A new phase of civilization
Publisher: In-Sight Publishing
Publisher Founding: March 1, 2014
Web Domain: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com
Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Journal: In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal
Journal Founding: August 2, 2012
Frequency: Three (3) Times Per Year
Review Status: Non-Peer-Reviewed
Access: Electronic/Digital & Open Access
Fees: None (Free)
Volume Numbering: 12
Issue Numbering: 3
Section: B
Theme Type: Idea
Theme Premise: “Outliers and Outsiders”
Theme Part: 31
Formal Sub-Theme: None
Individual Publication Date: May 22, 2024
Issue Publication Date: May 1, 2024
Author(s): James Haught
Author(s) Bio: James A. Haught, syndicated by PeaceVoice, was the longtime editor at the Charleston Gazette and had been the editor emeritus since 2015. He was thought to have been the first investigative reporter in West Virginia. He won two dozen national newswriting awards and was author of 12 books and 150 magazine essays. He was also a senior editor of Free Inquiry magazine and was writer-in-residence for the United Coalition of Reason. He died on Sunday, July 23 (2023), at the age of 91.
Word Count: 249
Image Credit: None.
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2369-6885
*Please see the footnotes, bibliography, and citations, after the publication.*
Keywords: Anthropocene Epoch, Black equality, Bronze Age, City-states, Colonialism, Dark Ages, Decolonialism, Early agriculture, Enlightenment, Female equality, Gay equality, Hunter-gatherers, Industrial Revolution, Information Age, Iron Age, Kings and empires, Renaissance, Secular Age, Space travel, Stone Age.
A new phase of civilization
Human civilization has staggered and lunged through many phases and subphases, some overlapping:
- Stone Age
- Bronze Age
- Iron Age
- Hunter-gatherers
- Early agriculture
- Kings and empires
- City-states
- Dark Ages
- Renaissance
- Enlightenment
- Colonialism
- Industrial Revolution
- Decolonialism
- Space travel
- Human rights
- Black equality
- Female equality
- Gay equality
- Decline of warfare
- Information Age
Now, anthropologists have hatched a new label, the Anthropocene Epoch, for the latest period when fossil fuel burning has altered the planet’s biosphere and climate.
Amid all this chaos of history, I think another growing phase of civilization can be detected: the Secular Age — the death of religion and the disappearance of supernatural gods, devils, heavens, hells and the like. Miracles and prophecies no longer are treated seriously in advanced Western democracies. They’re ignored with amusement, like old wives’ tales.Does any part of society seriously expect divine magic to cure human problems? A few people give lip service to such a fantasy, but most know it’s just a fantasy. In the West, including the United States, churchgoing has fallen spectacularly in the 21st century. Soon, supernatural beliefs may be an odd fringe.
When I was born in 1932 (in an Appalachian farm town with no electricity or paved streets), the world had 2 billion people; now this is approaching 8 billion. Civilization has changed greatly in my lifetime, and the pace of change seems to accelerate. It’s fun to guess what’s next.
Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I predict that the Secular Age is taking shape under our noses.
This article is adapted from a piece that originally appeared at Daylight Atheism on March 29, 2021.
Bibliography
None
Footnotes
None
Citations
American Medical Association (AMA 11th Edition): Haught J. A new phase of civilization. May 2024; 12(3). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/Haught-civilization
American Psychological Association (APA 7th Edition): Haught, J. (2024, May 22). A new phase of civilization. In-Sight Publishing. 12(3).
Brazilian National Standards (ABNT): HAUGHT, S. A new phase of civilization. In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, Fort Langley, v. 12, n. 3, 2024.
Chicago/Turabian, Author-Date (17th Edition): Haught, James. 2024. “A new phase of civilization.” In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal 12, no. 3 (Summer). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/Haught-civilization.
Chicago/Turabian, Notes & Bibliography (17th Edition): Haught, J “A new phase of civilization.” In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal 12, no. 3 (May 2024).http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/Haught-civilization.
Harvard: Haught, J. (2024) ‘A new phase of civilization’, In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, 12(3). <http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/Haught-civilization>.
Harvard (Australian): Haught, J 2024, ‘A new phase of civilization’, In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, vol. 12, no. 3, <http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/Haught-civilization>.
Modern Language Association (MLA, 9th Edition): Haught, James. “A new phase of civilization.” In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, vo.12, no. 3, 2024, http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/Haught-civilization.
Vancouver/ICMJE: James H. A new phase of civilization [Internet]. 2024 May; 12(3). Available from: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/Haught-civilization.
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