Yup the Venus Project does raise a lot of questions, but I still think it could be attainable, perhaps by setting up a few trial cities, seeing how they operate, learning from the mistakes and then addressing feasibility concerns. It's such a great idea (and necessary - our society simply cannot go on as it is, most experts agree it's utterly unsustainable) that it seems a shame to completely dismiss it because there are (legitimate) questions of how it would be done. The idea may need to be changed or re-evaluated - and it may come inherent with dangers if the people involved don't simultaneously shift their attitudes and reactions to life and others, but I think it's a shame to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It's a world I'd like to live in
I agree that ideology is dangerous though. Ideology is a product of the human mind - it's abstract, conceptual and because the human mind is by its nature limited, any ideology ever created will also be limited. I think one of the biggest problems with humankind is simply being lost in thought, lost in concepts, ideas and mental abstractions, which come between us and experiencing life simply as it is, right now. So I think modelling society on an ideology is dangerous because no ideology is ultimately true (at best it might contain elements of truth, or a 'map' of understanding reality). I could be wrong, but I interpreted the Venus Project proposals as being driven more by practicality or necessity than ideology, in which case I think that's a better approach.
But I do share your distrust of ideologies and the way they are so readily abused. The ideologies that underpin our western world and so familiar to us that many people don't even recognise them or realise that they exist. Capitalism is very much the engine of our society and while on the surface it seems benign and fair, it simply can't continue indefinitely (we'll eventually run out of resources to exploit). I hope that by the time it's run its course, human consciousness has risen beyond its current level, so we don't end up replacing it with another outmoded ideology that will imprison our minds and souls.
Just my thoughts. V cool discussion!
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