You could say that anything is theoretically possible, but the entire extended history of the world contradicts that idea. Economic progress is about as univers

You could say that anything is theoretically possible, but the entire extended history of the world contradicts that idea. Economic progress is about as universal as anything in the man-made world has ever been. There have been setbacks, sure, but they have invariably been limited and short-lived. I'm sure there was a large drop in GDP during WWII, and I'm also sure that shortly after, it recovered and proceeded to climb well beyond where it was before the war started, as is the case with every other war ever fought, and any other type of catastrophe you can think of.