This is our attempt at understanding of advancement of civilization, and finding the key markers that display the progress across years. We propose a theory that points out that civilization’s advancement is marked and determined by the efficiency with which we complete our collective objectives with the knowledge set of the society.

We'll leave the more philosophical and complex questions about understanding civilization and advancement for future discussions, as they warrant deeper exploration and analysis. For this note, it is important for us to note that there have been changes between 500AD - 2000AD in society. Now, how can we mark those changes (if not advancement)? We can look at various indicators like data transfer speeds across geographies, transportation methods, and their efficiencies, longevity, etc. Looking at these points, it becomes evident that there is a notable distinction between 500 AD and 2000 AD. The 2000AD society is relatively more advanced, but what marks the difference, the change, the advancement? Let’s explore it further below.

Definitions

As per the idea/theory, civilization (all living beings) as a whole has an objective set at any time t and that is denoted by → $Os(t)$. Rate of change of ObjectiveSet over time is denoted by → ΔOs(t). It can be positive, negative, or zero.

Objective Set → Os(t)

Rate of change of ObjectiveSet →ΔOs(t)

Similarly, collective knowledge of the civilization at any time t is denoted by set → Ks(t). And its rate of change with time is denoted by → $ΔKs(t)$

Knowledge Set →Ks(t)

Rate of change of knowledge set → ΔKs(t)

Here, we will introduce another variable which we call efficiency factor → $E(t)$. It denotes the requirement of time or resources to achieve the objective set at any time t (Os(t)) with the knowledge set of that time t (Ks(t)). Nature of resources here can be varied: time, cost, labour, cognitive load, etc, we will study this in a later note.

E = f(Os(t), Ks(t)) —  (1)

This raises further questions about the true nature of a civilization's objectives and knowledge set. How do these elements evolve over time, and who influences these changes? How do social and political factors affect it? Additionally, we must consider the complex interplay between the variables O and K, which are definitely not linear with respect to time t. We will pick up these questions in further notes.

Marker of Civilization Advancement

As per our theory, the advancement of civilization is marked by the following marker:

The increase in E, that is, our increase in efficiency to complete objectives of time t with the knowledge set of time t

Suppose, we are looking at two civilizations (A & B) with exactly same objective sets but with different knowledge sets. If we note that civilization B can complete the objectives with less resources (time, cost, or labour) than A. We can reasonably deduce that the civilization B is more advanced than civilization A. It can use its knowledge set much more effectively than the other civilization. We can also deduce the possibility that knowledge set B can be bigger than the knowledge set of civilization A resulting in higher E.

Role of Technology

As per the theory, we believe the technology should be helping humans in two ways:

1. Maximizing E at any point in time t.
2. Assisting humans in increasing the knowledge set.
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*Our upcoming notes aimed of these series aimed at making the theory more complete shall include

1. Why do we need to study civilization advancement?
2. How are variables internally linked?
3. How does it gives us fresh perspective to look at tech systems of present and the future?
4. Exploration of E, and the term resources in it.
   And others.

Stay tuned!

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