Matthew Shapiro
Early Voices of Conscious Evolution is a unique anthology that brings to light a lesser-recognized yet critical dimension of human cultural and social history, opening a perspective that helps put today’s dynamics into a broader and more empowering context. The period spanning the late 19th and early 20th century was a time of unprecedented change driven by the Industrial Revolution, by reactions to the effects of industrialization and technology, by then-new evolutionary theory, and by the emergence of new sciences such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, and economics. Liberation and integration became the driving forces of social dynamics on a planetary scale. Some observers recognized that an epochal shift in social and cultural consciousness was occurring, including a new awareness that society and culture could be evolved consciously, and in a direction more supportive of human development, democracy, peace, and a sustainable relationship with the natural world. Early Voices of Conscious Evolution illustrates this growing awareness through 138 painstakingly curated passages drawn from the works of more than 120 thinkers and social actors living through the Industrial Revolution and Progressive Eras, specifically from 1866 through 1939. Many of the passages became readily accessible only recently, thanks to the digitization of older books and journals.
