Global paradigm shift
Globally there’s a major shift underway that will eventually unseat the dominant paradigm, which has been in place since the scientific and industrial revolutions. The current shift is driven by the increasing complexity of life, arising from a rapid increase in our connectedness and speed of communication.
It’s already clear that our dominant political and economic systems are failing us. From a human values perspective, people are beginning to search for alternative values and ways of solving our most pressing problems. It’s normal during a paradigm shift for people to enter a regressive search, looking to restore the good old days. Hence we’re seeing the sudden and unexpected rise of many older value sets, including authoritarian and egocentric.
The new paradigm (let’s call it postmodern for want of a better term) is rising but not quite capable enough to stand up yet. We can expect to transit this changeover zone for some years as the modern falls and the postmodern rises and random alternatives flare up to fill the void. This is the chaotic phase of the change process. Major tipping points are likely to begin soon, for example a global financial crisis as the old economic system fails. There will be more.
The best we can do to support positive change is nurture the emerging postmodern paradigm. This is an evolutionary event for humanity. The new paradigm will revolve around human values and a return to community-centred living. This will impact every avenue of society and we’ll see a huge re-localisation trend, including for manufacturing (3D printing) and food production. This trend is already evident if you know what to look for.
I’m currently working to establish the first of a number of global centres devoted to studying the paradigm shift process. I expect we’re in for a bumpy ride for the next 15 years or so.