the ages of civilization

This diagram is a simple illustration of the stages, or different ages, of the history of western civilization on planet Earth.

nomadic (survival)

For a while there, the early human beings simply wandered nomadically around distinct and small sections of the planet to get food as they needed it - which usually meant a bit of work each day. In many ways, the primary focus of this era was 'survival'.
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agrarian (grow food)

The second phase, 'Agrarian' refers to the period when crops and agriculture were the main focus of society. This is literally the planting of the seeds of western civilization as we know it, with the Babylonians, the Egyptians and others staying in the one spot, building cities, building governments and extending the smaller nomadic communities into towns and cities. In many ways, the primary focus of this era was to 'feed ourselves'.
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industrial (make things)

This stability of location fuelled the rise of invention and discovery and led us onto the Industrial Age. The Industrial Age is best known for the making of things with the emergence of factories, employment and jobs as we know them today.
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information (know things)

The Industrial Age was soon usurped by an era that now presumes it can make things and is entranced by the idea of making better things. To make better things we need to know more and then to make even better things, we need to know even more (or to at least know some thing different). This is the Age of Information that we are now surrounded by and that is being fuelled by communication and notably the phone and computers and the other bits and PC's of information technology.
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biotechnology (grow things)

The next stage literally grows out of our thirst for knowledge, a Biotechnology Age. When you add information to your ability to make things you open the door for how nature builds things. The uncovering of the structure of DNA and the Human Genome Project are critical accomplishments in unleashing the potential for humans to redesign nature. I suspect it will be around 10-20 years before biotechnology becomes the basis for everyday life in the way that the internet, computers and other information age technologies are today.
My term for this coming era is ‘The Creation Age’ since we will be creating new products at the biological level, a god-like level of design.
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