Section outline

  • The last two centuries spanned massive advances in science and technology, industrial and economic growth, information and communications technology, health care and life expectancy. The average person now enjoys a standard of material life that medieval kings may have envied. But the past 200 years have also been a time of alarming population growth, resource depletion, pollution, global warming, unleashing of weapons of mass destruction and gross inequity between peoples. Collectively these forces have impacted and will continue to impact on human lifestyles and values throughout this century. How can we recognise and evaluate such changes and how can we use this understanding to better promote human wellbeing?