One reason the western world is appearing more indeterminate and becoming less optimistic is because of the diminishing returns of progress. That's the main pro

One reason the western world is appearing more indeterminate and becoming less optimistic is because of the diminishing returns of progress. That's the main problem in Europe. A hundred years ago, most people had difficult lives and technical progress offered a clear path to better lives. Now most people there have a pretty good life and understandably don't want it to change.