Peter Joseph
This article comprises information on who he is, his media productions, books, lectures and art
Introductory Videos
Personal Webpage, Bio & Media Archive
Peter Joseph is an American Musician, Filmmaker, Author and Social Activist; best known worldwide as the creator of the award-winning “Zeitgeist Film Series” and founder of the 501c3 non-profit educational charity “The Zeitgeist Movement”, a social sustainability advocacy group which currently operates across the world. He also founded and curates the Annual Zeitgeist Media Festival for the arts and is on the Advisory Board/Steering Committee for “Project-Peace on Earth“. His most recent works include the 2017 book The New Human Rights Movement, published by BenBella books. Production is also underway for the first of a live action film trilogy called InterReflections, due in 2018. [View Trailer]
In 2013, Peter Joseph was hired to direct the Official Music Video “God is Dead?” by Rock Hall of Fame artist Black Sabbath. The nearly 9 min. video was composed of segments from The Zeitgeist Film Series, at Ozzy Osborne’s and the band’s request.
Joseph has lectured around the world, including the UK, Canada, Germany, America, Brazil & Israel, on the subjects of cultural/social sustainability, the importance of critical thought, and the social role of the arts and scientific literacy. He was a featured speaker at the 2011 Leaders Causing Leaders Conference [Lecture Here] and his work has been profiled in the New York Times, Vice, The Huffington Post, The Marker, Free Speech TV, The Young Turks, The Examiner and many other media outlets. He has participated in multiple TEDx Events, has worked with The Global Summit and is also a frequent social critic on the news network Russia Today. He has appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, Thom Hartmann’s The Big Picture, Watching The Hawks, BoomBust, Redacted Tonight with Lee Camp, The David Pakman show, Christopher Ryans “Tangentially Speaking” podcast, Telesur’s Empire Files with Abby Martin, The Jimmy Dore Show and others.
Apart from ongoing feature film projects, Joseph launched a free, TV style web-series called Culture in Decline in July of 2012, which has been translated into over 25 languages with millions of online views. A pioneer in free, open-distribution media, Joseph’s work supports non-profit, unrestricted syndication via free online viewing and free downloads. He conducts such work via his production company: Gentle Machine Productions LLC. He was also a judge in the 2015 USFUCA Worldwide Youth Contest.
As far as activism, apart from The Zeitgeist Movement, he identifies, in part, with emerging counter-culture organizations, such as Occupy Wall St. and has spoken at official OWS gathers in Los Angeles and New York City, along with smaller ones as well. His films have been mentioned in conjunction with Occupy in many contexts, including “Film for Actions” editorial: The Top 10 Films that Explain Why the Occupy Movement Exists, along with “A Movie Guide to Occupy Wall Street” by Laurene Williams.
Joseph is also an active musician and performs around Los Angeles, CA where he currently resides. In short, Joseph’s broad focus is on media related expressions with the intent of affecting society in a positive way.
Early Life
Joseph was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. The son of a social worker and a mail-man, his early life comprised a fairly traditional, middle class upbringing. He has commented that his mother’s social work working the extreme poor of rural North Carolina was an inspiration for his social activism years later.
Then being the youngest percussionist ever accepted into the University of North Carolina’s School of the Arts, Joseph began his academic music career at the age of 12. He later moved to New York City to attend the New School for Social Research with the intent of pursuing a life in solo classical percussion performance. However, the student debt generated from only 2 years in the institution proved to be unsustainable for the family, with Joseph leaving the institution — never returning.
The incorporation of the semi-pseudonym “Peter Joseph”, his actual first and middle name, was a response to the release of his first film, “Zeitgeist: The Movie”, which was widely noted as “the most downloaded video in internet history”, with today an estimated 300 million views. Due to the controversial content of the experimental work and its popularity, ongoing threats of physical harm by many in disagreement with the film’s content, persuaded the decision to shift his name at that time. Today, as things have settled, the name Peter Joseph has resulted as his recognized title as a public figure. He has spoken of this development in many interviews, dismissing negative speculation.
In 2002, Joseph self-released an album of J.S. Bach transcriptions for Marimba entitled “The Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue”. This album has now been re-released and can be listened to free online. The title track composition “The Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue”, originally for harpsichord, is the first and only known recorded arrangement of the famous work for solo marimba.
Overall, Joseph’s professional life before the release of the globally recognized film “Zeitgeist: The Movie”, was a combination of freelance musical collaboration, private equity trading & film production for predominantly advertising agencies in New York City. Disliking the advertising industry greatly, he has commented that his interest to remove himself from the traditional labor system led him to private equity trading as a means for independence. However, learning more about economics in this process over 6 years, this activity in turn sparked a profound disdain for the financial system and its mechanics as a whole, which later contributed to his view that the financial system of the world is inherently corrupt. These points are also common to the work of The Zeitgeist Movement. [Interview Source]
The New Human Rights Movement
In March 2017, Joseph published (via Benbella books) an extensive work on social theory and public health, titled “The New Human Rights Movement”. This book reveals the critical importance of a unified activism in a new direction, through understanding and working to alter the inherent injustice of our social system. It not only warns against what is in store if we continue to ignore our broken society, but also reveals the positive future possible if we succeed. Read the full introduction. Read a review by the New York Journal of Books.
InterReflections Trilogy
In a Sept. 2012 Press Release, Joseph announced the start of a new Trilogy series. This work, set to begin in 2013 (Now changed to 2014 due to budget/technical issues) is titled InterReflections. This non-documentary, live action work has not been discussed in any detail, minus an interview with comedian Lee Camp and a follow up on Russia Today’s” Breaking The Set” with Abby Martin.
Beyond that, Joseph stated in his Press Release that “The new film set is, indeed, born out of my prior series in that the nature of the subject matter is similar by extension. However, as a filmmaker, I have changed my view regarding what really inspires people and I feel the ‘abstract arts,’ if you will, rather than mere cold academia, hold a powerful place in changing people. We can tell people technical data all day long and some will absorb it… but the arts have a mysterious way of sneaking behind people’s values and planting seeds for new ideas. Apart from the feature film series and my online satire expression: ‘Culture in Decline,’ I also curate an annual media festival in Los Angeles — The Zeitgeist Media Festival — which is based upon similar issues. I try to walk the line between art and intellect, academia and poetry. Balance is key.”
The Zeitgeist Movement
Near the end of Zeitgeist: Addendum, a call to action in the form of joining “The Zeitgeist Movement” was put forward, with Joseph later describing his mild hesitation to create it. In 2009, months after the release of Addendum the first formal “Zeitgeist Day” (ZDAY) occurred in New York City to a sold out audience of 900, with over 1,000 others mirroring the event globally in 70 countries. This event was covered by the New York Times and presented ideas for a new social system: a Resource-Based Economy. A Q&A including The Venus Project’s Jacque Fresco & Roxanne Meadows followed.
While the initial materials of The Zeitgeist Movement referred to its association with The Venus Project as that of an “Activist Arm”, Joseph clarified after the split in 2011 that this “did not imply that The Zeitgeist Movement existed to merely support the professional or personal whims of Jacque Fresco and his associates.” He continues: “In hindsight, The Zeitgeist Movement was officially born when it split from The Venus Project in 2011 and the progress and maturity since then has been profound. However, I do not speak for TZM with these points. These are only my personal views and while I might have founded TZM with The Venus Project in mind, TZM now has a life of its own at this stage.”
Since 2009, The Zeitgeist Movement has gained global recognition. It’s annual event days have continued, with the 2013, 5th Annual Zday occurring in Los Angeles, CA to a sold out audience featuring a global array of speakers on the subject of sustainability and new approaches to human organization.
Zeitgeist: The Movie
In July of 2007, Joseph performed a solo percussion work including video and tape called “Zeitgeist”. This vaudevillian style piece had a 6 night run in lower Manhattan. This free and open to the public event was never well documented in video, absent a surfacing short segment via a camera phone years later. He has described the work as a “catharsis” with no intent at that time for any professional/public release, post performance. [Source]
However, upon completion, at the suggestion of a friend noticing the increasing video presence on the internet at that time, specifically Google Video, the raw video and audio of “Zeitgeist” was uploaded.
With no real promotion, the video, haphazardly titled “Zeitgeist: The Movie” began to go viral, achieving 10s of millions of views in the first year alone. Today, it is virtually impossible to obtain a total online view count since Google Video reset its counters and later shut down its service; coupled with the 1000s of reuploads, torrent DVD downloads and the like. The work can be found translated into almost 100 languages as of 2013 and has taken a life of its own. Today, a Google search for “Zeitgeist The Movie” brings up over 10 million page results, with about 60,000 phrase searches conducted each month — 6 years after its initial release.
In Sept. of 2007, the “I’VE SEEN FILMS” International Short Film Festival & famed acting icon Rutger Hauer brought the film and Peter Joseph to Milan Italy for a special screening and personal award. Interestingly, years later, Rutger Hauer presented a short film of his own at the 2012 Zeitgeist Media Festival, started by Joseph, dedicated to media activism.
Months after its rise to internet fame in 2007, the Artivist Film Festival took notice and invited Joseph to formally premiere the film in Hollywood at their 4th annual festival. They gave the film their highest award. Joseph’s acceptance speech can be found here. Since that time, “Zeitgeist: The Movie” (and Peter Joseph) has been a hub for controversy, speculation, praise and criticism. Claims of disproving the information presented in “Zeitgeist: The Movie” have been prolific, along with many bizarre claims about its purpose and meaning. From deep rejection of the historical roots of religion presented, to extreme accusations of being apart of a media conspiracy for “disinformation,” to even belligerent, extreme claims of “anti-semitism” and the inspiring of violence.
Peter Joseph has frequently responded to such claims with great humor, denoting the absurdity inherent. He notes that the reality of “Zeitgeist: The Movie”, its sourcing, truth and function, can be found in the free 220 page Companion Source Guide — A detailed text sourcing everything in the film which, to the present day, has been ignored by the so-called “debunking community” in their ongoing attempts to refute the films claims or discredit Joseph.
Since then, Joseph has maintained that “Zeitgeist: The Movie” is not about religion, war, 9/11, so-called “conspiracy” or anything of such. It is about the “Zeitgeist” of the time, specifically the mythology present in many people’s assumptions, traditions and beliefs. He has stated publicly that he is open to personal debate with anyone in notable academic circles at any time and has nothing to defend as everything to support his film’s points are valid by “reputable sources” and “basic logic”.
Today, years later, the once mainstream blacklisted “Zeitgeist: The Movie” has made it into traditional media outlets, such as large-reach online video resources like Netflix.
Zeitgeist: Addendum
A little over a year after the global recognition and controversy of “Zeitgeist: The Movie”, Joseph produced a sequel titled Zeitgeist: Addendum. This work, which officially premiered at the 2008 Artivist Film Festival (again winning its highest award), featured former “Economic Hit-man” and New York Times best selling author, John Perkins, along with The Venus Project, an organization for social redesign created by engineer and industrial designer Jacque Fresco.
Diaky Diaz, curator of the Artivist Film festival stated at that time: “Director Peter Joseph demonstrates the ability to take risky subject matter and turn it into a visually, emotionally, and intellectually compelling case for a greater point of view,” states Diaky Diaz. “Millions of people gravitated toward Peter’s first film. We are excited that this year’s Artivist Film Festival will provide a platform to once again, pique the curiosity of millions of viewers and continue the dialogue about topics concerning Americans and citizens worldwide.” [Source]
Zeitgeist: Addendum was born out of the public request for possible solutions to the cultural issues presented in Peter Joseph’s first work. So, building upon the topics of social distortion and corruption, Addendum moved to also present possible solutions. In turn, it began a multi-year collaboration with Jacque Fresco of The Venus Project and the creation of The Zeitgeist Movement.
Zeitgeist: Moving Forward
With what might have been the largest, 100% independent theatrical release in history, the 2011, final film of the Zeitgeist Trilogy, “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward”, was released in 341 theaters across 60 countries and in over 25 languages. This non-profit release returned 0% income to Peter Joseph and any money that was gained was given directly to the independent organizers who hosted the screenings.
Featuring a vast range of academic interviews, from Dr. Robert Sapolsky to Dr. James Gilligan, “Moving Forward” worked to bring what Joseph routinely calls the “Train of Thought” to the viewer.
Premiered by the Artivist Film Festival in a special event held in Los Angeles, Zeitgeist: Moving Forward was picked up and honored by dozens of film festivals, winning about 27 awards. The film has been shown on many major networks globally and has also been absorbed into main mainstream outlets. As of mid 2013, the view count for the main upload was over 20 million. It was also featured on the 2011 season of the hit Italian Show “Il senso della Vita”
Culture in Decline
“Culture in Decline” is his 30 min., Bi-Monthly Web-Series and as with all of Joseph’s video work, it is part of a Free Distribution Media Project that allows open, non-profit distribution of his film media across the world. The Series’ central viewing medium is YouTube, via the “Culture in Decline” Official Channel. The first episode of the first season called “What Democracy?” premiered on July 29th 2012. As of mid 2013 the Channel has over 4 million views and 30,000 subscribers. The first season ends July 2013. The 1st Season is also on iTunes.
As per the Website, the series is described as “a satirical yet serious expression that challenges various cultural phenomena existing today which most of society seem to take for granted. Nothing is considered sacred in this Series except for a detached benchmark of fundamental logic and reason — forcing the viewer to step out of the box of “Normality” and to consider our societal practices without traditional baggage and biases. Common themes include Politics, Economics, Education, Security, Religion, Vanity, Governance, Media, Labor, Technology and other issues centric to our daily lives.”
Its first season featured notable comedians such as Rick Overton, Lee Camp and Katie Goodman.
The Zeitgeist Movement
Our Mission Statement
Founded in 2008, The Zeitgeist Movement (TZM) is a sustainability and public health advocacy organization.
It conducts research and activism through a network of regional chapters, public events and various forms of educational media.
The focus includes recognizing that the majority of the modern world’s social problems, including mounting ecological crises and destabilizing economic inequality (oppression, poverty, conflict, corruption, etc.) is not an inevitable outcome of our civilization. Rather, TZM sees these issues as consequential symptoms of an outdated social system.
While common reforms and general community support to improve conditions are of interest to TZM, working to galvanize the population in a move to change the very nature of our social system itself is the goal.
In this, a central criticism has been in addressing the inefficient nature of market-based economics or capitalism itself. TZM concludes that without a dramatic move away from the incentives and structural dynamics of the market system, there is little hope today for further, relevant improvements in the areas of human rights, ecological sustainability and general public health.
Supporters refer to the model promoted by TZM as a “Natural-Law Resource-Based Economy”. This model is inferential, derived from modern principles of scientific, sustainable earthly management, along with contemporary findings in social and epidemiological research.
TZM’s interest in change is global.
It has no allegiance to country or traditional political platforms. It views the world as a single system and the human species as a single family. It recognizes that all countries must disarm and learn to share resources and ideas if we expect to survive in the long run. Self-interest must become social-interest and the solutions arrived at and promoted are in the interest to help every human being.
FAQ
How does TZM view our major social problems today?
TZM is different from most activist communities and political/social movements in the world today, due to the way we view the majority of the societal problems and their causes. We see it as structural.
In short, the socioeconomic system itself is regarded as the root cause of persistent negative societal outcomes, with human behavior and its resulting effects — corruption, pollution, wars, waste, exploitation, and hence, distortion of values and psychology — seen as symptoms of this fundamental root source.
Media Productions
ABOUT:
The Zeitgeist Film Series is about examining the world we share, the values we hold, the problems we face, along with what we can do to make it better.
As the word “Zeitgeist” implies, we are dealing with the “intellectual, spiritual, cultural awareness of the time” and the goal of this project is to explore what makes us who we are, how we relate, what we are doing and what we should be doing if we wish to live in a peaceful, humane, sustainable and healthy global society.
The premise of “Zeitgeist: The Movie” is not what many assume. The original Zeitgeist was not a film, but a performance piece, which consisted of a vaudevillian style multi-media event using recorded music, live instruments and video. [The only known (camera phone) recording is posted here.] The event was given over a 6-night period in New York City and then, without any interest to professionally release or produce the work, was “tossed” up on the Internet arbitrarily. The work was never designed as a film or even a documentary in a traditional sense — it was designed as a creative, provoking, emotionally driven expression, full of artistic extremity and heavily stylized gestures. (For more about the evolution of “Zeitgeist, The Movie” please see the Q & A at www.zeitgeistthefilm.com )
However, once online, an unexpected flood of interest began to generate. Within 6 months over 50 Million views were recorded on Google Video counters (before they were reset for some reason). Suddenly “Zeitgeist” the event, became “Zeitgeist: The Movie”.The current combined estimates put the number of Internet views at over 300 million as of 2013.
In turn, the decision was made to make a follow up in 2008 entitled “Zeitgeist: Addendum”. (www.zeitgeistaddendum.com) Originally this was going to conclude the Series, introducing ideas of resolve for some of our ongoing social problems. Yet, this work succeeded in sparking a mass shift of attention, inspiring the development of an activist organization now called The Zeitgeist Movement. This Movement, founded by Peter Joseph, now works globally to spread information about a new social reform ideas. However, this is an aside for the Zeitgeist Film Series, while an inspiration for The Movement which shares the term “Zeitgeist”, is not to be confused with the content / views of the films in detail, which are personal to Peter Joseph alone. The Zeitgeist Movement is an economic/sustainability movement at its core and its relationship to the Film Series content is not in tandem.
On January 15, 2011, the third of the series, “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward”, was released independently in over 60 countries and in over 30 languages with over 340 screenings worldwide. Likely the largest independent documentary release of it kind in history. This more traditional, interview based documentary focuses on the very fabric of the social order: Monetary-Market Economics.
While the majority of the world today have slowly come to see some basic flaws in the economic system we share, as large scale debt defaults, inflation, industrial pollution, resource depletion, rising cancer rates and other signposts emerge to bring the concern into the realm of “public health” overall, very few however consider the economic paradigm as a whole as the source. The tendency is to demand reform in one area or another, avoiding the possibility that perhaps the entire system is intrinsically flawed at the foundational level. ZMF presents the case that it is, indeed, the very foundational mechanics of this system that generates the patterns of behavior and unsustainable methods of conduct that are leading to the vast spectrum of detrimental consequences both personal, social, and environmental and the longer they go on, the worse things will become.
In 2011, it was announced that a 4th film of the series would be create in the future, called “Zeitgeist: Beyond The Pale” However, this has been reconsidered due to newer ideas for the project and it was decided that The Zeitgeist Film Series as a form would close as a Trilogy, with Beyond The Pale turning into the beginning of a New Series in the same light, but in a different manner. This is now called Interreflections.
In 2012, Peter also began to host his own free, online, satirical Web series called “Culture In Decline”. This Bimonthly show features interesting personality and comedic commentary which has received critical acclaim.
“Culture in Decline” is a 30 min., Bi-Monthly Web-Series created and hosted by Peter Joseph. As with all of Peter’s video work, it is part of a Free Distribution Media Project that allows open, non-profit distribution of his film media across the world. The Series’ central viewing medium is YouTube, via the “Culture in Decline” Official Channel.
“Culture in Decline” is a satirical yet serious expression that challenges various cultural phenomena existing today which most of society seem to take for granted. Nothing is considered sacred in this Series except for a detached benchmark of fundamental logic and reason — forcing the viewer to step out of the box of “Normality” and to consider our societal practices without traditional baggage and biases. Common themes include Politics, Economics, Education, Security, Religion, Vanity, Governance, Media, Labor, Technology and other issues centric to our daily lives.
The Pilot Episode of Culture in Decline, “What Democracy?” was met with great praise from various Counter-Culture Icons, such as Comedian Joe Rogan, who stated:
“Peter Joseph is asking the questions and proposing the possible solutions that we should be demanding from the elected leaders of this crazy world. His brilliant analysis of this ridiculous system we’re operating under is one of the most important voices for change in this generation.”
-Joe Rogan
Support for “Culture in Decline” is achieved through voluntary Donation. If you wish to support this ongoing work and hence the free Torrents and Downloads, please go here.
A New Film Series by Peter Joseph, Creator of the World Renowned Zeitgeist Film Trilogy
InterReflections is an experimental, mixed genre narrative feature film by Peter Joseph, adapted from his book The New Human Rights Movement.
This is the first of a trilogy series about a fictional global revolution. Taking place in three time frames, the through-line is connected by the story of Concordia — a hacktivist origination comprised of high-ranking military defectors from around the world. They seek to stop further destabilization of the world in the mid 21st century by strategically shifting technological focus from “weaponry” to “livingry”. Over the course of the three films, the audience will be taken on a journey of global (and intellectual) transformation, while highlighting the real world social potentials (and problems) we have or are on pace to having as time unfolds.
Books
The Zeitgeist Movement Defined
The official, representative text of the global not-for-profit sustainability advocacy organization known as The Zeitgeist Movement (TZM). This is a 320-page guide defining all of the core ideas of The Movement, documented with over 800 sources.
This tediously sourced and highly detailed work argues for a large-scale change in human culture, specifically in the context of economic practice. The dominant theme is that the current socioeconomic system governing the world at this time has severe structural flaws, born out of primitive economic and sociological assumptions originating in our early history, where the inherent severity of these flaws went largely unnoticed.
However, in the early 21st century, these problems have risen prominently, taking the consequential form of increasing social destabilization and ongoing environmental collapse. Yet, this text is not simply about explaining such problems and their root causality — It is also about posing concrete solutions, coupled with a new perspective on social/environmental sustainability and efficiency which, in concert with the tremendous possibility of modern technology and a phenomenon known as ephemeralization, reveals humanity’s current capacity to create an abundant, post-scarcity reality.
While largely misunderstood as being “utopian” or fantasy, this text walks through, step by step, the train of thought and technical industrial reordering needed to update our global society (and its values) to enable these profound new possibilities. While this text can be read strictly from a passive perspective, it was created also to be used as an awareness or activist tool. The Zeitgeist Movement, which has hundreds of chapters across dozens of countries and is perhaps the largest activist organization of its kind, hopes those interested in this direction will join the movement in global solidarity and assist in the culmination of this new social model, for the benefit of the whole of humanity.
Note: This text is produced for sale in paperback and proprietary ebook form only at the exact cost of publishing and nothing more. It is a non-profit text which is also available for open, non-commercial distribution in whatever form, as protected by its associated Creative Commons License (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International). One may view this text online for free as well at TZM’s global website.
Opening Quote
“The tremendous and still accelerating development of science and technology has not been accompanied by an equal development in social, economic, and political patterns…We are now…only beginning to explore the potentialities which it offers for developments in our culture outside technology, particularly in the social, political and economic fields. It is safe to predict that…such social inventions as modern-type Capitalism, Fascism, and Communism will be regarded as primitive experiments directed toward the adjustment of modern society to modern technology” — Dr. Ralph Linton
Contents
Preface
Part I: Introduction
1: Overview
2: The Scientific Worldview
3: Sourcing Solutions
4: Logic vs Psychology
5: The Case for Human Unity
6: The Final Argument –Human Nature
Part II: Social Pathology
7: Defining Public Health
8: History of Economy
9: Market Efficiency vs Technical Efficiency
10: Value System Disorder
11: Structural Classism, The State and War
Part III: A New Train of Thought
12: Introduction to Sustainable Thought
13: Post-Scarcity Trends, Capacity and Efficiency
14: True Economic Factors
15: The Industrial Government
16: Lifestyle, Freedom and the Humanity Factor
Part IV: The Zeitgeist Movement
17: Social Destabilization and Transition
18: Becoming The Zeitgeist Movement
The New Human Rights Movement
Society is broken. We can design our way to a better one.
In our interconnected world, self-interest and social-interest are rapidly becoming indistinguishable. If current negative trajectories remain, including growing climate destabilization, biodiversity loss, and economic inequality, an impending future of ecological collapse and societal destabilization will make “personal success” virtually meaningless. Yet our broken social system incentivizes behavior that will only make our problems worse. If true human rights progress is to be achieved today, it is time we dig deeper―rethinking the very foundation of our social system.
In this engaging, important work, Peter Joseph, founder of the world’s largest grassroots social movement―The Zeitgeist Movement―draws from economics, history, philosophy, and modern public-health research to present a bold case for rethinking activism in the 21st century.
Arguing against the long-standing narrative of universal scarcity and other pervasive myths that defend the current state of affairs, The New Human Rights Movement illuminates the structural causes of poverty, social oppression, and the ongoing degradation of public health, and ultimately presents the case for an updated economic approach. Joseph explores the potential of this grand shift and how we can design our way to a world where the human family has become truly sustainable.
The New Human Rights Movement reveals the critical importance of a unified activism working to overcome the inherent injustice of our system. This book warns against what is in store if we continue to ignore the flaws of our socioeconomic approach, while also revealing the bright and expansive future possible if we succeed.
Will you join the movement?
Media Archive
Lectures Playlist
Zeitgeist Media Festival Playlist
A Short Webpage Introducing the Concept
Short Wiki Page Introducing the Concept
An In-depth Overview of the Socio-economic Model from The Zeitgeist Movements Webpage
Peter Joseph’s in his Work - Books, Lectures, Media Productions, Interviews - Advocates for and presents the Scientific Socio-economic System of A Natural Law Resource Based Economy
The “Natural Law Resource-Based Economic Model” is about taking a direct technical approach to social management as opposed to a Monetary or even Political one. It is about updating the workings of society to the most advanced and proven methods Science has to offer, leaving behind the damaging consequences and limiting inhibitions which are generated by our current system of monetary exchange, profits, corporations and other structural and motivational components.
A Natural Law/Resource-Based Economy is defined as “an adaptive socioeconomic system actively derived from direct physical reference to the governing scientific laws of nature.”
Overall, the observation is that through the use of socially targeted research and tested understandings in science and technology, we are now able to logically arrive at societal approaches which could be profoundly more effective in meeting the needs of the human population. We are now able to dramatically increase public health, better preserve the habitat, create a general material abundance, while also strategically reduce or eliminate many common social problems present today which are sadly considered inalterable by many due to their cultural persistence.
“What is needed is the intelligent management of Earth’s resources. If we really wish to put an end to our ongoing international and social problems we must eventually declare Earth and all of its resources as the common heritage of all the world’s people. Earth is abundant with plentiful resources. Our practice of [rationing resources] through monetary control is no longer relevant and is counter-productive to our survival.
Today we have access to highly advanced technologies. But our social and economic system has not kept up with our technological capabilities that could easily create a world of abundance, free of servitude and debt. This could be accomplished with the infusion of a global, resource-based civilization where all goods and services are available without the use of money, credit, barter or any other form of debt or servitude.” Jacque Fresco
