Background:
Since time immemorial the forces of nature have shaped the universe, and for eons to come the physical world will forever be dictated by the laws of nature. For millennia, human beings have been attempting to understand the rules of nature, and the apparatus of cause and effect in the physical world. One such attempt resulted in the development of the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin. It has been suggested that the Darwinian theory of evolution and the process of natural selection affects not only biological systems, but extends beyond to the realm of social and cultural development by human societies as well.
The process of evolution can be explained as a tripartite system of trial and error. Through this process, that which works will live to reproduce and that which fails will eventually cease to exist. Evolution does this by differentiation, selection, and amplification. Plants and animals of the same species may be alike in many ways, but all have varying degrees of traits and characteristics. The theory of evolution proposes that the selection of traits that allow for better adaptation leads to more reproductive opportunities and thus amplification of that trait.
In terms of social developments for human beings, our early ancestors started out as nomadic hunter/gatherers foraging for whatever sustenance that could be found in the immediate vicinity. Then as we began to harness the power of nature and became an agrarian society, we learned to cultivate the land and have nature bring to us the food we needed to survive. This allowed for greater caloric intake and spurred on the first growth stage of humans as the dominant life form on Earth. Further developments as an agrarian society, in conjunction with trade and written language, allowed for urbanization and industrialization. To a large degree, human societies still revolve around industrial centers and ports of trade. But in more recent centuries, the invention of various communication and computational devices have allowed for human beings to usher in the information age. The development of the internet, for example, has allowed for the velocity of information to increase exponentially. The increased availability of information, and knowledge, along with other social technologies, have allowed for the development of multinational corporations and conglomerates that span the entire globe. But the evolution of humanity does not end here. Unbeknownst to us, the process of evolution, slowly but surly grinds away — building upon past successes and designing the next generation of human societies that will dominate this planet.
