Is there a way to calculate...

Discussion in 'Human Science' started by cosmictotem, Mar 9, 2012.

  1. cosmictotem Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    748
    ...if someone working three job's today is exerting more energy for their survival than the average prehistoric man (or woman)?

    What made me ask this question was I was reading something online about college students and how they work and study to get a good job in their field and yet a lot of them never get the return they were expecting.

    So it got me thinking: For the resources we are collecting today for our basic survival, is there a way to calculate if we are exerting more energy than our prehistoric ancestors?

    And if we are, does this mean we are being bamboozled by the powers that have designed our society where we can be exploited by employers?

    Or, put another way, are we receiving a return for our work in a proportion greater or less than compared to what our ancestors received in return for their work?

    Keep in mind, this may not be as self-evident as we may think when, after all, a 'house" for our ancestors was a lot simpler than a house is today. And that goes for a lot of other technologies.
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2012
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  3. Dinosaur Rational Skeptic Valued Senior Member

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    I think anyone can answer this question by asking a few questions & having a bit of knowledge of history.

    Would you prefer a hunter-gatherer culture to our modern culture? Would you prefer to be a slave in the roman empire? Would you prefer to be a serf under the feudal system of circa 500-1500 years ago?

    Until the last 300-400 years, most people worked very hard & had little to show for it.

    In the last 300-400 years we have evolved a techological culture: The working class have cars, appliances, computers, TV sets, take vacations, have time for hobbies, live longer, et cetera. Even though the working class seems worse off now than 20-40 years ago, they are still way better off than those who lived 300-400 years ago.
     
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