When plotted on a logarithmic graph, 15 separate lists of key events in human history show an exponential trend. Lists prepevents. There is a clear trend of smooth acceleration through biological evolution and then technological evolution.
Created by en:Ray Kurzweil, this graph is based on data compiled by en:Theodore Modis, who "attempted to develop a precise mathematical law that governs the evolution of change and complexity in the Universe". To reduce bias, he compiled thirteen multiple independent lists of major events in the history of biology and technology from the following sources:
en:John R. Skoyles, Dorian Sagan, Up From Dragons: The Evolution of Human Intelligence, Ballantine Books, 1989, exact dates provided by Modis.
en:R. Coren, The Evolutionary Trajectory: The Growth of Information in the History and Furure of Earth, World Futures General Evolution Studies, Gordon and Breach,, 1998
Ray Kurzweil, The Singularity Is Near : When Humans Transcend Biology, Viking Adult, 2005, ISBN0670033847. Graph appears on p.19, description is p.18-20 plus notes on p.501-502.
When plotted on a logarithmic graph, 15 separate lists of key events in human history show an exponential trend. Lists prepared among others by Carl Sagan, Paul D. Boyer, Encyclopedia Britannica, American Museum of Natural History and University of Arizon