The Whole Earth Review Manifesto wer@well.sf.ca.us 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: wer@well.sf.ca.us