ABSTRACT
Because we still operate with second-wave Industrial Age systems, is there hope for us entering the Wisdom Age-the fourth wave in our lifetimes? Yes, as Figure 6-1 (Chapter 6) shows, the waves start slowly and overlap. Though we are still operating on Industrial Age systems, and are probably years from breakpoint to the Information Age, we have already begun the ascent up the age-wave curve to the Wisdom Age. The waves also have accelerated their pace. The Hunter-Gatherer Age lasted tens of thousands of years. The Agricultural Age lasted about ten thousand years. The Industrial Age lasted only a couple hundred years. Today we see the Information Age and the Wisdom Age moving at us at the same time, starting only a couple of decades apart. In this book I make little distinction between the third and fourth waves, because they both shift us from the Win/Lose Era to the Win/Win Era. Both are driven by intangible wealth.
