John McHale

Scottish-born artist, sociologist, and futurist (1922–1978), a pioneer of Pop Art theory and of futures studies — and Buckminster Fuller's principal collaborator on the World Design Science Decade.

McHale moved from the British Independent Group (where he helped coin the language of Pop Art) into sociology and futures research, becoming a serious analyst of world resources, population, and technology. He directed the World Resources Inventory with Fuller and later led futures institutes in the United States.

Relationship to Fuller

Relationship: collaborator. McHale worked directly with R. Buckminster Fuller at Southern Illinois University as executive director of the World Design Science Decade, co-authoring its data-driven World Resources Inventory documents — including Inventory of World Resources, Human Trends and Needs. He gave Fuller's resource-accounting ambitions rigorous documentary form, making him one of the most substantive of Fuller's working partners.

See Also

• Inventory of World Resources, Human Trends and Needs (Inventory of World Resources) — WDSD document he co-authored with Fuller
• The Design Initiative (WDSD Document 2) — WDSD document he collaborated on with Fuller
• Comprehensive Thinking (WDSD Document 3) — WDSD document he selected and edited
• The Ten Year Program (WDSD Document 4) — WDSD document he authored solely
• The Ecological Context: Energy and Materials (WDSD Document 6) — WDSD document he authored solely
• Medard Gabel (Medard Gabel) — later World Game collaborator in the same design-science program

Sources

• Inventory of World Resources, Human Trends and Needs (source reference) — a WDSD document he co-authored