3 ms·

Why are we rich but hopeless

• milsorgen 7y ago
  A very interesting write-up and I mostly agree with the insights presented. But not every ideology is equal and we should not be so quick to dismantle and dismiss processes that have been with us for ages.
• cuchoi 7y ago
  > The world is more materially abundant than ever, we’ve eliminated several diseases, lifted millions out of poverty. > Yet, people aren’t reporting higher levels of meaning or happiness than before. I don't know about meaning but richer people (within and across countries) do report being happier: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-vs-happiness https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-vs-happiness Complete article: https://ourworldindata.org/happiness-and-life-satisfaction https://ourworldindata.org/happiness-and-life-satisfaction
  • paraschopra 7y ago
    The X axis is on a log scale. On a non-log scale, happiness tapers off and reaches a plateau https://images.app.goo.gl/aPzq1HaJz3Ejxopz6 https://images.app.goo.gl/aPzq1HaJz3Ejxopz6
    • hjk05 7y ago
      True, so in the spirit of discussion let me phrase a hypothesis from the two facts we have established: 1. Material wealth grows without the number of happy people growing, and 2. Happiness increase tapers off as a function of wealth. The hypothesis: material wealth increase in the world is concentrated with people who are already happy. I don’t have numbers or regencies to back this up, but I have read countless times now that inequality is on the rise. Could it be simply that even as material wealth increases we are just horribly bad as a society at spreading that wealth to the bottom tiers where it would actually make a tremendous difference?
      • paraschopra 7y ago
        Yes, I'd contend you're right.