A common theory in business is that all products go through a life cycle: development, introduction, growth and maturity -- and then decline or grow again, depending on whether the company introduces a new product or changes the qualities or marketing of the existing one.
So, I have a question: Do ideas and countries have such a life cycle? If so, I have a challenge: State the stage of the United States, Islam, democracy, capitalism, globalization, socialism, Israel, Judaism and Christianity, along with an explanation of your reasoning.
Bonus points: State another idea or country, and do the same. I'll provide my own answers to all of these later.
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good questions. Overcoming a cold goes is like a plc. it a s curve
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Samual,
All of the above are in decline. Sages would say as above, so below, scientists would say that systems are isomorphic. From one (iso) comes the many (morph).
It is easier, and far more productive to think of these things as technologies and to plot them along the technology adoption life cycle; technology trigger, hype cycle, peak of inflated expectations, trough of disillusionment, slope of enlightenment, and plateau of productivity.
Society has been riding a decades long plateau of productivity, the internet is the technology trigger that has created both a peak of inflated expectations and the trough of disillusionment we now find ourselves sinking into. The term historians prefer is depression.
Here’s another question for you? Why do real wars, drug wars, culture wars, and price wars happen during this phase of the cycle?
Mike
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Mike– ‘isomorphic’ means ‘the same form / structure’,
morph doesn’t mean many, it means form or structure.
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Great life cycle diagram — have borrowed it to illustrate a point & acknowledged your blog — added you to my blog roll too. Thanks, Earl
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Hi Samuel,
I’m constructing a website where one topic is product development. Is the above PLC image yours? If so, may I have permission to use it on my website? Its the best I’ve seen…
Thanks
Trent
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United States = growth; the population hasn’t reached a saturation point yet.
Islam, Judaism, Christianity = decline; organized religion can only survive in a rigidly controlled environment, where outside influence is limited. Globalization kills religion (not to be confused with faith). Who cares what the witch doctor says when other villages are available to move to. Witch doctors are becoming a dime a dozen. they’ll be needing to relaese sex tapes (accidentally) just to keep up.
And who cares what mom and pop think when they live thousands of miles away. And, since they couldn’t even stay married, and won’t even talk to each other, you should go to that building on the weekend why? Demise of family (rigidly controlled environment) = demise of religion.
democracy = never existed.; it’s a naive ideal that couldn’t possibly be made to work by selfish human beings. Hopefully, people will wake up to the con soon and “lobby” the elite out of their ill-gotten gains.
capitalism = growth; that’s the only stage it could possibly exist in. As long as hunger exists, it will exist. And, even when everyone is fed, there’s all that other shiny stuff to drool over.
globalization = development; most people on the planet can’t speak a second language, and most have never seen an ocean or a sea. Give it 1,000 years.
socialism = see democracy x 1000.
Israel = maturity; you never seriously thought such a hastily cobbled together, man-made project could last long, did you? Pray for a slow, or really rapid, decline.
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Some would say that the United States was initially a “hastily-cobbled-together, man-made project.”
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