Name: Synergetics
ISBN: 9780020653202

Synergetics

Synergetics, according to E. J. Applewhite, was Fuller's name for the geometry he advanced based on the patterns of energy that he saw in nature. For Fuller, geometry was a laboratory science with the touch and feel of physical models--not rules out of a textbook. It gains its validity not from classic abstractions but from the results of individual physical experience. Description by the Buckminster Fuller Institute, courtesy of The Estate of Buckminster Fuller

What Hacker News says

lukiferJan 2021

For better or worse, his writing style is dense, and somewhat self-referential, as he builds and reuses a custom linguistic-metaphorical concept-stack. While he doesn't speak quite that densely, the voice and technique remains pretty similar (and as much as I'm a fan, I must admit that his elocution isn't particularly compelling, although perhaps I'm biased by the poor quality of many recordings).

I would humbly advocate pushing through regardless, as I found the material to be profound; I'd also suggest "Synergetics" [0], which employs a similar style, but is much more STEM-oriented than the "Spaceship Earth" quasi-narrative. But having said that, I don't blame anyone who finds the style too tedious; I have a similar experience every time I try to read 18th/19th-century political economy (Smith + Marx).

[0] https://www.brainpickings.org/2013/03/08/buckminster-fuller-...

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nmgJan 2021

I can also highly recommend Critical Path. In my experience, his invented words are designed to politely reprogram the way you think, and give you a tabula rasa frame of mind about the subject. The act of voluntarily interpreting the meaning of his words rewires you a bit.

I love how in the beginning of Synergetics he spends pages building an argument to justify the statement "1 + 1 = 4." He was insistent that we reformulate our most basic notions about value and equivalence.

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bobshApr 2015

Buckminster Fuller's Synergetics. It's online, btw. Hard to read, but well worth the effort. I have been reading it since I first got it, a couple decades ago.

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samcassattJan 2015

Definitely loved Julian Jaynes. It's a "just so" story, but quite compelling and interesting - enough so to have a cult following.

Probably the most challenging/rewarding book I've ever read was Fuller's Synergetics. It offers an understanding of science and nature that is holistic in a way that is timeless and self-evident.

http://www.amazon.com/Synergetics-Explorations-Geometry-Buck...

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cbennettDec 2013

Actually, in contradistinction to buzz-wordiness, most of the terms he used such as tensegrity have quite precise definitions- conceptually, as well in mechanical terms. If you want to get a true introduction to the depth and breadth of his thinking, I highly recommend his magnum opus 'Synergetics' [1]. Otherwise, at least take a glance at the meta-structure/heuristics behind his geometrical and design work [2].

[1]http://www.amazon.com/Synergetics-Explorations-Geometry-Buck...

[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synergetics_(Fuller)

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IsamuAug 2026

I really enjoyed reading about his inventions when I was growing up, it was inspiring to me.

It’s also true though there’s a lot to be skeptical of, and it was also an education of sorts to go down the rabbit hole and read his Synergetics textbooks and discover he makes endless assertions that are not supported and also hard to parse.

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