Classification of Human History in the Context of the Theory of Cultural Evolution of a Human

Abstract

Today there are many different classifications of human history. They can be divided into two groups: the first includes theories based on the idea of the linearity of human history (the idea of progress), such as the concepts of O. Comte, H. Spencer and K. Marx, and the second includes non-linear theories represented by the names of N. Ya. Danilevsky, K. N. Leontiev, A. Toynbee, O. Spengler and a number of others. Each group of theories has both strengths and weaknesses. As an alternative, not canceling the previous theories, but complementing and integrating them, the article proposes a classification of human history based on the theory of cultural evolution of a human. Three stages developed by the author — the two-wave stage (associated with oral speech), the two-dimensional stage (which came with the invention of writing), and the binary-hardware stage (which came with the emergence of various digital assistants) — are considered sequentially. The article analyzes the key characteristics of these stages; the stages are also compared with each other on the following grounds: political-legal structure; socio-economic structure; sphere of culture and art; sphere of science, education and enlightenment. The conclusion notes that scientists and cultural workers can use the developed theory of cultural evolution of a human to understand the directions and methods of solutions to the accumulated problems of mankind.