Entering the shift age: the end of the information age and the new era of transformation

305 Pages·2013·0.55 MB·English

by  David Houle

The end of The InformaTIon age and
The new era of TransformaTIon
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Copyright © 2012 by David Houle
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Houle, David.
Entering the shift age : the end of the information age and the new era of transformation /
David Houle.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Civilization, Modern--21st century. 2. Social history--21st century. 3. Social change. 4.
Information society. 5. Globalization--Social aspects. I. Title.
CB430.H68 2013
910--dc23
2012040062
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
BG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To Victoria, as we fell in love all
over again during the writing of this book.
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Contents
PARt 1: WeLCoMe to tHe sHIFt AGe 1
Introduction 3
CHAPteR one: WeLCoMe to tHe sHIFt AGe 9
A Very Brief History of Humanity
Leading to the Shift Age 11
The Four Ages of Humanity 13
CHAPteR tWo: tHe tHResHoLd deCAdes 19
Major Transformations in the Threshold Decades 20
Summary of the Threshold Decades 33
PARt 2: tHe tHRee FoRCes oF tHe sHIFt AGe 35
Introduction 37
CHAPteR tHRee: tHe FLoW to GLobAL 39
Population 40
Economics First 44
Culture and Politics 45
The Global Stage of Human Evolution 48
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Entering the Shift Age
CHAPteR FouR: tHe FLoW to tHe IndIvIduAL 49
Free Agents 49
Choice and Control 51
The End of Alienation 52
The Micro- Micro 53
The Global Individual 54
CHAPteR FIve: ACCeLeRAtInG
eLeCtRonIC ConneCtedness 55
Accelerating 56
The Transformation of Communication 59
The Internet 60
The Two Realities 63
The Evisceration of Ignorance 64
PARt 3: tHe tRAnsFoRMAtIon deCAde 2010Ð2020 67
Introduction 69
CHAPteR sIx: tHe FIRst deCAde oF
tWentY-FIRst-CentuRY tHouGHt 75
CHAPteR seven: tHe CoLLAPse oF LeGACY tHInkInG 79
Areas of Legacy Thinking Collapse 84
Ideas and Concepts That Will Take on
New Meaning and Acceptance in This Decade 91
CHAPteR eIGHt: GeneRAL tRends And FoReCAsts 93
The Concept of Place Continues to Be Eviscerated 94
A Major Generational Shift Takes Root 95
Biology and Technology Merge Ever More 97
Spaceship Earth Becomes a More Widely Held Mindset 98
Creativity Is a Dominant Value 98
Globalism Ascends, Nationalism Declines 99
viii
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Contents
Governments Shake Loose Many of
Their Industrial-Age Structures 100
Energy Moves into Its Systemic Stage 101
A Shift in Every Field 102
PARt 4: tHe FutuRe oF tHe sHIFt AGe 103
Introduction 105
CHAPteR nIne: tHe eARtH CentuRY 107
A Quick Look Back 107
Helping to Shape the Thinking 108
The Current Reality 109
The Anthropocene Era 110
CHAPteR ten: RetRoFIttInG tHe tWentIetH CentuRY 113
A Time-Lapse Photographic Sequence of Change 113
The Need to Let Go of the Twentieth Century 115
Retrofit the Twentieth Century 117
CHAPteR eLeven: tHe ConCePt oF
PLACe HAs CHAnGed FoReveR 121
The History of Place 121
The Concept of Place Is Being Eviscerated 123
Screen Reality Changes Place to Space 124
Utopia? 126
CHAPteR tWeLve: bIoLoGY And teCHnoLoGY MeRGe 127
New Definitions in Biology and Technology 130
CHAPteR tHIRteen: An evoLutIonARY
sHIFt In ConsCIousness 133
The Three Forces of the Shift Age 135
Generations 138
ix
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Entering the Shift Age
Technology 138
What Will This Next Evolutionary Shift
of Consciousness Look Like? 139
CHAPteR FouRteen: tHe sHIFt AGe GeneRAtIons 143
The Millennial Generation 145
Digital Natives 149
CHAPteR FIFteen: tHe AsCendenCY oF WoMen 155
Current Realities 157
Generations 159
Screen Reality 160
Structures and Hierarchies to Nets and Nodes 161
Summary 162
CHAPteR sIxteen: teCHnoLoGY 165
Emerging Transformative Technologies 166
Transformative Technologies of the Future 180
CHAPteR seventeen: eneRGY 185
Twentieth-Century Energy 185
A Systemic Global View 187
Retrofitting the Use of Energy 189
Twenty-First-Century Energy Breakthroughs 190
CHAPteR eIGHteen: MedICIne
And HeALtH MAnAGeMent 193
Medical Miracles around the Corner 193
Dynamic Flows 197
Health Management 198
CHAPteR nIneteen: eduCAtIon 199
Pre- School 199
KÐ 12 201
x
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