Jeffrey Charles Hardy introduces a three-tiered model of human evolution—the “First, Suspended, and Second Human Evolution.” Standing back and viewing the human trajectory from its pre-historic origin to today and then well into a sustainable future demands an innovative framework for considering how society tackles monumental global challenges, such as climate change, environmental degradation, and overpopulation.
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This framework begins with the “First Human Evolution,” which began roughly two and a half million years ago. Characterized by humanity’s persistent efforts to conquer nature, it saw its decline in the mid-1950s when humans acquired the capability to obliterate all life on Earth through nuclear destruction. Humanity’s complete domination over nature and each other signified the end of the First Human Evolution.
Hardy believes that recognizing that the First Human Evolution is over will change the game entirely and redirect our focus from dominating nature to examining our own nature and behaviors. This shift ushered humanity into what Hardy calls the “Suspended Human Evolution.” “In this phase, we find ourselves reassessing and moving away from the unsustainable practices of unlimited growth and waste that we inherited from the First Human Evolution. We are in a state of searching for a new path forward,” he remarks.
The phase of human evolution we are in now is suspended because we don’t have a plan for the Second Human Evolution. “It’s yet to be determined and is ours to imagine, discuss, plan, design, and implement,” he adds.
