Whats the next era?

[Doc. Josh]

The world has changed many ways since the dawn of time, I was curious as to what else is left and whats the next era? Scientific era? space era or what.

[imatfaal]

Nature had an news article a few months (12 May page 133) about the possibility of defining a new epoch, the Anthropocene.

[CaptainPanic]

Let me first propose a set of eras (because if I read the wikipedia page on 'era', it seems you can choose this as broad as you like: from geological eras of millions of years to the musical era of Disco or Frank Sinatra).

 

I propose we go with the European historical one, as summarized in the contents list of the wikipedia page on European History:

 

 

1 Prehistory

2 Lepenski Vir - Vinča - Cucuteni cultures 7000 - 2750 BC

3 Minoans and Mycenae 2700 - 1100 BC

4 Classical Antiquity

4.1 Ancient Greece

4.2 The rise of Rome

4.3 Decline of the Roman Empire

4.4 Late Antiquity and Migration period

5 Middle Ages

5.1 Early Middle Ages

5.2 High Middle Ages

5.3 Late Middle Ages

6 Early Modern Europe

6.1 Renaissance

6.2 Reformation

6.3 Exploration and Conquest

6.4 Enlightenment

7 From revolution to imperialism

7.1 Industrial Revolution

7.2 Political revolution

7.3 Nations rising

7.4 Colonial Empires

8 World Wars and Cold War

8.1 World Wars

8.2 Cold War

9 Recent history

 

I think we've entered the Age of Information or Communication somewhere during the 90's or last decade. This will also be known as the Oriental Era, where China will become the dominant economic power in the world.

[Ophiolite]

Surely the answer is obvious! This is the era of Science Forums, The Original.

[Moontanman]

There are various ways to look at this, there was a age of wood, when the things we made were basically sticks, often modified in various ways but wood none the less, then came stone, for weapons and building, then metals, bronze and iron, and now we are entering the age of carbon, carbon fibers and nanotubes, carbon is replacing metals and soon we will be in the age of carbon.

[CaptainPanic]

There are various ways to look at this, there was a age of wood, when the things we made were basically sticks, often modified in various ways but wood none the less, then came stone, for weapons and building, then metals, bronze and iron, and now we are entering the age of carbon, carbon fibers and nanotubes, carbon is replacing metals and soon we will be in the age of carbon.

With all respect to your point that carbon seems more versatile every day, and that technological advances can be expected in that field... we're not in the Iron Age anymore. That ended (according to this wikipedia page) when the Middle Ages started. Around 400 AD in Europe.

 

If you're looking at materials only, you should also queeze in the current Plastic Age (although that doesn't sound very cool to live in the Plastic Age), or the Oil Age... btw, plastic and oil are also mostly carbon based. And maybe we should distinguish between the Iron Age and the Steel Age (although both are mostly iron).

Sorry to make things unnecessarily complicated. I'll stop now, and go for more coffee.

 

Perhaps more important than all other developments is the population growth: I think we'll enter the Age of Overpopulation, or the Age of Shortages.

[xxSilverPhinxx]

Age of computers, or something computer-related.

[Realitycheck]

The Age of the Law? I guess it's a bit too soon for The Minority Report, or some other future where our superegos retain total control.

Edited August 7, 2011 by Realitycheck

[little boy]

It must be age of China!

[Doc. Josh]

" Dawn Of Reason"

[DevilSolution]

The era that english language goes to war with mandarin, fails and society self destructs under the weight of 1984...... the era of epci fails......and bi-winning