Know This

Understanding What’s Happening

In many fields, people are finding ways to augment human beings’ flawed intuition with “quantitative analysis.” Digital technology is fundamentally transforming humanity’s future on this planet. Where the written word used to dominate, images now rule. Computing continues to develop. It is as if Earth suddenly started “growing itself a brain.” Networking the human race is an unprecedented experiment in social organization.

The switch from math to computation changes the human understanding of knowledge. Instead of seeking static or absolute truth, people recognize that as knowledge continually shifts, they, too, must keep adjusting their understanding.

“The Age of Awareness”

Changes in sensor technology and computing make this age the Age of Awareness. Increasingly, digital technology monitors everything people do, creating a “flywheel world.” Data that used to be static now flow in many directions. Computers are gathering and analyzing data on an unprecedented scale and in new areas. Large-scale analysis of personality traits enables personalized product design, targeted ads and individualized...