The Sixth Kondratieff Wave and the Cybernetic Revolution

Leonid Grinin (1) , Anton L Grinin (2)

1 RAS - Russian Academy of Sciences [Moscow]
2 International Center for Education and Social and Humanitarian Studies

In the present paper, on the basis of the theory of production principles and production revolutions, we reveal the interrelation between K-waves and major technological breakthroughs in history and make forecasts about features of the sixth Kondratieff wave in the light of the Cybernetic Revolution that, from our point of view, started in the 1950s. We assume that the sixth K-wave in the 2030s and 2040s will merge with the final phase of the Cybernetic Revolution (which we call a phase of self-regulating systems). This period will be characterized by the breakthrough in medical technologies which will be capable to combine many other technologies into a single complex of MBNRIC-technologies (med-bio-nano-robo-info-cognitive technologies). The article offers some forecasts concerning the development of these technologies.

Keywords: production revolutions; production principle; Industrial Revolution; Cybernetic Revolution; self-regulating systems; Kondratieff waves; fourth; K-wave; fifth K-wave; sixth K-wave; World System; center; periphery; medicine; biotechnologies; nanotechnologies; robotics; cognitive technologies

Domains: History, Philosophy and Sociology of Sciences; History; Philosophy

Leonid Grinin, Anton L Grinin. The Sixth Kondratieff Wave and the Cybernetic Revolution. Leonid Grinin. Kondratieff Waves. Juglar – Kuznets – Kondratieff. Yearbook, 2014, Leonid Grini, pp.354 - 377, 2014, 978-5-7057-4282-0. ⟨hprints-01863093⟩