“Unlike most past views of tomorrow, which look hopelessly obsolete (’nothing dates like the future’), the premise of Future Shock can only get stronger since not only progress itself, but the derivative of it, its increasing rate of change, exacerbates the core phenomenon.” (1)
The core phenomenon is the RATE OF CHANGE, which for the last few centuries at lease has been increasing. I got to thinking about Future Shock (2) this morning during a muse about remembering the future (another post coming soon) and in one of those moments of clarity realized that Toffler, 39 years ago, got it so very right. Toffler was talking about the accelerating rate of change of technology and the “progress” being experienced by many societies in the world.
The core phenomenon is the RATE OF CHANGE, which for the last few centuries at lease has been increasing. I got to thinking about Future Shock (2) this morning during a muse about remembering the future (another post coming soon) and in one of those moments of clarity realized that Toffler, 39 years ago, got it so very right. Toffler was talking about the accelerating rate of change of technology and the “progress” being experienced by many societies in the world.
“The premise of Future Shock was that the pace of human progress had achieved a level which would create a pathological reaction, a metaphorical motion sickness caused by the fact that nothing seemed permanent.” (1)
As I recall he did not speculate about the very substance of the earth and climate and the way change would be manifested in the natural world. But that is the reality. THAT climate is changing is nothing new or particularly scary. What is new and scary is the RATE of change that is leading to the compounding of problems. For example: The atmosphere warms and melts snow and ice exposing more land surface which adds warmth to the atmosphere. Positive feedback in which the RATE of change accelerates with each cycle. I ask my students to reflect on the causes of the current climate crisis and after some thought they get it right: Us.
And what about the technology? Well, just consider the penetration of Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, iPhones, texting and the rest. Think push button phones quickly replaced the dial? Ha. Think the weather where you live is a bit strange? Double Ha! You ain’t seen nothing yet.
1. http://smashingtelly.com/2009/05/01/alvin-tofflers-future-shock-presented-by-orson-welles/
2. http://www.amazon.com/Alvin-Toffler/e/B000AP5YBK/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1271936114&sr=1-2-ent
Image: http://www.postkiwi.com/images/2005/12/pogo-we-have-met-the-enemy.jpg
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