This was addressed centuries ago.
Society progresses through three distinct stages of being. As one stage progresses into the other, the previous stage loses a great deal of importance, and eventually withers away altogether.
The first stage is the Theological stage. This stage was required for early man(read as primitive) to gain an understanding of the basic questions of humanity, ie, Why are we here? How did we come into being? And so on and so forth. This could be described as the "Child" era, if given a human lifeline. The child attributes human characteristics to an unknowable and unseen power, much as a child would attribute actions and speech to a favorite toy.
Following that comes the adolescent stage of Metaphysics. In this stage, the world is described in abstract terms and impersonal explanation. Common phrases of this stage include abstract notions of unseen "forces" and "essences". The further this stage progresses towards the final period, the more the preceding stage loses influence, as humanity is PROGRESSING.
The Positivity stage refers to scientific explanation based on observation, experiment, and comparison. Positive explanations rely upon a distinct method, the scientific method, for its justification. This is also referred to as the Adult stage, as it relies on rational, intelligent thought based on scientific fact that only a fully adapted being could comprehend.