Great Thinker: Buckminster Fuller

R. Buckminster Fuller is one of the more colorful historical figures of the design and engineering professions. He was the inventor of the Geodesic Dome, the Dymaxion House, and the Dymaxion Car, among other truly remarkable and amazing innovations.

Who was “Bucky”? He was a visionary who used his skills to solve problems – big problems like hunger, health care, illiteracy, and environmental issues. He developed a tool, something called the “World Game” in which these critical problems would be addressed.

“Fuller's game was intended to be a tool that could be used by people around the world to understand and develop solutions to what he called the real enemies of humanity…” according to O.S. Earth Global Simulation.

He was a design science practitioner. In Buckminster Fuller's words, design science is a process where individuals or teams of people can "make the world work, for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone.""

His teachings live on in a problem-solving institute, called Design Science Lab. The following is an excerpt from the DSL website: "The Design Science Lab is a rigorous, hands-on training in the problem solving, planning and design methodology called Design Science, pioneered by Buckminster Fuller and other visionaries. Participants engage in a whole systems and anticipatory approach to develop strategies to solve global and local problems that is based on innovation and thrives on transparency. Learn more about this training at The Design Science Lab.

See the online exhibit, Dymaxion House, developed by The Henry Ford Museum.

There is an old, rare docmentary film titled, “Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud”, which is well-worth viewing and will provide one with a wonderful introduction to many of Fuller’s brainstorms.

Bucky Books, Etc. available through online stores.

The 2007 Design Science Lab Workshop will be held in New York City at the United Nations and United Nations International School from Friday, June 22nd to Friday, June 29th. Application Deadline: May 20th

Also see
BigPictureSmallWorld , a website dedicated to the issue of climate change, and
Buckminster Fuller Institute .