Evolution of civilizations

The paper uses post-non-classical methodology, within the framework of which the studied social objects are considered as systems of different scale of complexity: simple, complex and self-developing. The process of self-development of the system presupposes the author of the project of its development. The formation of this author implies that in his/her culture, as experience is accumulated, preferred types of systems appear, which he/she focuses on when updating the project of the system. These types of systems correlate with the principle “singular–general–universal”, and they can be considered as drifting attractors in the phase space of the self-developing author. Societies considered as self-developing systems represent the social project of generations. Depending on the complexity of the organisation of the collective author of culture (simple, complex, self-developing system), the types of social organisation of the society of increasing complexity are singled out: nations, multinational states, civilisations. Civilisations represent a socio-cultural historical project, the authors of which already have in their culture the experience of integration of complex social systems. The evolution of civilisations does not stop there, they enter into interaction with other civilisations, creating unions of civilisations. Taking into account that the planet is a closed social world, we can also speak of a global civilisation, which also goes through its own stages of development. Individual civilisations can have attractors of the phase space of self-development at any point. The attractor of global civilisation is the pole of the “universal” author, which makes it possible to ensure further self-development of humanity as a whole as a single subject. At the same time, the trajectory of humanity’s evolution is a chaotic attractor, when civilisations in the process of interactions test various forms of their unions in search of the most optimal in the given historical conditions.