The Stages of Man by Richard Seltzer

(excerpt from Lenses, a book-length collection of essays, in search of a publisher)

The history of man is typically described in three stages: hunting/gathering, farming, and industrial.

Consider an alternative grouping: hunting/gathering, farming/industrial, and techno-global. In this way of viewing human history, each stage has a different value system learned through the struggle for survival; the industrial stage is an extension of the farming stage; and we now find ourselves at the beginning of a new stage.

Let's take a closer look at these three stages.

Stage one — hunting/gathering, pre-history
physical strength and personal survival skills matter
man vs. beast/the elements
knowledge, skill, and experience are necessary for survival in a world over which you have no control

Stage two — farming/industrialization, from pre-history to the end of the 20th century
domesticating and controlling animals/beasts of burden
substituting machines for animals, with the advance of technology
controlling workers
substituting machines for workers, with the advance of technology
central authority dominates in government and business
man as owner and controller of land, beasts, and other men
man performing machine-like tasks until machines can do them
weeding, killing off runts, and eliminating the weak and handicapped
values learned from farming support industrialization and nationalization

Stage three — techno-global, now
global interdependence
global communication and global economy
values of knowledge, skill, and experience
technology makes possible new ways of working together and living together
technology enables group action and coordination without central control
the weak and handicapped deserve equal rights
our responsibilities extend beyond our family and our local district
we are all citizens of the entire planet
technology extends human knowledge and capabilities.

From this perspective, farming and industrialization were different aspects of the same control-based value system, which lasted more than 10,000 years. And we are now at the beginning of a new stage, characterized by cooperation, compassion, and interdependence.