> I don't think we "know" anything of the sort. I think this is rather easy to check - just have a look at per capita GDP. > Efficiency, for one, is an empty

> I don't think we "know" anything of the sort. I think this is rather easy to check - just have a look at per capita GDP. > Efficiency, for one, is an empty term. How did you reach this conclusion? > Efficiency with regards to what and towards what? With regard to how much effort you need to spend in order to achieve some outcome. > And why "force a larger population" to strive for it? Because it means we all waste less time/effort (on inefficiencies). > I know millions who have devoted themselves to various external causes I wasn't talking about specific individuals, but humans in general. Virtually every society will have some bad apples amongst it, and even those that don't will at least have incompetent ones. I don't mean this in any derogatory way - in the end it's just genetics, random mutations and all that stuff. It's not exactly a process we can reasonably influence or even just comprehend. > We might not have had Walmart 24/7 superstores or all kinds of BS foods and "indulgences" but it's not like they were missed much, if any. I'd like to see a credible source for this claim. I for one would certainly miss some of those things.