When raw materials are combined, new value is created. Disregarding solar input, raw materials are finite, so it was the same total 1000 years ago as today. Yet

When raw materials are combined, new value is created. Disregarding solar input, raw materials are finite, so it was the same total 1000 years ago as today. Yet today we have infinitely more goods (and services) than 1000 years ago, and we all agree that it's okay to have more money than 1000 years ago to represent the additional value.