Dreaming of a Wide Open Sky

Diamond describes how environmental variations drove the earliest of human development, following our species up to the European Industrial Revolution.  I am wondering how much his theory applies to our development after this point in time; and if it does not apply, what does?

The dreams of societies across the ages have a profound impact on their behavior and the way that they progress.  During the middle ages in Europe, the so-called "Holy Land" and the crusades into it altered the continent's history.  The ancient Greeks told legends of their Gods meeting mortals.  Perhaps it was this search for the divine in nature that led to their society's tremendous progress in mathematics and science.

One could say that society's dreams today have grown more primitive.  People hope for peace and unity - not only with their fellow man but also with the planet - as if it was another supernatural being that had to be ritually appeased.  This has been a goal for enlightened folks throughout history.  A person's influence in this respect has grown quite a bit today, as the internet allows one's opinions to be transmitted and shared quickly and widely.  The far corners of the world have now been mapped out and a citizen's freedoms have expanded.  It is now far easier than it has ever been to get on a plane and build a school or a house somewhere; to make a sign, tweet together a mob, and protest an issue on your government's doorstep.

People also dream of the stars, and of continuing humanity's journey from the African plains off of Earth completely.  This follows a bit more of the "frontier" mindset, very similair to the way European youth would dream of the "Land of Opportunity" on the Atlantic's other shore.

Unfortunately much of the enthusiasm that was felt in North America about space was lost after the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War's space race petered out.  Public opinion drives policy, and so - short of another Cold War or some massive shift in public thinking - it is unlikely that a government will be behind mankind's next push for the stars.  Getting into space requires a lot more than a boat, today it would have to be a collaborative effort between many nations and many citizens (an important distinction) to reach Mars or beyond.  More likely is the private sector seeing some opportunity for profit in space, which might (fingers crossed) drive a "gold rush" off-planet.