Lovely overview and critique. Richard K Hamming makes your point too in “The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn”; chapter 2 on rates of progress and the trap of linear perception of exponential change. All looks linear over 10-20 years; but over 50-100 the “exponentiality” of change is shockingly obvious. It is then much easier to perceive the huge phase changes in technology, intelligence, meaning of life and of mind.