time-as-yardstick

Chapter 2 of Future Shock explores the concept of accelerating change in modern societies, comparing it metaphorically to the disease progeria, where rapid aging occurs in a short time. The chapter discusses how technological, economic, and social changes are occurring at unprecedented speeds, leading to significant transformations in urbanization, energy consumption, and industrial growth. It emphasizes the unevenness and relative nature of change, the role of time as a measuring tool, and highlights technology as the principal engine driving this accelerative thrust.