Glossary
Dreamtime: In indigenous Australian traditions this was the time of
beginnings, of origins, and of the law.early Agrarian era: The early part of the Agrarian era, which lasted,
globally, from c. 8000 B.C.E. to c. 3000 B.C.E., though its dates vary in
different regions; the 5,000-year-long era of human history during which
there were Agrarian societies but no Agrarian civilizations, and the largest
human communities were villages.electromagnetism: One of the four fundamental forces of the physical
Universe, responsible for holding positively and negatively charged particles
(such as protons and electrons) together; the most important force in many
chemical processes.electrons: Negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit the nuclei
of atoms.elements (chemical): The basic constituents of chemical processes; each
atomic element is de¿ ned by the number of protons in its nucleus, and
elements are listed in the periodic table; chemical processes are dominated
by the combination of different elements into larger “molecules”; only
hydrogen and helium, the simplest elements (with, respectively, one and two
protons in their nuclei), were created in the big bang; most other elements
were created either in stars or in supernovae.emergent properties: Properties of a complex entity that are not present
within its component parts but emerge only when those parts are linked
together in a particular con¿ guration; an automobile has emergent properties
that its parts lack when it is dismantled.Enlightenment: Era of European intellectual history in the 18th century; a
period of optimism about the bene¿ cial achievements of science and the
necessity of progress.entrepreneurs: Those who make money primarily by producing, buying,
and selling goods or services on competitive markets (distinguished from
tribute-takers, who exact resources through the threat of force).