Paradigm Shifts
| Date | Name | features | enabled by |
| Pre-historic | communication of complex knowledge | ||
| Classical | Power, conquest, control and cruelty | Pre-historic | |
| Technology | Stone, bronze, iron ages | Pre-historic | |
| Transport | beasts of burden, ships, the wheel, navigation. | Technology | |
| Writing | alternative to oral culture | ||
| Books | preserves technology, culture, history | Writing | |
| Religions | large following. Peace and compassion | ||
| Regression | Exploitation by classical | ||
| 1543 | Science | Copernican Revolution. Open source | Writing |
| 1776 | Capitalism | Adam smith, "wealth of nations | |
| Industry | Mass production | Capitalism | |
| Communications | Telegraph, Global reach | Science | |
| 1940 | War | Global scale | Industry |
| 1946 | Consensus | War | |
| Relapse | Consensus squashed by Capitalism | ||
| Globalism | United Nations, Geneva convention | ||
| 1972 | LtG | Publication of "Limits to Growth" | Industry |
| AI |
This is a very simplistic, one-dimensional, story, played out differently in different places. Things developed earlier in the far east.
I think this may have got too complicated!