>the other things you've listed are the default state of nature That depends on what you consider to be the default. If you're talking about pre-agricultural m

>the other things you've listed are the default state of nature That depends on what you consider to be the default. If you're talking about pre-agricultural man, the difficulty of life varied based on population density. A band of human beings that found an isolated island wouldn't have practiced child labor. They'd do a little bit of work to maintain comfortable living standards and spend most of their time on leisure activities. An area with many competing tribes, on the other hand, would see harsh and sometimes brutal social practices. Again, in a pre-industrial agricultural society, the difficulty of life also varied based on population density. Shortly after the invention of some new agricultural technique or tool, there would be abundance, peace, and easy living. Once that technique had caused a population boom, there would be scarcity, war, and hard living. >Even without a capitalist boss, people worked their asses off during the planting/harvest season under the threat of starvation. So, yeah--this isn't true in general.