This is a transformation on the scale of the shift, more than 8,000 years ago, from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to settled agricultural ones, which eventually led to the rise of cities. A similar transformation occurred in Europe in the tenth century, with the emergence of guilds – associations of skilled workers who controlled the practice of their craft in a particular town – which paved the way for the Industrial Revolution.
这次转型的规模堪与8,000多年前的那一次相比。8,000多年前，人类从游牧狩猎采集社会转变为定居农业社会，并最终创造出城市。十世纪的欧洲再次发生了类似的转型，公会（guild，由控制着某地某门手艺的熟练工组成的联合会）的崛起为工业革命铺平了道路。