The 'third phase' of human civilisation

Human civilization has entered into its third and hitherto highest phase after surviving through most thorny first phase and criss-crossing through second phase. Human civilisation started its journey with mainly two partakers. (1) Biological human being and (2) natural resources/powers in, on and around the globe. They co-existed together without much positive interaction. Rather human being faced and suffered from ravages of negative natural forces, and always remained susceptible to them. Though, human being fought a continuous courageous war with some successes as well but could not win even any a single significant battle on the fronts of hunger, disease, ignorance, communication including transport and other hardships. Besides, paucity of handy resources gave birth to inequality and internecine struggle with many negative consequences. This was the 1st phase of human civilisation.
This first phase in varying manifestations continued till advent of the Industrial Revolution in Britain in the last quarter of 18th century which then spread to close continental countries and the USA in 19th century. The Industrial revolution started a new phase, ie, 2nd one in the history of human civilisation. Not only was it a new phase, it was also a turnaround in real sense.
It is extremely important to note that before the Industrial Revolution and during whole first phase of human civilisation main sinew of human being was his muscle power. When we talk of muscle power, we do not discount brain power of a few individuals, including exceptional ones, rather we talk of absolute majority of masses. So, generally speaking, the whole history of human being during this first phase was history revolving round the muscle power of man. It was his principle faculty which he used for hunting, for agriculture, for manufacturing, for transport, for personal safety, for sports, for demonstration of his physical power and for battles. Sturdy and robust persons had edge over brainy but physically weak. I call this muscle power an 'animal power'.
However, the second phase added immense inanimate power to the animate leverage of man. Steam/water power and machines were revolutionary additions to the arsenal of man. This additional power and tools started relieving him of his dependence on muscle power and created a space for him to develop and use brain power through enablement imparted by information, knowledge and education.
During the second phase that commenced with the Industrial Revolution, animate power of human being was augmented by many thousand and million times more powerful inanimate power. Steam Engine of late 18th and early 19th centuries was followed by electricity in the last quarter of 19th century and paved way for division of labor and mass production. Steam engine also gave birth to the railway- one of the most transformative technology that revolutionised the physical transport system forever. Invention of telegraph and telephone later on revolutionised the communication system and by close of 19th century continents were connected through submarine telegraph cable and by radio through air. At the same time, invention of internal combustion engine geared up revolution in transport sector in a big way resulting in long lasting outcomes. Aircraft, giant ships and assembly line of Ford became the possibility.
However, as ill luck would have it, all human beings on the globe could not become equal beneficiaries of this Industrial Revolution; rather majority was forced into relative backwardness for the benefit of those who controlled capital and resources in industrialised countries. Theory of surplus value of Karl Marx explained this inequality phenomenon very well.
During the second phase, world stood divided into core and peripheral countries whereas even within industrialised countries inequality increased further and society continued to be divided into richer and poorer sections of society. Poor particularly in colonial/peripheral countries could not enjoy adequate access to knowledge formation, education and other economic and technological achievements of human civilisation even though developments in transport, wired communication, radio and economic activity did globalise the world.
Hence, muscle power characteristic of the first phase still ruled the roost in large particularly peripheral parts of world. And, the brain power could not be developed as it could have been developed should the achievements of human being in the field of science, technology and production had been distributed fairly and evenly. In fact, class social system and system of inequality worked against the possible furtherance of industrial revolution. Had it not been so, we would have entered into third phase quite long ago.
Second phase of human civilisation passed through many sub-stages. According to Kondratiev, long waves technological development could be divided into following 5 waves: Early mechanisation (K1) Steam power and railway (K2) Electrical and heavy engineering (K3) Fordist mass production (K4) Digital ICT (K5).
The 5th wave, in the wake of Second World War, started with a big breakthrough, inter alia, thanks to invention of computer with transistor and integrated circuit in late 50s and early 60s. Age of digital technology started leading among other things to desktop computers to fiber optic cable in late 70s, world-wide web (1989-90), modern software programs in 1980s and mobile communication, etc, in 1990s.
Such inventions and innovations though opened up new unprecedented opportunities for all but, generally speaking, until end of 1990s, people particularly in backward countries had to travel physically to library, to school, to cities and to developed countries for knowledge, for better education, for research and for better life prospects, etc.
And even though, globalisation of KRID (knowledge, research, innovation and development) started in a big way but remained in its nascent stage and only a small percentage of peripheral people could join the mainstream of progress and prosperity.
However, after 2000 and particularly since mid of the 1st decade of 21st century; human civilisation successfully entered into its new and highest phase, ie, the 3rd phase. Broadband internet, social media and smart gizmo were main features of this period. Accessibility/availability of technology and information for all started to become a new reality.
Technological developments picked up a great speed so much so that by now we are already living into a hyper-connected world and we are definitely going to live also in virtual world. Globalization of KRID led to another positive paradigm shift. The old business model of multinational corporations which worked against the interests of peripheral people and dependent countries started changing. Old model was against the transfer of technology and earning inequality premium. Developed countries and monopolies kept non-developed world backward as part of their business strategy. This strategy not only failed developed world in long-term but played havoc on non-developed world.
Fortunately, sci-tech started evaporating the physical borders and started increasing the accessibility of sci-tech to excluded people and countries. Increasing accessibility became a distinctive feature of this new age.
Previously, MNCs/TNCs would keep their research, skill and technology closed and secrete, for they used to earn premium and excessive profits for their products particularly from selling their finished products to dependent countries. Whereas, now they are in a cut-throat competition and are in a constant struggle to update/improve their products and then hurry up to reach likely clients/consumers even in developing countries so that any other corporation might not reach them and capture the market segment.
Hence, you do not have to look for and beg for new products of MNCs of developed world because they reach out to you even before you think of getting the same. In some countries, even MNCs help would-be customer earn more income to be able to buy their products so that their consumer base gets widened.
So a multidimensional growth in science and technology; people-friendly business paradigm and universalization of KRID (knowledge, research, innovation and development) have led to creation of a new force, ie, human power. Human power is directly proportional to empowerment of brain of human being through increasing availability of information, knowledge and education particularly with the help of ICT tools.
Interestingly, people of non-developed world who used to be mainly consumers of knowledge and technology made available to them even throughout 19th and 20th centuries, have started becoming producers of knowledge and technology as well. And, this trend is picking up speed every day. As a result, the number of biological human beings getting elevated to brainy ones is increasing at exponential scale in these countries as well.
Mercifully, sci-tech has elevated itself from its previous position of 'enabler' to its new additional and crucial role of becoming 'determinant'. What does it mean?
It means that now sci-tech has started determining the direction of your choices and even public policies to be formulated by governments. You do not have a choice not to adopt automation and not to buy a smart phone. If you made such choice, you will be left behind and degraded to lower position. A policymaker or a politician - if ignores the track being determined by sci-tech - will become obsolete sooner rather than later.
By now not only sci-tech and human power - collectively called as sci-tech-human power complex-are co-evolving but also are reinforcing and complementing each other and both are expanding frontiers of innovations and inventions. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand the concept of sci-tech as a determinant.
This new force is a phenomenon proving the greatest force human history has ever experienced. And, that is the force which is behind the miraculous high trajectory rise of China and even sub-Saharan countries. You know that people of sub-Saharan countries remained the worst victims of all unfortunateness human race have ever suffered from, however, now they are marching ahead like baby tigers
It is because of sci-tech-human power complex that we in this decade or at the most two, will find billions of marginalized people joining mainstream of tangible and intangible production process. Just think that the Industrial Revolution was unleashed not mainly by scientists but by few dozens of technical and ambitious persons. So, you can well imagine what would happen when billions of people equipped with knowledge, education and sci-tech tools will be contributing to expand the horizon of sci-tech and economic development.
Marginalized countries will no more remain peripheral and poor; and gap between developed and developing countries will increasingly get narrower. Hence, future of people all around the world is being and will be determined by the "sci-tech and human power complex". As is discussed above, human civilisation has entered into its 3rd and hitherto highest phase, hence, it could safely be said that human being is going to win the battles and even the war against hunger, disease, ignorance, communication including transport and other hardships by 2025-30. As was discussed in my previous article that mainstream economists and policymakers are committing a grave mistake by ignoring human power which is increasing at exponential rate and which is swiftly merging with sci-tech to become a greatest objective force to reshape whole of the world beyond even calculation of any person or institution. What we must do is to understand this force and not only expedite it but also frame such vision, policy and strategy that fits into the frame and quickly benefit our people majority of whom have seldom enjoyed the real taste of the human life.