After COVID? Classical mechanics

COVID-19 has understandably been foremost in our minds over the last year and will continue to be for some time, but it is not the only urgent crisis that individuals, societies, and nations face. This essay looks at current events through the lens of Alvin Toffler’s publication The Third Wave, focusing especially on the accelerative nature of change today and how it increases complexity. Graeme Hawley, Head of General Collections at the National Library of Scotland, considers what accelerative change means in terms of the collections he is responsible for, and the extent to which COVID-19 is likely to impact accelerative change in the immediate future. The essay takes a broad look at topics that, although distinct in themselves, all share the qualities of velocity, and all seem to be happening at roughly the same time so that we can situate the post-COVID world in its fuller context.