Stages of Consciousness

An old idea with a new application The theory of recapitulation was a popular idea in the 19th century applied to biological revolution. Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny＂-is an historical hypothesis that the development of the embryo (ontogeny), goes through stages resembling the evolution of the animal’s remote ancestors (phylogeny). Although the theory has been debunked in biology, aspects of the theory survive in other applications such as cognitive developement and art theory. I am applying the theory of recapitulation in a new way to a theory of historical/cultural consciousness on a collective level. This is an expansion of Carl Jung’s application of the theory to individual psychological development and Jean Piaget’s parallel theory as applied to educational development.