Modern civilization can be described as the global state of affairs in societies that evolved from traditionalism and industrialism towards culture characterized by mass consumerism, global capital, technology-enabled communication and governance, and a dominant understanding of human progress that prioritizes efficiency, market expansion, and subjection of the natural world to human usefulness. It is an age and a system premised on an almost insular faith in technological progress and economic growth, and the belief that these achievements constitute the highest form of human development and civilization.

See also: white modernity, slave trade, racial justice, contemporary activism, life itself