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Everything I Know, Section 11

by R. Buckminster FullerBuckminster Fuller Institute

gist

R. Buckminster Fuller opens with love for obstreperous humanity, then returns to artifacts: the fog gun that cleans without soap, polyester radomes, Montreal's Expo 67 sphere, and tetrahedral floating cities. More than 100,000 geodesics exist because each first use was a case where nothing else would do. He will not use a word without a clear experiential reference.

ideas

  • Love is the working affection. He treats humanity as obstreperous yet lovable, and the seminar as a shared mystery rather than a performance.
  • Fog beats soap. Compressed air with atomized water scours pores without breaking skin; Chicago dermatologists already call soap the worst cleanser.
  • Domes scale from radome to Expo. Polyester radomes, Montreal's 250-foot Expo sphere, and Triton floating cities are one geometry at different sizes.
  • Emergency adopts what promotion cannot. Over 100,000 geodesics exist because each first use was a case where nothing else would do.
  • Words need experience. Complexion 1975 refuses any word without a clear experiential reference meaning.

quotes

I really do love humanity.

R. Buckminster Fuller, stating the affection that opens the session.

So I was getting into what I called the “fog gun” experiments

R. Buckminster Fuller, introducing the air-and-water cleanser.

Now, there are over 100,000 geodesic domes around the world.

R. Buckminster Fuller, reporting how far geodesics have spread.

not allowing myself the use of any word that I don’t have a really clear, experiential reference meaning for.

R. Buckminster Fuller, stating the language rule behind Complexion 1975.