Utopia or Oblivion collects the landmark lecture-essays of R. Buckminster Fuller into a single volume, pressing his central argument that humanity, for the first time in history, possesses the technical capacity to meet the needs of every person on Earth.
About This Book
Compiled from lectures Fuller delivered across the globe during the 1960s, this volume presents his most sustained thinking on systems, resources, and the trajectory of civilisation. The stakes, as Fuller frames them, are absolute: humanity can design its way toward universal sufficiency, or default into oblivion through inaction and short-sightedness. Far from technocratic optimism, these essays constitute a design philosophy — one in which architecture, engineering, and human ingenuity are the instruments of survival. Essential reading for anyone grappling with sustainability, the ethics of design, and the role of the built environment in shaping human futures.
Key Features
- 448 pages of lecture-derived essays on design, systems thinking, and civilisational futures
- Published by Lars Muller Publishers, 2021
What You'll Discover
- Fuller's argument that the material conditions for universal human sufficiency already exist — and that scarcity is a failure of design, not of resources
- How Fuller positions the designer and engineer as central agents in determining civilisational outcomes
- The philosophical tension between utopia as an achievable design objective and oblivion as the consequence of uncritical inaction
- A mode of thinking that operates simultaneously at the scale of the individual artefact and the planetary system
About the Author
R. Buckminster Fuller was an American architect, systems theorist, and inventor whose work ranged from geodesic domes to comprehensive theories of resource management and global design strategy. His lectures and writings positioned design as a discipline with the capacity — and responsibility — to address the full scope of humanity's material needs.
Specifications
- Format: Softcover with jacket
- Pages: 448
- Dimensions: 120 x 190 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 978-3-03778-622-2
- Publisher: Lars Muller Publishers
- Publication Date: 2021
Perfect For: Architects, designers, and theorists interested in the ethical dimensions of design practice, systems thinking, and the relationship between technology and human futures.