The Third Wave

In The Third Wave, futurologist Alvin Toffler discusses the social production modes that have shifted over the course of time, modes that have dramatically altered the social realms in which they existed. The first wave was the Agrarian (feudal) era, followed by the second wave, or the Industrial (production) era. The third wave is the Information Age, an age in which rapid technological advancement has not only made industrialism obsolete, but also many of the social aspects of life lived during it. Going against the doom-sayer mentality of Malthus and his ilk, while Toffler admits there are many real dangers facing us, his vision of the future if optimistic. It is optimistic because he understands that the present world chaos of crumbling societies and methods of production (including many of the sacred traditional institutions inherent within them) is only happening because it is necessary for the old dogmas, paradigms and social dynamics to die off before the newly evolved third wave values can take permanent root and produce new societies with different institutions, values, and social norms, "Yet much that appears anarchic is not. The eruption of a new civilization on the earth could not but shatter old relationships, overthrow regimes, and send the financial system spiraling. What seems like chaos is actually a massive realignment of power to accommodate the new civilization" (345).

When the book was written, Ronald Reagan was just

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