2011 redefining the Life Pie

The purpose of the Website

 This website is dedicated to a philosophical idea I call ‘The Life Pie’  It is a slightly cheesy name but it fits exactly the diagram that I have derived to express its key ideas.  It is potentially a great tool for understanding modern society and its shape and I produced it for myself for just that purpose.

I am an urban designer and I actually design cities so I am involved in predicting the shape of future life.   I am currently developing the diagram in different ways to help me in my work and by reading the various additional pages you will get an idea of how it is being developed.

I have also set up a blog to be able to respond to your comments and move forward a debate on the future of the city.  Please join in.

Brief summary of the Life Pie

The Life Pie is a diagram that summarises a Philosophical approach to the future and human development.  It was derived over a number of years through analysis and observation and is intended as a tool for discussion of the way the human race is developing and how we are to approach an increasingly technologically dominated future.  The Pie consists of three segments portrayed equally and representing the individual, nature and society.  The Pie format creates interstices between each sector that represent the area of connection between each element, for example the relationship between the individual and nature.

There are multiple arguments that a number of social and technological factors are creating insulations along these interstices.  A simple example of an insulation between the individual and nature is the insulating effect of the City where contact with nature has been virtually removed.

I have also noted the emerging divergence of philosophy between those proposing a return to nature – leading to what I call the Alpha future (Λ) and those proposing to fully embrace of technology with nature suppressed in human affairs – the Omega Future (Ω) Applying the Omega Future to the Life Pie leads to some disturbing conclusions about how we would lose our basic humanity.  My main proposal is that neither future is fully realisable and that there is an alternative future I call the Sigma Future (Σ).  I propose that the Σ future is achievable by aiming to attain the Λ future but making the most of technological progress achieved thus far and changing our approach to new technologies.

See the Synopsis page on the Life Pie Philosophy on this site  as an embedded Pdf for a more detailed exposition.

Richard Rees, October 2011