What is the next stage in human development?

Question

We had the old economic system of Feudalism - landowner and tenant relationship. I think before that was a system of bartering - not sure. We now have capitalism with employer employee relationship or worker and owner of the means of production.

Whats next? Obviously we are not intelligent enough to look beyond capitalism yet but anyone any ideas? A book called "The Celestine Prophecy" suggests the world will be more spiritual and will survive on exchanging knowledge between humans. We will be less inclined to have assets and posessions and lead simpler lives. I mean look at some of the things that we mass produce just for the sake of it. There is no real need for some things we have. Sorry if this is a little waffly.

Re: Parsons comment.

Sorry Parsons but I thought this was the philosophy section. I thought the great philosophers thought in the abstract and tried to percieve a better world or political system which was beyond their time. Marx, Plato, Locke, Burke and so on. I am not looking for a foolproof theoretical answer. An abstract answer would be fine.

Hi Aaron.

The book basically outlines that instead of spending the majority of our lives producing (working) goods and materials that we dont essentially need and then the rest of our time either buying or desiring (working to afford them) the goods we will use our mental and physical energies in more beneficial ways to advance the human race.

The connection between consumerism and spirituality is that at present we have little or no spiritual awareness. We are distracted as humans due to the constraints of the capitalist/consumer world. We will devote our time and mental energy to developing a greater spiritual awareness and in doing so we will have a greater understanding of life and our purpose on earth.

Answer 1

It looks highly possible that we may need less than 10% of our time to take care of our material needs and rest 90% of our time could be spent in acquiring knowledge, the source of power, and of course intellectual fights to prove that power. Yes, a highly plausible scenario in which money and physical assets could take a back seat in our priorities.

Thanks Kevin - that was a really great question !!

Answer 2

We are in the next stage.
It is the one we are facing now!
The ending of the old egoic mind and the emergence of the New.
It has been spoken of by many for a long time.
Finally it is a reality.
The old egoic mind will of-course refute this, as it always has done.
Using skill and knowledge, cunning argument.
But that is OK, its what the egoic mind does.
The academic mind will sigh at this and call it none-sense.
That is fine also.
The mind as we know it is going through a term of transmutation.
You have outlined the past well, various forms of tribalism.
The egoic mind as you point out is and always has been incapable of seeing beyond its own creation, namely capitalism, or whatever it is, it ,has fashioned.
The new mind will disclose the very thing the egoic mind can not,
namely purpose.
Not as an ideal to fight over.
Like children over a toy.
But as a fact.
The false division in consciousness is slowly dissolving.
Sorry if my badly put response is a little waffle!

Answer 3

I like your idea to live simpler lives. But I think peope are not going to go back from 24 flavors of Icecreams and another 10 flavors of Toppings to errr. although I personally think 3 flavors like Mc Donalds offer is just enough to choose from and I can live with that.

I think the world is racing towards Communism!!!
In the end there will be just a handfull of very rich people who will catalog every product to be produced and every job to be done. Then the right people will be given the right job to produce the right products while everybody will be there to consume all that and live happily afterwards.
There will be One Walmart, One VF, One, Mc Donald, One CNN, one Toyota, One Boeing, or allow me - One Corporation - or THE CORPORATION.
No need to waste time on stock market, accounting, and auditing, just produc, deliver and consume, while the elite will go Hunting and Sky Diving. I can live with that. I do not need to own any piece of land as long as nobody owns one!!!

Karl MARX needed Windows to make Communism work. The absence of Database engineering was the demise of Communism.

Enjoy

Answer 4

The next step might be a post-scarcity economy. Currently all our economic activities are based around the fact that all goods are finite - there's only so much of everything to go round. However technological advances - cheap nuclear fusion power, nanotechnology, robotics, space flight to mine the asteroids - could mean that we develop into a world where availability of goods and services is effectively infinite and therefore not subject to economics as we know it. Will there be a replacement economics, perhaps based around information? Who knows?

For a good fictional take on this concept, see Iain M Banks' Culture novels.

Answer 5

Human desires and motivations havent changed since our move out of Africa c 50kya, only our methodologies have. Future generations will still strive to cement their own authority and security through politics, information and currency like today.

I fail to see the connection between a rise in consumerism (the buying of crap we dont need) and spirituality. Indeed, contrary to your book, I see the West becoming increasingly secular and dependant on material wealth. Therefore, I think we're more like to see a further rise in capitalism (unfortunately). Alternatively, as a result of direction opposition to capitalism, we could see a rise in socialism.

Answer 6

were at the frontier of the next generation, the chipset years.

computing removes cultural and sociological barriers, it informs people, which empowers them, to ask more questions, and want to know whats really happening.

were fast into star trek technology.. how long before bluetooth phones become a badge on your lapel... and a minature earpiece, or aural implant...

hopefully, someone will realise that as individuals we are almost powerless to effect change, yet globally we are a voice, our opinions are heard, and we can effect change.. but its a little bit like the lightbulb and the psychiatrists... only takes one psychiatrist, but the bulb has got to want to change. and whilst so few people control so much of the worlds wealth and rescources...it'll never hapen.

star trek is a socialist dream. the state provides everything, and everything belongs to the state and the people. no one gets rich, and no one starves. everyone works... forget about the technology, i'd settle for the ideology.

LL&P

Answer 7

I heard on the radio that the human race will eventually evolve into two different types of humans, the tall slender and clever kind and the short dumpy stupid kind. I think this is similar to Darwin's theory of natural selection, that the less able animals die out and the ones that survive will breed and evolve into a better adapted animal.

Answer 8

I tend to agree with parsons on this one. Science fiction is a good place to look. Many would agree that britain is starting to be the 1984 that George Orwell wrote about. Personally i think things will get lot a lot worse before they get better. And any future system will have to be built on what is left after this one has finished with a bang.

Answer 9

Since you seem to be curious about the same subject, I just started reading this book:

"The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics" by Eric D. Beinhocker

In my opinion, spiritualism is an unproductive, socially dysfunctional form of fantasy. Learning how to play the piano in your spare time, or tinkering with science in your garage is more rewarding to the individual and society. But to each his own.

Answer 10

Individuals will emerge promising world peace and have sweet talking ideas that make sense to the most. But underneath these people will be crooked and many people groups will be shoved aside and labeled as "problem causers" (probably those who subscribe to faiths).

We will work through this for 7 years. Christ will show up in the sky. There will be a resurrection of those who believe in him. They will return to earth in their new undying bodies and rule for 1,000 years before the judgments. During this time those who are not in their new bodies may put their faith in Christ - but must eventually die before being with him as well.