同原始社会及古代文明相比,工业文明是一个晚近的现象。博德利(Bodley)指出:“按照其现在的形式,工业化已经成为一个破坏或改变先前文化适应的全球性过程,它给人类的那种权力不仅可以带来作为一个物种的自身灭绝,而且可以加速其他种类的灭绝,以及改变各种基本的生物程序和地理程序。”从本质上讲,现代文明产生了一种全球性的危机,其严重程度大大超过了人类过去所经历过的任何危机。现代文明 Compared with primitive society and ancient civilization, industrial civilization is a recent phenomenon. Bodley pointed out: “In its present form, industrialization has become a global process that undermines or alters previous cultural adaptations. The power it gives humankind can not only bring about its own extinction as a species, but also Speed ​​up other kinds of extinctions, and change basic biological processes and geographies. ”Essentially, modern civilization created a global crisis that outweighed the seriousness of any crisis that mankind had ever experienced. Modern Civilization