Hi,
I'm Stephan, from Quebec, Canada. I look forward to see this project develop, and as soon as it becomes feasible I'll be pleased to move into it. I'd be happy teaching or doing research over there (I've graduated in physics). I'd like to get involved more heavily, but the current system makes it hard to free time and make a living at the same time, unfortunately. For now, I'm working in my spare time on a local project of partnering with colleges and the university to encourage philosophical inquiry and debates on issues we face and possible alternatives, through a writing contest and a series of philosophical conferences and debates (that will also be open to the general public). It's still in its infancy, but hopefully that will work well and bring further awareness to the Venus Project and related initiatives. I'm also trying to match that with a musical show that could raise funds for TVP or whatever related cause the organization ultimately agrees upon, and that could perhaps be done in conjunction with the Zeitgeist Festival. Hopefully I'll find the right partners to help me with this.
To stay in touch, do not hesitate to befriend me on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/mentorforsuccess
Now, for the standard questions...
What do you do and/or would like to do in Atlas City?
Teaching and research (math, physics; general semantics once I've learned it); generating ideas for activism and public awareness; creating collaborations with academia; writing fiction and non-fiction.
What education do you have or would like to acquire?
I have a B.Sc. in physics (trying to raise enough money to pay my way back to do my Master and Ph.D.), and I have side training in real estate and a few other things. What education I would like to acquire? Well, the first thing would be to get my Master and Ph.D. in physics, and if time permits, I would enjoy learning more about General Semantics.
Are you interested in living in Atlas City?
Yes, as soon as it becomes possible.
Do you have skills to help build Atlas City?
No manual skills, purely intellectual. Living mostly in my head with few intellectuals around me, I must admit that my social skills are also limited (unless I feel at home on a rather intellectual level).
Have you decided what committee you would like to join?
Not yet. I'm not sure I can do much with my limited time (the rest being used to make a living) outside local activism and Web activism to make people aware of TVP and related alternatives. That will be different when I can free time and still survive economically.
Have you studied Resource Based Economies or Venus Project, what are you thoughts or concerns?
Yes, in part, but continuously learning more and thinking more about that, as time permits. Actually, I'm also studying technocracy, usology and amopie, although right now the Venus Project appears to me to be the best implementation of common core ideas and the most complete and well-presented. For the sake of general culture, even if I consider them as insufficient alternatives, I'm also studying social credit (Clifford Hugh Douglas, Evan Louis) and distributive economy (Jacques Duboin).
How important do you think health and diet is in Atlas City?
It's important. Logically, it makes no sense to harm oneself. People are free to eat what they want, but education should advocate healthy behavior and the City should only do organic agriculture without pesticides, insecticides or other toxic substances. I'm not against transgenic food, though, as long as proper research has been made and that transgenic seeds are proved harmless. I'm of the opinion that transgenic food is not good nor bad by itself; it just depends on how you use it. What Mosanto is doing is bad, but if transgenics is used in the same way as crossbreeding is used, except you achieve the same in a much shorter time and with less efforts, then I'm pretty confident it is safe, just like eating other crossbred food that didn't exist when man was still walking the plains of Africa. If you make the seed produce its own insecticide, though, or something like that, I would be much more careful about investigating true effects on health. That being said, if there is enough quality organic food to feed everybody, we can keep ourselves to organic. But I'm open to genetic manipulations if it is felt beneficial and useful, and research is made in all integrety without financial motives.
Are you motivated by money, or integrity, love, purpose and social contribution?
Money -- not at all! I find it alienating to be forced to care about it just to make sure I survive in the current system. If you want to inspire and motivate me, then show me a social mission, a genuine way to make a difference in the lives of others, to improve the world we live in and to spread love, peace and fraternity. And integrity is a necessary ingredient to the scientific method, and furthermore it's a basic value upon which respect and confidence is based, from which relationships can be developed.
Tell us anything else about yourself you would like?
I'm just fed up with the system I have to live in. The Venus Project is the society I've wanted to live since my years in primary school (in it's general outline, of course... I was a child!) and I was thinking we would be in such a society by 2000. We are many years over due, and I'm tired to feel like a stranger on this planet with ideas that are different. Fortunately, I'm not the only one like that and it makes me happy to see movements that rise and take action to create the humanity that I dream of. My only hope is that we'll go through obstacles and make it happen rather than be seduced by a New Deal like Roosevelt's in the mid-30's, while the technocracy movement was gaining popularity.
To know more about me and exchange more easily, do not hesitate to connect on Facebook.
Stephan
