The Whole Earth Review Manifesto
[email protected]
WER #74, Spring 1992
If you pick up Whole Earth Review without knowing what Whole Earth
Review is about, you'll probably be surprised. Yes, we do regularly
publish articles about ecology. But that's only part of the mix.. It isn't
easy to pin us down by looking over the table of contents.
Twenty years ago, Stewart Brand's statement of purpose for the Whole
Earth Catalog was:
"We are as gods and might as well get good at it. So far remotely done
power and glory -- as via government, big business, formal education,
church -- has succeeded to the point where gross defects obscure actual
gains. In response to this dilemma and to these gains, a realm of
intimate, personal power is developing -- the power of individuals to
conduct their own education, find their own inspiration, shape their own
environment, and share the adventure with whoever is interested.
Tools that aid this process are sought and promoted by the Whole Earth
Catalog."
We still believe that. But we're a different team and it's a different
world. We think we can be more precise about "tools that aid this
process." So the Whole Earth Review staff has thought and talked and
composed this statement of purpose. We're eager to hear what you
think of it.
-o- WE ARE DEDICATED TO DEMYSTIFICATION, TO SELF-TEACHING, AND
TO ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES. THUS OUR
MOTTO: "ACCESS TO TOOLS AND IDEAS."
Tools in the Whole Earth sense include hammers, books, and computer
conferencing systems. Our readers are a community of tool-users who
share information with one another. The ideas we make accessible have
not often been found in university courses, but are becoming recognized
as part of what you need to know to be truly educated. Our readers
contribute to the editorial content as well, with both reviews and
articles.
-o- WE RECOMMEND RATHER THAN ATTACK.
Our magazine is an evaluation and access device. It can help you
discover what is worth getting and how to get it. We're here to point,
not to sell. We have no financial obligation or connection to any of the
suppliers reviewed. We only review stuff we think is great. Why waste
your time with anything else?
-o- WE CHANGE WITH THE TIMES THAT WE HELP CHANGE.
Our publications are a call to, and support for, individual action. The
first Whole Earth Catalogs were aimed at the so-called counter-culture,
the back-to-the-land folks who were attempting to live as much as
possible outside the system. As we hoped, many of the attributes of the
counterculture movement became mainstream, especially ecological
issues and related concern with energy efficiency. Our publications
have been influential. But we don't spend much time thinking about
the same things we thought about in the sixties, and neither do our
readers. This magazine and our catalogs progressed from being part of
a social movement to being a trusted reference like a good encyclopedia.
-o- WE UPDATE OURSELVES CONTINUALLY.
By not accepting display advertising, we have extraordinary editorial
freedom to publish anything we think our readers need to know.
Conventional magazines exist and profit because they can deliver
readers to advertisers; subscriptions are a much less important source
of income. Most magazines fish for readers and feed them to adver-
tisers. We fish for information and feed it to readers, who sustain us
with their subscriptions. For readers, this means unobstructed and
challenging editorial material and unbiased reviews.
-o- WE'RE NOT A "POLITICAL" MAGAZINE.
We are committed to providing political tools and new ways of thinking
about politics, but we are not a forum for partisan politics.
-o- WE ARE DELIBERATELY ECLECTIC.
Our content is addressed to many communities of readers who lead
different kinds of lives, and who may disagree with one another about
many things. We provide tools for environmental activists; we give
technology-watchers and tinkerers a window on tomorrow's scientific
trends. Our readers are men and women, young and old, urban and
rural, from all around the world. They like to have their worldviews
expanded and their assumptions challenged. They don't mind taking
the time to read, to think, and to discuss new ideas. We offer tools for
generalists.
--The Staff of Whole Earth Review
Copyright Whole Earth Review 1992. Permission granted to redistribute
electronically.
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Contact and other info:
Whole Earth Review (WER) is published 4 times each year by the
Point Foundation, a non-profit US corporation. Subscriptions to WER
are available for US $20 per year for individuals. $28 per year
for institutions; single copies $7. Add $6 per year for Canadian
and foreign surface mail; add $12 per year for airmail anywhere.
Most articles in Whole Earth Review are available on-line via
Dialog, Mead & BRS. Whole Earth Review is indexed by "Access: The
supplementary Index to Periodicals", Alternative Press Index, Magazine Index,
Consumers Index, HumantitiesIndex, Book Review Index, Academic Index, and
General Periodical Index.
For copyright or other information please contact:
Whole Earth Review
27 Gate Five Road
Sausalito, CA,94965
USA
Voice Phone: (415) 332-1716 Fax: (415) 332-3110
E-mail:
[email protected]
