R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER

Richard Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) was an American architect, systems theorist, writer, designer, inventor, philosopher and futurist. He published more than 30 books, coined the terms “Spaceship Earth,” “Dymaxion,” “synergetics” and “tensegrity,” developed numerous inventions, mainly architectural designs and popularized the widely known geodesic dome. Carbon molecules, known for their structural and mathematical resemblance to geodesic spheres were names “fullerenes” after him. He was awarded 28 U.S. patents and served as the second World President of Mensa International from 1974 to 1983.

“Bucky” was born on July 12, 1895, in Milton, Massachusetts. His father was a prosperous leather and tea merchant and his mother was Caroline Wolcott Andrews. He attended the Milton Academy in Massachusetts and studied at Harvard College where he was expelled twice: once for partying with a vaudeville troupe and then for his being irresponsible and lacking interest in his studies. He admitted that he was a non-conformist misfit in the fraternity environment.

He worked in Canada as a mechanic in a textile mill and a laborer in the meat-packing industry. In World War I he served in the U.S. Navy as radio operator, as an editor of a publication and as commander of the crash rescue boat USS Inca. In 1917, he married Anne Hewlett. During the early 1920s, he and his father-in-law developed the Stockade Building System for producing lightweight, weatherproof and fireproof housing. The company would ultimately fail ten years later. He—

  • Invented the geodesic dome.
  • Designed the Dymaxion car based on maximum gain with minimal energy.
  • Designed a Dymaxion map to show the Earth’s continents with minimum distortion.
  • Developed The World Game where players collaborated to solve world problems.
  • Promoted the principle of “ephemeralization,” which meant doing more with less.
  • Coined the term “synergetics,” the study of systems in transformation.
  • Pioneered the study of energy and material efficiency in architecture, engineering and design.
  • He said, “There is no energy crisis, only a crisis of ignorance.”
  • Defined wealth as “technological ability to protect, nurture, support, and accommodate all growth needs of life.”
  • Said, “Love is evolutionary gravity.”
  • Coined the term “Livingry,” as opposed to “weaponry.”
  • Contextualized his speeches and writings using the term “Spaceship Earth.”

His last interview was in May 1983 when he participated in an interview with futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard. The hour-long video, “Our Spiritual Experience: A Conversation with Buckminster Fuller and Barbara Marx Hubbard” was hosted by Michael Toms of New Dimensions Radio. The program was recorded at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Buckminster Fuller died July 1, 1983.