What is the right kind of inequality to focus on?
-functional inequality, height & health, cross country vs. within, intell, risk-taking
Proof of Richer: cheaper stuff; able to buy more and a real ability consume to
BUT we get pleasure and service from stuff that matters
How Can We Measure $$ from Ancient Times?
1) History: everyone lived similarly; able to imagine, how much did a farm produce? what were the primitive instruments? (pre-industrial revolution) anthropology actually matters! (phew, it's actually my minor)
2) Critical Thinking: Know basically how much $ people needed to survive at the time by comparing it with the minimum bound; compare resources conditions to 3rd world countries
BUT WAIT, what about all that ancient achievemen? pyramids? temples? bridges?
-->operated under feudal system/monarchy/empire; most people were serfs; if you lived on land, 30-40% of what you produced goes to the big guy up top. Boss man has a lot of $$ to work with.
Awesome structures were built because all the work went to something that didn't make these people rich.
"The Good Ol' Days" Would you trade with the past? (cue Rizzo's list of painful, untimely deaths of the big shots of history...I mean dying of strep throat isn't pretty)
Compare the differences then with our differences with Bill Gates; the gap is MUCH smaller than that of peasants and kings.
"We live in the security blanket of modern society", so yeah camping is great, but that's because it doesn't last forever and if something goes wrong, the modern world can fix it.
Also, trend of increasing life expectancy. (We've added a decade to American life since 1960!)
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