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As a consequence of the slavish 'categoryitis' the scientifically illogical, and as we shall see, often meaningless questions 'Where do you live?' 'What are you?' 'What religion?' 'What race?' ''What nationality?' are all thought of today as logical questions. By the twenty-first century it either will have become evident to humanity that these questions are absurd and anti-evolutionary or men will no longer be living on Earth.

Buckminster Fuller#19

HumanitySurvivalEvolutionSocietyFutureIdentityDivision

About this quote

What does it mean?
Fuller criticizes the fixation on identity categories like race, religion, and nationality, calling them illogical and meaningless. He warns that persisting in these divisions could lead to human extinction or a fundamental shift in consciousness.
In plain terms
Focusing too much on categories like race and nationality is illogical and could harm humanity's future.
What can you take from it?
Move beyond rigid identity categories to avoid destructive societal divisions.

Where it applies

  • political discourse
  • social identity debates
  • existential risk assessment

Putting it to work

  • Questioning nationalistic rhetoric
  • reducing categorical bias
  • promoting human unity

Questions to consider

  • Are identity categories necessary for social organization or inherently divisive?
  • What must change for humanity to survive the next century?

Another view

The quote relies on a specific worldview that may not resonate with those who find identity categories meaningful.

More from Buckminster Fuller

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  2. There's a major pattern of energy in universe wherein the very large events, earthquakes, and so forth, occur in any one area of universe very much less freque…

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  3. Of course, our failures are a consequence of many factors, but possibly one of the most important is the fact that society operates on the theory that speciali…

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