Dilip Mukerjea writes in his new book (Learning How to Learn; still in the works; to be released shortly;  this is a sneak preview!):

Navigating the 4th Industrial Revolution 

Tapping into the brilliant observations pertaining to human evolution right up to the present state, Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), and author of the masterpiece Shaping the Future of The Fourth Industrial Revolution, awakens us to the crucial realities confronting us today. 

His conviction that today, we stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. It is monumental in its scale, scope, and complexity, whereby the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before. 

One thing is clear: the response to it must be integrated and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders of the global polity, from the public and private sectors to academia and civil society. 

The First Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanise production. 

The Second used electric power to create mass production.

The Third used electronics and information technology to automate production. 

Now a Fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the Third, the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century. It is characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. 

He proffers three reasons why today’s transformations represent not merely a prolongation of the Third Industrial Revolution but rather the arrival of a Fourth and distinct one: velocity, scope, and systems impact. 

The speed of current breakthroughs has no historical precedent. 

In this Exponential Age, when compared with previous industrial revolutions, the Fourth is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace. Moreover, it is disrupting almost every industry in every country. And the breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of entire systems of production, management, and governance. 

The bedrock of this is education, and learning how to learn! 

“We must develop a comprehensive and globally shared view of how technology is affecting our lives and reshaping our economic, social, cultural, and human environments. There has never been a time of greater promise, or greater peril.” ~ Klaus Schwab;