>Also, I dispute the idea that simpler societies have lower absolute quality of life in every way. I didn't argue this. I only argued that our ancestors didn't

>Also, I dispute the idea that simpler societies have lower absolute quality of life in every way. I didn't argue this. I only argued that our ancestors didn't live as long on average as we did. Nor did I argue that the way things currently are is the best it could possibly be. I think there is a way for us to improve incrementally, and in some cases that means simplification. But if that simplification does not respect the root causes for the initial complexity, the resulting system will be just as flawed as the current system. That is my point. Complexity is a symptom of the underlying system, and to try to address complexity on it's own without the underlying causes for that complexity will just lead to more pain in the future.