Design Science
Buckminster Fuller
The Engineer Who Thought in Centuries
Fuller asked a question most people find uncomfortable: what if we designed civilization the way engineers design structures — for maximum performance with minimum resource? His concept of ephemeralization — doing more with less — is one of the most generative ideas of the 20th century and still under-applied. He thought in planetary and multi-generational scales that make most current strategic thinking look like rearranging furniture. Visionary without being vague.
ephemeralizationcomprehensive anticipatory design sciencespaceship earthsynergeticsdoing more with less
Where to Start Reading
Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth
Short, urgent, and still ahead of most current thinking on civilization-scale design. The best entry point — readable in one sitting.
Critical Path
His most ambitious book — a complete systems analysis of humanity's strategic situation. Dense but rewarding for committed readers.
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. Build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”