The Four Phases of Society: Where Are We Going in the 21st Century?

Today, capitalism is generally accepted as the only viable socioeconomic system in spite of the stress, moral decay, drug abuse and crime it fosters. The author of this volume demonstrates that, before entering the present Materialistic Phase Western society went through two other phases, the Religious and the Militaristic-Nationalistic Phase . He argues that current social problems arose because the behaviour of most people was no longer determined by the laws of Church and State, but instead by the need to be productive and the desire to acquire money and material goods. Peeters shows that Materialism is, however, not the ultimate stage of development of society. A comparison of the three phases and Communism - a rival form of materialistic phase - shows that Western society is going to enter a Fourth Phase which Peeters asserts will occur around 2050. Peeters sets out to discover which prominent traits of today’s ways of living and acting will be rejected during the transition towards the Fourth Phase and which new characteristics will emerge. The educational system, democracy, the goals of production and income equality will all have to change when people adapt their aims to the requirements of the Post-Materialistic Phase. The challenge of the forces that now rule people’s lives and the rejection of materialism will ultimately recreate a healthy, balanced society.