Schiller Institute Conference, November 12

The Physical Economy of the Noösphere:
Reviving the Heritage of Vladimir Vernadsky

Nov. 6—The Schiller Institute announced on Nov. 4 its conference to promote revival of the heritage of Soviet, Russian–Ukrainian scientist Vladimir Vernadsky. The Nov. 12 online conference will focus on the physical economy of the noösphere. It will be open to the public in English and simultaneous Spanish interpretation here. Register from the same linked page.

The Schiller Institute’s invitation follows.

In this time of great political tumult, of controversy concerning the positive role of human technological progress, and of the growing danger, whether through design or miscalculation, of military conflict between thermonuclear powers, the revolutionary ideas of the great Soviet, Russian–Ukrainian scientist Vladimir Vernadsky (1863–1945) demand to be examined and studied. This is particularly true of Vernadsky’s concept of the noösphere, the physical-economic sphere by means of which human scientific thought (nous) becomes the predominant force in the universe.

Amid calls to divide the world into ideological camps, the concept of the noösphere demands a new paradigm, one that brings humanity closer together rather than further apart.

Central to the noösphere is maintaining a fundamental commitment to the advancement of science, that is, to realizing those fundamental breakthroughs in scientific thought, which, when implemented in the productive process, enhance the power of man in the biosphere. While Vernadsky’s primary scientific contribution was his discovery of the powerful function of “living matter” in transforming and enhancing the very nature of the underlying inert universe through the “migration of atoms,” so too he saw that man, through the development of his scientific thought, was having a similar effect on transforming and enhancing the work of the biosphere.

Towards the close of Vernadsky’s life, as World War II was coming to an end, he insisted that it was urgent for countries to unite their forces in working together to realize the common aims of mankind, a commitment which he shared with the Soviet Union’s war-time ally, America’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

This symposium is dedicated to reviving the name, ideas, heritage, and mission of this seminal scientist. We have assembled noted scientists from around the world to come together to discuss fundamental scientific advances being made, or soon to be made, in their respective fields of activity, many of which were also fields of inquiry for Vernadsky. In the afternoon, we will discuss some of the physical engineering projects underway in various parts of the world to improve the condition of mankind—to develop the noösphere.

Vladimir Vernadsky, in developing the concept of the noösphere, in essence created a unique approach to physical economics, strikingly similar to LaRouche’s method of physical economy, which utilizes chemistry and rates of physical output and input of production as necessary measurements, rather than the non-specific monetarist approach. The development and discovery of new resources, and new approaches to harnessing and distributing resources to effectively increase the productive output of an economy, are a keystone of this approach. Water management, and the development of corridors of energy and transportation are also fundamental. Speakers in this panel will discuss powerful proposals in those fields and discuss new discoveries about the nature of water itself, and its relationship to the biosphere and noösphere, and the broader issues of climate in the context of the solar system and galaxy.

Speakers

Panel 1: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., U.S. Eastern Time
Vernadsky’s Revolution in Science and Thought

William C. Jones: “Vernadsky’s Promethean Concept of Scientific Thought as a Geological Force.”
Washington Correspondent, EIR News Service.

Dr. Vladimir Voeikov: “Vernadsky’s Concept of Living Substance, with Emphasis on the Fundamental Role of Water in its Existence and Development.”
Doctor of Biological Sciences, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.

Prof. Sergey Pulinets: “A Journey Through Vernadsky’s Universe.”
Principal Research Scientist, Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.

Jason Ross: “Vernadsky’s Economic Space and Time: The Anti-Entropy of the Noösphere.”
Executive Director, The LaRouche Organization.

Dr. Alberto Prestininzi: “Climate Change and the Galaxy.”
Professor, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy; Director of the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI).

Helga Zepp-LaRouche: Remarks.
Founder, Schiller Institute

Panel 2: 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Physical Economy: Developing the Noösphere

Dr. Farouk el-Baz: “Egypt’s Development Corridor.”
Research Professor and Director of the Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University, Boston, Mass.; Adjunct Professor of Geology, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. Formerly a leading geologist in the NASA Moon program.

Michael Paluszek: “Latest Developments in Nuclear Fusion Propulsion.”
President, Princeton Satellite Systems, Plainsboro, N.J.

Dr. Andrea Mangano: “Gigantic Transaqua Project To Transform Central Africa.”
Hydraulic engineer; Vice-Director, Bonifica SpA; veteran of the engineering team that developed the original Transaqua concept in the 1970s.

Gaopalelwe “GP” Santswere: “Africa’s Need for Nuclear Power and Nuclear Medicine.”
Nuclear Physicist; Senior Scientist, South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, Pretoria, South Africa; President, African Young Generation in Nuclear (AYGN).

Dr. Gerald Pollack: “The Fourth Phase of Water, and Life.”
Professor of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; founder of the Annual Conference on the Physics, Chemistry, and Biology of Water.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche: Remarks.
Founder, Schiller Institute