I found Looking Forward by Kenneth S. Keys, Jr. and Jacques Fresco a very interesting read. Partly for its intended purpose and partly because it was a look at the 21st century written almost 50 years ago.

Part I of the book deals with what is possible. While there are some solutions they propose that have so far proved to be not a good soltuion, the concepts are right on. They put a lot of effort into showing us what is wrong socially and politically that creates problems and wastes resources that, if used correctly, could give us the 21st century they describe. They go on to point out that while society seems willing to accept technology (super-sonic aircraft being such an example), society seems much less willing to accept social change.

Part II reminds me of a lot of things I saw in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The fact that this book pre-dates the series is, in itself, interesting. Anyway, in TNG people have the food they want, and so forth. They don't buy it, it is just available. People are doing what they want. Well, Part I of this book explains why and how this can happen.

Part II then goes on to show us how a couple in the proposed 21st century lives filling in the whys and hows along the way. To illustrate what is being presented, Scott and Hella, the couple in the example have just traveled to an undersea vacation complex in the Bahamas. Here the book explains the cost of staying there.

In certain areas, however, there is a small "cost" to be paid, although neither Scott nor Hella thinks of it in these antiquated twentieth-century terms. They know that this underwater complex with 4,000 apartments requires a continuous staff of three people to operate it. Since there is not a single paid employee in the entire twenty-first-century world, they know in advance that they may be expected to contribute an hour of their time for each month they stay. They look forward to contributing this service, for it furnishes them with new experiences. All jobs involving drudgery have long since been cybernated so they know they will not be asked to scrub floors or perform boring menial tasks. They will probably stand by to help in any way they are needed. Whatever they may be required to do, they know it will probably be interesting, if not challenging.

While there is a bit more central coordination than I am comfortable with, laws are gone. People get to make their own decisions. For example,

"Yes, I remember reading about the probabilities of a crash on the nameplate as we entered the craft," answers Scott. "There's no 'Big Brother' making decisions for us. We're given the facts and probabilities, and we make our own choices."

While this part is written from the point of view of a 21st centruy couple, it does not limit itself to what, to them, is the present. It both looks back historically and talks about the future. Starting from this new reference point, it is easy to see how many current happenings make no sense when judged from doing what is best for all.

If there is one thing this book is about, it is about replacing insane priorities with sane ones. This is not just on a scientific level but on a personal one as well. It is particularly interesting how the idea of "Life, liberty and the persuit of happiness" gets implemented not by a government that guarantees this but by the elimination of the need for governments that claim to be doing things with our best interest in mind.

This final quote is from Hella after she witnesses the actions of a group of thawed out 20th century beings.

"I suppose the thing that impressed me most deeply about them," Hella continues, "was the way they were driven so fiercely by their ego needs. I guess the scarcity conditions that set man against man accentuated the king-size egos we developed in our long evolution from the jungle. In trying to meet their ego needs and develop a feeling of individual worth, they got too concerned with their status in the eyes of others. They tried to nourish their starved egos with silly things like mink coats and diamond cuff links. They seemed to care less about being successful in their own terms; they were far more concerned with the appearance of success in the eyes of other people.

It is easy to see parallels between what is presented as the way to give us all a better with current medical science where we treat symptoms rather than causes. If you read the book you are more likely to be reminded of what is wrong with how it works now (and why) than to see that a better approach isn't already there waiting to be implemented. Besides the big picture presented, there are also a lot of things I saw discussed that have been on my list of concerns. For example, what can be best described as typical disfunctional parent/child relationships.

Being what I consider a scientific Taoist I have a particular way of looking at what is presented in the book. I expect my view are quite different from someone with a different orientation. I would be interested to see feedback from these people.