Difference between revisions of "Main Page/Introduction"

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'''We are still nowhere near the potential height of human civilisation.''' Here we aim to look at the next steps, and show how it will be based on a new fluid grouping of minds and everything that can achieve. These groups will be adhoc, distributed, self-organising and yet immensely effective.
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<div style="font-size:115%; text-align:center">'''We are nowhere near the height of human civilisation.'''</div>
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[[image:Neanderthal.jpg|120px|right|Despite our apparent modernity we are still at a relatively early (and unsophisticated) stage of our civilisation]]
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Not even close. Our present culture is conditioned by centuries of [[existing scarcity|scarcity]] that ought to have disappeared by now, considering our technical capabilities.
  
People will be self-selecting in their roles and motivated directly by their own need for a better solution. It will feel like a much more natural and sensible way of working for those involved, compared to the current situation of unnecessary complexity, duplication of effort and indirect motivation. It will also be vastly more powerful than anything we have seen before.
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However, automation is advancing rapidly, and in parallel, we are developing ever more effective ways of collaborating and openly sharing knowledge. This means it will become increasingly unacceptable to let needless scarcity continue in the face of what is possible. New thinking and tools are emerging that could change everything.
  
People will be able to work on what interests them and because these activities are open and transparent, in order to benefit as many people as possible, others are willing to join in and help too. It is the new enlightenment. And the moral of this new ecosystem of activities is “what goes around, comes around”. You work on something that is likely to benefit others while also receiving the fruits of a multitude of other projects.
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Via [[Internet access|the internet]] a new fluid grouping of minds is evolving that is adhoc, distributed and mutually sharing {{en}}  a system that is potentially far more effective at problem-solving and creative technical development than anything that has come before. In some areas, notably [[Free and open-source software|software development]] and [[Free and open-source software/Beyond software|knowledge gathering]], it is well under way {{en}} but this is just the beginning. These 'open' peer-to-peer activities are about to burst out into the physical world enabling us to do things both technologically and economically that have not previously been feasible.
  
These peer-to-peer activities combined with modern technologies have the capability to enable a world of post-scarcity (and resultant post-materialism). It will be a method by which we can more sensibly direct our progress and will be better not only for each of us but also the natural world. It's happening already and this new world is coming at an extremely rapid pace, so you might want to prepare yourself...
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''AdCiv.org'' is exploring the emerging possibilities, focusing on developing concepts that could take us to the next logical phase of civilisation {{en}} namely an ecologically sympathetic [[post-scarcity|post-scarcity age]] where [[Fundamental resources|abundant resources]], tools and knowledge could enable a unparalleled standard of living for the entire growing global population. It may sound far-fetched to the uninitiated but the technologies to enable this are developing rapidly, so you might want to prepare yourself...

Latest revision as of 02:32, 13 November 2014

We are nowhere near the height of human civilisation.
Despite our apparent modernity we are still at a relatively early (and unsophisticated) stage of our civilisation

Not even close. Our present culture is conditioned by centuries of scarcity that ought to have disappeared by now, considering our technical capabilities.

However, automation is advancing rapidly, and in parallel, we are developing ever more effective ways of collaborating and openly sharing knowledge. This means it will become increasingly unacceptable to let needless scarcity continue in the face of what is possible. New thinking and tools are emerging that could change everything.

Via the internet a new fluid grouping of minds is evolving that is adhoc, distributed and mutually sharing – a system that is potentially far more effective at problem-solving and creative technical development than anything that has come before. In some areas, notably software development and knowledge gathering, it is well under way – but this is just the beginning. These 'open' peer-to-peer activities are about to burst out into the physical world enabling us to do things both technologically and economically that have not previously been feasible.

AdCiv.org is exploring the emerging possibilities, focusing on developing concepts that could take us to the next logical phase of civilisation – namely an ecologically sympathetic post-scarcity age where abundant resources, tools and knowledge could enable a unparalleled standard of living for the entire growing global population. It may sound far-fetched to the uninitiated but the technologies to enable this are developing rapidly, so you might want to prepare yourself...