Poverty will always exist, because poverty in its truest form is the perception of inequality. As timwiseman said: >With that said, the close tie in to materi

Poverty will always exist, because poverty in its truest form is the perception of inequality. As timwiseman said: >With that said, the close tie in to material wealth is your place in society. A good hunter-gatherer might have none of the luxuries we take for granted now, but he probably has the respect of those around him and looks around and sees he is well off compared to his comrades. He is likely to be happy, and to feel that his work is paying off. Imagine a world where every citizen was equipped with one spoon. They only needed one spoon, and they only ever used one spoon. Now say a few citizens acquire _two_ spoons. They never use these spoons, and they don't need them. But suddenly, everyone who only has one spoon starts to feel inferior. If we woke up tomorrow and everyone had the same amount of wealth, it would be necessary to redefine poverty. The feelings that accompany poverty would still exist, albeit for a different perceptible difference between people. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3315638/Relative-wealth-makes-you-happier.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3315638/Rela... I can't find the original study, but this article references it.