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Once upon a time being poor absolutely meant being hungry. No more. That is an utterly remarkable change and is unprecedented in all of human history. And so m
by trentnix 7y ago
Once upon a time being poor absolutely meant being hungry. No more.
That is an utterly remarkable change and is unprecedented in all of human history. And so many wizards of smart assured the people of their time that population growth was going to lead to famine. They were dead-ass wrong.
- Ozzie_osman 7y agoYes, you are absolutely right. Thank God we don't have famines, but that's a really low bar to strive for as humanity. People only being able to afford food and a lifestyle that lead to obesity and a whole host of other health problems is still pretty bad, imo.
- trentnix 7y agoNonsense. It's a really big deal. It's probably the greatest accomplishment in all of human history. But to concede a point, there's no finish line in the race to improve human health and experience.
- votepaunchy 7y agoPerhaps second or third to the vast reductions in maternal/infant death and from communicable diseases. Likewise, still work to be done.
- Ozzie_osman 7y agoI do agree it's a huge deal. I think my bigger source of disagreement was pointing to things like obesity as a sign of prosperity. I guess everything is relative. Obesity is relatively better than famine. But overall, the article is arguing that many things are getting worse recently, which I think is true. Despite improvements in science, technology, productivity, and economic growth, groups of people are facing lower affordability of basic needs. Whether or not economists are to blame is another matter.
- krilly 7y agoI think we can all agree This is due to technological advancement, not economics, which is what we are discussing
- gbacon 7y agoReasons why said technological advancement occurs in some times and places but not others is most definitely a question of economics.