ABSTRACT
The origin and spread of agriculture during prehistory is often termed the Neolithic Revolution. One should approach this phrase with caution. Anyone who expects the word “revolution” to mean an event or a series of events that occur with great rapidity will be disappointed with the Neolithic Revolution. In fact, one should reect on the prospect that many putative revolutions occurred only gradually. The Scientic Revolution unfolded over centuries. Scientists and scholars did not overnight embrace the heliocentrism of Polish astronomer and mathematician Nicolas Copernicus. Only the work of German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler brought a modication of Copernicus’ ideas to the fore. Even then, these ideas were difcult to explain until British polymath Isaac Newton devised the notion of gravity to explain the behavior of the planets. The Industrial Revolution is another example of a series of events that unfolded over centuries. Indeed, one senses that humanity is entering a new phase of the Industrial Revolution in which manufacturers ee nations with putatively high wages, such as the United States, to settle in the low-wage environments of India, China, Vietnam, and other nations.
