I don't even know that I can label how I see things. But I do think that historically change has occurred through scientific and technological innovations that alter not only the way that we do the same tasks humans have always done, but also change the way we think.

Innovations, however, are not only confined to the sciences. I think there have been philosophical changes, changes in literature--I've used the example here before of Steve Wozniak making countless trips to Radio Shack, all of which ended in completely reshaping the workings of all societies. I don't think, as another example, that slavery could have ended in the US without the industrial revolution--and James Watt wasn't even thinking about slavery one way or the other.

We could talk about specific problems facing the country, and I think both of us could come up with ten possible solutions to each issue before the idea of a government solution would even emerge, and only then after a pall of pessimism fell on both of us.