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In 1950, 27% of people died before age 15. In 2017 it was 4.6%. Still horrifically high, but a staggering achievement in the history of our species. [0] Thin
by JauntTrooper 7y ago
In 1950, 27% of people died before age 15.
In 2017 it was 4.6%. Still horrifically high, but a staggering achievement in the history of our species. [0]
Think of all the people spared from having to deal with a child, sibling, or friend dying young.
I think it's sometimes hard to fathom just how bad the human condition has been for most of our history.
[0] Source: https://ourworldindata.org/uploads/2019/06/Mortality-rates-of-children-over-last-two-millennia.png https://ourworldindata.org/uploads/2019/06/Mortality-rates-o...
- dahart 7y agoReducing the infant mortality rate depends on getting out of poverty, and the line above with infant mortality rates stabilize is way higher than the $1.90/day definition of “poor” that is used in this article, in fact in a lot of the world, the income needed to escape high infant mortality is as high as what the authors of the posted article have decided to call “middle class”. See for example https://neweconomics.org/uploads/files/RBPLTechPub.pdf https://neweconomics.org/uploads/files/RBPLTechPub.pdf
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- rofo1 7y ago> I think it's sometimes hard to fathom just how bad the human condition has been for most of our history. It really is not. All it takes is non-zero curiosity and picking up a book or two. Every single person of sound mind that has some history knowledge or evolutionary biology will confirm that life in 2020 is remarkably easy. The things that we have at our disposal are remarkable! Too many people take everything we have now for granted. I blame two institutions: school and parents. Sure, there are market forces that thrive on greed, but that's not an acceptable excuse!