Movement
  • 50:07 - 50:16
    I think you probably try to bring this "spirit of the times" in your company.
  • 50:16 - 50:26
    Well, other than the social therapy Federico was talking about,
  • 50:26 - 50:29
    it is really important that we educate scientists too
  • 50:29 - 50:38
    so what I wanted to ask you is how this can happen, and if you don't mind we'd like to hear something about your life?
  • 50:38 - 50:44
    "What lead me to join Zetigest Movement, was indeed my experience
  • 50:44 - 50:48
    because my "high" position at work
  • 50:48 - 51:02
    give me the opportunity to observe all detrimental effects that our system based profit and competitions between corporations brought to people
  • 51:02 - 51:03
    and my work associates are an example of this.
  • 51:03 - 51:05
    They are wonderful people,
  • 51:05 - 51:09
    great family men, and so on...
  • 51:09 - 51:11
    But nowadays they are forced to take horrible decisions
  • 51:11 - 51:15
    to "salve" the corporation they work for,
  • 51:15 - 51:18
    because they and many other workers depend from it,
  • 51:18 - 51:24
    so from this situation, I can understand that is not about evilness of people,
  • 51:24 - 51:28
    but the global design of a system based on profit
  • 51:28 - 51:33
    that generates the conditions for what companies are so selective, competitive and live and dominate without remorses, imposing their rules
  • 51:33 - 51:44
    because in a competitive system, who wins can decide rules of the game
  • 51:44 - 51:48
    and the winner is always the one lacking restraint
  • 51:48 - 51:56
    I saw many fair companies leaded by wonderful people going bankruptcy because they cannot sustain that type of market
  • 51:56 - 52:02
    our distorted view make us believe that people are selfish
  • 52:02 - 52:12
    but the reality is that our system only choose the most selfish and make them winners,
  • 52:12 - 52:16
    so we just see that minority
  • 52:16 - 52:28
    without seeing who doesn't win because he just wanted to do something for others.
  • 52:28 - 52:31
    But I can assure you that it's not like that
  • 52:31 - 52:34
    I work in this corporation and I'm always in competition with other researchers
  • 52:34 - 52:48
    and even when I tried to share something with them, like the Venus Project,
  • 52:48 - 52:56
    they didn't trust me,
  • 52:56 - 53:00
    because they thought it was just a way to "eliminate" them
  • 53:00 - 53:02
    but this way of thinking went against them
  • 53:02 - 53:04
    they expelled theirselves from "the game" by keeping the distances from me,
  • 53:04 - 53:11
    while I advanced from my researcher position to manager.
  • 53:11 - 53:16
    "So, you are the living being that collaborating is essential?"
  • 53:16 - 53:18
    Yes! The collaboration is the most efficient thing
  • 53:18 - 53:27
    and it's what I had to do to reach my actual position. To "fight" against other multinationals
  • 53:27 - 53:32
    I brought in Norway with me teo Italians,
  • 53:32 - 53:35
    we already trusted one another,
  • 53:35 - 53:38
    so we created a team
  • 53:38 - 53:42
    of just three people collaborating for the same objective.
  • 53:42 - 53:54
    That's the main difference with other multinationals that keep their 100 workers in competition
  • 53:54 - 53:59
    so everyone just work for himself, creating as a result, a 1%
  • 53:59 - 54:04
    against our 100% percent
  • 54:04 - 54:09
    because we work sharing our knowledge, we do not keep them for ourselves,
  • 54:09 - 54:12
    and that's something everyone can do,
  • 54:12 - 54:15
    it's just a matter of sensitiveness.
  • 54:23 - 54:27
    "Ok, another question"
  • 54:27 - 54:55
    "Did you thought about proposing something in schools, that most of the time kinda deform new generations minds?
  • 54:55 - 54:58
    Thank you, a very good question!
  • 54:58 - 54:59
    Yes, of course!
  • 54:59 - 55:04
    One of our GdL (workgroups) is "Education"
  • 55:04 - 55:13
    it's working on projects to realise a mini-guide for students and teachers,
  • 55:13 - 55:20
    so teachers can teach in a different way
  • 55:20 - 55:24
    and for primary schools' students.
  • 55:24 - 55:32
    starting from comics or something like that
  • 55:32 - 55:34
    becoming more complex
  • 55:34 - 55:43
    to explain concepts like collaboration
  • 55:43 - 55:53
    looking at nature, animals, stars
  • 55:53 - 55:55
    collaborating with each other in the discoveries
  • 55:55 - 55:59
    and also give lectures in schools are our priorities.
  • 55:59 - 56:17
    Even though the movement is relatively young it has been growing exponentially
  • 56:17 - 56:24
    now we have to understand what are the foundations to start from,
  • 56:24 - 56:28
    create workgroups able to work in different areas
  • 56:28 - 56:39
    for example, Video and Graphics workgroups for making flyers, stickers, PDF charts, T-shirts, and videos
  • 56:39 - 56:45
    The translations workgroup is in charge to translate material from English to Italian
  • 56:45 - 56:53
    and than we have the Formation workgroup who is developing a project called "My life in the Venus Project"
  • 56:53 - 56:58
    until now we have written two episodes and we're working on the third one
  • 56:58 - 57:01
    we have another editorial project, which is still under development, that should be published once every two months
  • 57:01 - 57:10
    it will be a selection of our stories, science articles and about argumenting and communicating.
  • 57:10 - 57:14
    In these episodes we imagine the future we are building. It could not be perfect, but it's surely better than the present.
  • 57:14 - 57:20
    Imagine that five years after the transition passt
  • 57:20 - 57:25
    in a world that is not perfect, but better than the current
  • 57:25 - 57:28
    We try to answer some questions like:
  • 57:28 - 57:34
    We will focus on how our life will be like without work, without the use of money
  • 57:34 - 57:41
    bringing people to say:
  • 57:41 - 57:45
    Imagine that you have to work. You need pasta, pomedori, we have them!
  • 57:45 - 57:47
    What do you do?
  • 57:47 - 57:53
    "I never thought about it, you know?"
  • 57:53 - 57:59
    "You just have one life. When would you think about this? In the next one?"
  • 57:59 - 58:02
    Our aim is to make people think how they would live and what they could do in a system not based on money.
  • 58:02 - 58:12
    one of many, of how a family could live, or a researcher or an artist.
  • 58:12 - 58:17
    How people would live in the venus project, in everyday life?
  • 58:21 - 58:24
    Exactly. First here (the head) and then the rest.
  • 58:24 - 58:35
    [I am very happy that the motto of the revolution of the 69 "imagination to power" we are still very active in 2011. Thank you.]
  • 58:35 - 58:36
    Thank you.
  • Not Synced
    "What will be my life like?" "What could I do?"
  • Not Synced
    [Introduction]
  • Not Synced
    and answering to that question:
  • Not Synced
    and because it is hard to understand now, we propose it by stimulating readers' fantasy
Title:
Movimento Zeitgeist Italia simposio 2010 - Federico Pistono, Daniele Mancinelli
Description:

Federico Pistono e Daniele Mancinelli presentano il Movimento Zeitgeist al II simposio "Fondamenti per una nuova civiltà" di Attigliano, invitati dal Centro Mondiale di Studi Umanisti.

http://www.zeitgeistitalia.org
more » « less
Video Language:
Italian
Duration:
59:37

English subtitles

Revisions

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