2 ms·

This probably exists or maybe it's impossible to measure. But is there a widely adopted quality of life index? Or "fulfillment index"? Like if someone is commu

This probably exists or maybe it's impossible to measure. But is there a widely adopted quality of life index? Or "fulfillment index"? Like if someone is commuting an hour working full time in a LCOL area and can't afford a house, that would be scored lower than if someone is working remotely for a huge salary from a various resorts around the world, which would be a higher score.

skippyboxedhero 2y ago
You don't need an index. Are the people in your country happy or not? Are they having children? Are they participating in civic society? Crime? Signs of social unrest? There is an issue with people being systemically negative but it is very obvious which countries are thriving at a high-level from aggregate behaviour. The problem is that some societies (unsurprisingly the ones that have a problem in this area) do not want confront this. So you have countries where the economy is collapsing, it is obvious to everyone...and they are getting economic policies from corporate lobbyists...to fix "the economy". I think this is getting at the spirit of the OP's point, most people who talk about "the economy" just have a very short-term, very self-interested take.
- pbh101 2y ago
  Measuring what you described in aggregate is an index.
  - skippyboxedhero 2y ago
    No, it isn't. An index is a quantifiable measure. I said the behaviour of people in the aggregate, not measuring the behaviour of people in the aggregate. How do you measure civic participation? Why would you even try? It is genuinely baffling to me that people view quantification as an end in itself when any understanding of human behaviour tells you that a huge proportion of the population just shut their brain off when a number appears (that is the point made in the original post, we have this problem with "the economy" that leads to people making such bad policy choices because of this mindset).
    - pbh101 2y ago
      Quantification is not an end in itself. I can think of many ways to measure civic participation and reasons I might want to, especially if I think it is healthy for society and wanted to encourage more of it.
      - skippyboxedhero 2y ago
        As I said, this is the issue. "The economy" is a direct consequence of people thinking that everything can be quantified. It is so shallow until you realise that this thinking is pervasive in government, and explains why "line goes up" whilst everything valuable is collapsing is so prevalent. In other words, to explain why basic societal functions are collapsing whilst you have people saying things have never been so good requires an extremely reductive mode of thought.
        pbh101 2y ago
        My takeaway from this is you do not know what ‘quantify’ means and are bundling a whole lot of connotation into it.

skippyboxedhero 2y ago

You don't need an index. Are the people in your country happy or not? Are they having children? Are they participating in civic society? Crime? Signs of social unrest? There is an issue with people being systemically negative but it is very obvious which countries are thriving at a high-level from aggregate behaviour. The problem is that some societies (unsurprisingly the ones that have a problem in this area) do not want confront this. So you have countries where the economy is collapsing, it is obvious to everyone...and they are getting economic policies from corporate lobbyists...to fix "the economy". I think this is getting at the spirit of the OP's point, most people who talk about "the economy" just have a very short-term, very self-interested take.

pbh101 2y ago
Measuring what you described in aggregate is an index.
- skippyboxedhero 2y ago
  No, it isn't. An index is a quantifiable measure. I said the behaviour of people in the aggregate, not measuring the behaviour of people in the aggregate. How do you measure civic participation? Why would you even try? It is genuinely baffling to me that people view quantification as an end in itself when any understanding of human behaviour tells you that a huge proportion of the population just shut their brain off when a number appears (that is the point made in the original post, we have this problem with "the economy" that leads to people making such bad policy choices because of this mindset).
  - pbh101 2y ago
    Quantification is not an end in itself. I can think of many ways to measure civic participation and reasons I might want to, especially if I think it is healthy for society and wanted to encourage more of it.
    - skippyboxedhero 2y ago
      As I said, this is the issue. "The economy" is a direct consequence of people thinking that everything can be quantified. It is so shallow until you realise that this thinking is pervasive in government, and explains why "line goes up" whilst everything valuable is collapsing is so prevalent. In other words, to explain why basic societal functions are collapsing whilst you have people saying things have never been so good requires an extremely reductive mode of thought.
      - pbh101 2y ago
        My takeaway from this is you do not know what ‘quantify’ means and are bundling a whole lot of connotation into it.