I personally doubt that a lot.
Here is one example why I think that.
qz.com
I am really an optimistic that satisfaction will get better for future generations. I had this discussion with other people in this forum. And many disagree with my view. Many say the golden age is over. Everything becomes worse, so many crises and there are many negative developments.
I personally doubt that. I think if we compare the life quality from past generations with the current one we observe a lot of improvements. There are so many amazing new technologies (I love the internet), better treatment for illnesses and education becomes more available for more people.
Though I might should add one thing. This development might be different for different countries. There are some rich countries which lose power and some which gain a lot power. I still think Western countries will improve the life quality of their citizens on average but the increase when me measure it relatively grows way more in less developed countries.
Though there is another phenomenon which depends on measurement. Do we think about happiness and suffering in an absolute or relative way? Like I think 1900 there were fewer than 2 billion people on this planet. One could argue less people equates less suffering. If we look at the average life quality for the people all over the world I would agree that the situation for humanity got worse. Way more people who suffer from poverty and horrible life quality. We are now close to 8 billion.
Though personally I rather think about it in a relative sense. I was really surprised when people told me they would have prefered to life decades or centuries ago. Personally I think there are some thinking fallacies which could be the cause for it. Though I know it is pretty controversial to say something like that. It sounds kind of arrogant. Though I think there is certain bias many people have to overestimate the past. However I cannot find a proper study. But I barely invested time for it. This might backfire. But I read the following in the media. People get asked in surveys how the employment rates changed, how the economical development was, the security in ones country and many people tend to a certain nostalgia. They evaluate the past in a too positive way.
I think I could name a lot of reasons why I would never prefer to live in the past. Some say it was easier to get lethal, peaceful drugs. I kind of doubt that. But I am not sure. I think there was only a very poor education on drugs. The education was in general very bad. I think many people probably have tried to kill themselves with very excruciating methods. I think some decades ago drinking pesticides was the most common suicide method. Because the poor rural workers in China thought this method was reliable. Yeah it is an extremely torturous method.
Moreover suicide was forbidden in most countries. They punished people who tried to ctb. And that is so extremely disgusting. I ask myself why people don't think of it in this perspective. Many people in this forum have horrible conditions. The treatment of mentally ill was horrible decades ago. For example a lobotomy is digusting. I have read in some pre-modern countries I think they put mentall ill people in cage. Yeah I know one could argue some are considered to be shamen. But I think on average the likelihood to have it way worse is in a pre-modern society way higher. I would not want to play russian roulette. Now people say it is in any case better not to be born at all. But this is not the topic of this discussion.
Mental illness were way more stigmatized in the past. It still is but there is at least some progress.
Okay now people could say. Yeah you still think of the time around the age of the 20th or 19th century. This is wrong capitalism and the new societal structures ruined it. Maybe we should live like cavemen. My arguments against that are: It was survival of the fittest. There were no doctors. no judges, no welfare, no electricity, no internet, no stable houses, no therapists, no proper clothes, no heaters, no comfortable beds, no supermarkets, barely hygiene, more illnesses with no proper treatment etc. For me this sounds like a bad deal.
I am a pretty vulnerable and weak person. I would have died a painful, slow and brutal way. Maybe I am doing this even in our modern world. But the chances as cavemen were in general higher. I hate the idea that physical strength decides conflicts. I already hated this in school or kindergarten. I hated fighting as a kid.
And this pre-modern era was mostly influenced by violence.
There will probably be many people who disagree with me on this topic. And this is fine. I don't mind that. I forgot to mention climate change. But this thread is already way too long.
Here is one example why I think that.
Here's why Africa has the world's saddest population
On average there has been a long-term moderate upward trend in stress, worry, and sadness in Africa and a long-term decline in the enjoyment of life.
qz.com
I am really an optimistic that satisfaction will get better for future generations. I had this discussion with other people in this forum. And many disagree with my view. Many say the golden age is over. Everything becomes worse, so many crises and there are many negative developments.
I personally doubt that. I think if we compare the life quality from past generations with the current one we observe a lot of improvements. There are so many amazing new technologies (I love the internet), better treatment for illnesses and education becomes more available for more people.
Though I might should add one thing. This development might be different for different countries. There are some rich countries which lose power and some which gain a lot power. I still think Western countries will improve the life quality of their citizens on average but the increase when me measure it relatively grows way more in less developed countries.
Though there is another phenomenon which depends on measurement. Do we think about happiness and suffering in an absolute or relative way? Like I think 1900 there were fewer than 2 billion people on this planet. One could argue less people equates less suffering. If we look at the average life quality for the people all over the world I would agree that the situation for humanity got worse. Way more people who suffer from poverty and horrible life quality. We are now close to 8 billion.
Though personally I rather think about it in a relative sense. I was really surprised when people told me they would have prefered to life decades or centuries ago. Personally I think there are some thinking fallacies which could be the cause for it. Though I know it is pretty controversial to say something like that. It sounds kind of arrogant. Though I think there is certain bias many people have to overestimate the past. However I cannot find a proper study. But I barely invested time for it. This might backfire. But I read the following in the media. People get asked in surveys how the employment rates changed, how the economical development was, the security in ones country and many people tend to a certain nostalgia. They evaluate the past in a too positive way.
I think I could name a lot of reasons why I would never prefer to live in the past. Some say it was easier to get lethal, peaceful drugs. I kind of doubt that. But I am not sure. I think there was only a very poor education on drugs. The education was in general very bad. I think many people probably have tried to kill themselves with very excruciating methods. I think some decades ago drinking pesticides was the most common suicide method. Because the poor rural workers in China thought this method was reliable. Yeah it is an extremely torturous method.
Moreover suicide was forbidden in most countries. They punished people who tried to ctb. And that is so extremely disgusting. I ask myself why people don't think of it in this perspective. Many people in this forum have horrible conditions. The treatment of mentally ill was horrible decades ago. For example a lobotomy is digusting. I have read in some pre-modern countries I think they put mentall ill people in cage. Yeah I know one could argue some are considered to be shamen. But I think on average the likelihood to have it way worse is in a pre-modern society way higher. I would not want to play russian roulette. Now people say it is in any case better not to be born at all. But this is not the topic of this discussion.
Mental illness were way more stigmatized in the past. It still is but there is at least some progress.
Okay now people could say. Yeah you still think of the time around the age of the 20th or 19th century. This is wrong capitalism and the new societal structures ruined it. Maybe we should live like cavemen. My arguments against that are: It was survival of the fittest. There were no doctors. no judges, no welfare, no electricity, no internet, no stable houses, no therapists, no proper clothes, no heaters, no comfortable beds, no supermarkets, barely hygiene, more illnesses with no proper treatment etc. For me this sounds like a bad deal.
I am a pretty vulnerable and weak person. I would have died a painful, slow and brutal way. Maybe I am doing this even in our modern world. But the chances as cavemen were in general higher. I hate the idea that physical strength decides conflicts. I already hated this in school or kindergarten. I hated fighting as a kid.
And this pre-modern era was mostly influenced by violence.
There will probably be many people who disagree with me on this topic. And this is fine. I don't mind that. I forgot to mention climate change. But this thread is already way too long.
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