Apologies for the extreme simplification, but I think the time line assumed in your post is backwards: during the industrial revolution (and long after) there w

Apologies for the extreme simplification, but I think the time line assumed in your post is backwards: during the industrial revolution (and long after) there wasn't much of a reason to think about this, given the surplus of manual labor and fast technological advancements. It was not a very humane time.