The next phase in civilisation: post-scarcity through open-source design and advanced automation

We are nowhere near the height of human civilisation - not even close. Our present culture is conditioned by centuries of scarcity that ought to have disappeared by now considering our technical capabilities. However automation is surging forwards in terms of sophistication and ability, and in parallel we are developing ever more effective ways of collaborating and openly sharing knowledge. This means it will become increasingly unacceptable to let needless scarcity continue in the face of what is possible - new thinking and tools are emerging that could change everything. Via the internet a new fluid grouping of minds is evolving that is adhoc, distributed and mutually sharing - a system that is potentially far more effective at problem-solving and creative technical development than anything that has come before. This is the new enlightenment. In some areas, notably software development and knowledge gathering, it is well under way- but this is just the beginning. These 'open' peer-to-peer activities are about to burst out into the physical world enabling us to do things both technologically and economically that have not previously been feasible.