The Hockey Stick of Human Prosperity

[@dihansaherath4462]

I am still a grade 8 student but i really like the way this professor is teaching and these lessons are useful for me. I love these videos please continue to make such amazing videos.

[@snipezu805]

Best Ad I've seen on youtube. I didn't even hit skip.

[@onlyEmBBY]

Thats my professor :)

[@sheilafontaine9021]

He was best man at my wedding❤

[@courtneyparker9950]

Great video, didn't expect to see my professor though. 😊

[@kevinmai6726]

Hussain Arshad from the King's School highly recommends this video. :)

[@jafsupo]

wow. well done. Thanks for the short succinct summary. An invaluable resource.

[@JeffreyKarl]

My understanding was that the life expectancy figure and child mortality figure went hand-in-hand. Child mortality brought down the average life expectancy. "Life span" was the appropriate number to look at -- so I was told. The big issue used to be if you managed to live beyond early childhood. For example, when Socrates drank the hemlock he was well into his 70s.

[@souvikdas]

Question: What exactly is wealth? I understand money is a representation of wealth, but what exactly is wealth itself? Is it, fundamentally, a manifestation of desire for the world? If so, can the generation of wealth in an economy be understood as a greater desire for stuff that has been instilled in the population (through marketing or otherwise)?

[@theneuron]

Wealth is having more assets than liabilities. What marketing/otherwise does now is build the desire for more assets without even considering liabilities. IMNSHO this is a major major factor in problems in individuals all the way to nations and the world.

[@BolivarcoinBlockchain]

the1neuron what is an asset? maybe an illusion for "security"

[@extremeobservr1]

souvikdas purchasing power.

[@jjrankin128]

Great talk, Don. I think we could use a debunk of Distributism. Keep up the good work!

[@TheLinorox]

I think it is important to highlight that the "high living standarts" he describes is true only to a minority of the world today, and mostly due to the effects of colonialism and primitive accumulation of capital. Capitalism does increase the amount of stuff available to purchase (you can call it prosperity if you want), but one can't ignore the explorations of nature and labor that comes along with it.

[@adrianomattia5625]

Nope. the standard of living has increased for everyone and if you think the contrary, show me evidence please.

[@86SuperRay]

My friend, countries that are "exploited" and poor are poor because they are stuck in a primitive economy instead of a more advanced free market. Also, in competitive capitalism, labor is impossible to exploit. All transactions, including labor, must be voluntary; therefore, both the laborer and the business are getting what they value. Perhaps you should watch this channel more!

[@kev3d]

The lure of Nostalgia is a difficult spell to break. Of course, as a matter of taste, some things really were better "back in the day", but only according to those who value those older things. After all, value is subjective. But when I hear some modern complaints about jobs, I often hear something similar to this; "We don't have manufacturing jobs any more! Things were so much better when we had those jobs!" and, often in the same paragraph, "Retail/Food service sucks. It's boring and the pay is terrible." Naturally, it is usually ignored that factories of the past were often dangerous, the jobs extremely repetitive, low paying, and not air conditioned. True, entry into retail and food service also doesn't pay very well, but the jobs are cleaner, safer, in a more comfortable working environment, with fewer ethnic, racial, sexual or class barriers than ever before. But of course, the grass is always greener "back then", and people are extremely spoiled today. As the line from "The Jerk" goes; “Kids today. They don’t want to start at the bottom and work their way up. They want to start at the top and work their way sideways.”

[@JuliusFawcett]

This is wonderfully well presented. Real wealth is the absence of thought patterns to do with fear and the feeling of love that comes from caring and being cared about.

[@jafopjd]

you are the future keep up the good work

[@DopeBoysClan]

Love the video, extremely fascinating. It really got me thinking, and being grateful, but on the other hand it got me really thinking about something. Do I blink too much, or perhaps you blink too little?

[@samrithisaravanan7424]

Very helpful.Thank So much

[@D-me-dream-smp]

This is fascinating but we are starting to see the flaws in the very structures we rely on. If we keep mindlessly chasing “more” we might end up in a different place than we hoped.

[@sheylatorres9191]

This video is mind blowing🤯

[@joshuaoha]

Good stuff. But I'd like to see more differentiation between free market economics and modern corporate capitalism as we know it.

[@kathirvelany2642]

Beautiful

[@BinanceUSD]

Thank you

[@lateastronaut8579]

amazing Channel!

[@ullasahuja]

so awesome

[@zoltantoth-czifra1690]

My guess of what causes prosperity: fossil fuels (also first used in the industrial revolution). By delegating work to machines humanity can focus on higher level work and take advantage of machines and fuels even more. Now it's a critical time to shift from fossil fuels to something else (solar, nuclear), otherwise we ought to slide back to where we were.

[@hamningtonchops3297]

Doesn't mention how we threw natural selection out the window.

[@ZainHallows]

all I see is "I'M READING SOMETHING O__O"

[@davebirney]

haha very accurate faces

[@Fransadiwinata]

i have theory why we have wealth its energy expenditure, with the discovery of coal and oil we create tools that rise the productivity level of a civilization.

[@dsaav2313]

Why is it called hockey stick of prosperity

[@mikegLXIVMM]

Every kid should be taught this. It's not really that bad in 2017.

[@bluper8]

I think that the reason for the life expectancy to be so different was that the child mortality skewed the average.

[@marknquinn]

This always needs stating when reporting on life expectancy!

[@HarpoSpoke]

Of course. Since many of us would not be alive 100 years ago due to child mortality, that is not insignificant nor does it take away from the increased life expectancy. I myself would have died at age 16 due to appendicitis 100-200 years ago. There is no way to downplay how amazing this all is for human beings.

[@renaldoawesomesauce1654]

bluper8 If you include infant mortality, it shifts by 10 years and is the age of 40..... Which is still terrible.

[@870Slager]

Yeah, I hate it when people just assume everyone dropped dead at 30 lol

[@KittelsoAJ20]

My ancestors had the same philosophy. We focused on killing. We were very successful! The Vikings killed and took over land because if we didn't, we would starve to death. It's amazing what hunger will do to a person.

[@truemisto]

i was told that life expectancy lowness in olden days is because its an averaged life expectancy, brought down a lot by infant mortality

[@davebirney]

truemisto thats what i heard anyway, maybe he decided to use real facts in the next video

[@renaldoawesomesauce1654]

truemisto LOL If you include infant mortality, the average age was only around 40, which is still much lower than what we had from the 1800s and now. So he is using "facts." But oddly you seem to want to "leave out" the fact about infant mortality, and the mortality of children (who's average death age in France was around 6 years old.)

[@JonGreen91]

What would our ancestors life expectancy look like if we ignored the outlier of infant mortality?

[@essentialeconomist184]

Aston University students please watch this video

[@synersonix]

Bravo... Don is putting some simple common sense explaining into economics, and how that gives us EVERYTHING we currently enjoy. Without the advent of the miraculous but initially dirty industrial age--we'd all be dirty-hungry-unhealthy bastards. Sadly, there are some of us who romanticize the benefit of communism, which seeks to take the productivity of industry, and individual creativity, to feed the state and its minions of politicians.

[@imonlyamanandiwilldiesomed4406]

[@springer-qb4dv]

Funny you should say hockey stick curve and econmists have no clue where the prosperity comes from and is blind to the implications.. That is the most frightening curve. Hockey stick up means hockey stick curve down.

[@davooze]

But I cant afford a new phone every year, my life fucking sucks!!!

[@davebirney]

David Secondname my watch doesnt have a touchscreen, fml

[@craigtheschmeg3253]

But...but...According to what we hear in the media, kids today have it so much harder than anyone in the history of history. If they loose their connection to Face Book or their $500 iPhone breaks or there's no safe space, what will they do?

[@sajisnair9354]

History of God in erath ?

[@The88Cheat]

William Dafoe?

[@Proxy95]

this dudes eyeballs scare the shit out of me..

[@Ezechielpitau]

Does anyone else feel that he's really really missing the big point that we have exported poverty? 300 years ago, if I was a rich man, then I would consume stuff that my poor fellow Germans made. Now, I consume stuff that poor chinese kids make. (And sadly, this is almost unavoidable. Try boycotting every business that abuses their (often asian) workers and there's almost nothing left to buy...

[@86SuperRay]

Learn about comparative advantage. These poor chinese kids would be far worse off without trade and capitalism

[@swayamvaramasala]

That's not really how life expectancy works...

[@renaldoawesomesauce1654]

Denis Lama .......... Now's the part where you explain to us how it really works.

[@bjarturdc]

So first of all, the assumption that we are all better off because we have material or monetary wealth is simply not true. Second, the life expectancy of 30 years is a myth of a sort. Yes, if you average it out life expectancy was about 30 years, although some say it was closer to 40. But the only real difference today is that we have a lot fewer infant deaths, meaning that life expectancy if you survived into childhood was actually about the same as today.

[@renaldoawesomesauce1654]

thedwork LOL so you're not better off from your nice warm house? You're not better off from your efficient car? Or your ability to fly around the world? We are living longer. Nobody denies we are living longer. Literally, we are living longer than we were in the fourties, or in the 1800s.... And we will be living longer in the next 50 years. All of this is fact. Where did you learn that the people in the dark ages are living just as well as we are today? That's just silly. More importantly, he openly ADMITS to using infant mortality in the video! I mean really, guy, pay attention.

[@kingtriton1975]

Ben franklin was in his 80s around the time the American Revolution happened. That was like being 110 years old back then.

[@justinlewis9068]

reminds me of a video titled "iPencil"

[@faveology]

Before you defend and believe this, he's attacking one point of view. Yes, we have wonderful things now. HOWEVER, we could have so much more if things weren't so bad right now. People need to learn not to settle for things. We used to be the greatest country on the planet, but we're falling out of this role due to people "settling" rather demanding what's right. Just because people in the East are ruled by dictators and get killed when resisting their government, does not mean our government should be allowed to do whatever they want towards us.

[@SlowSlowSloth]

Way to generalize the east.

[@stepcio08]

You used to be the greatest country on the planet? Really? Who said that? Your president? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@jamest3002]

There is nothing to defend or disbelieve. You are, as an average person in an advanced industrialized nation, far more wealthy (and healthy) than almost all of the roughly 50-150 billion people that have come before in history. As for the rest, why the tangent? This isn't about the United States. If it were you've taken up a sentiment that is far too simple and narrow to address its history, people, or the world.

[@greengoose6818]

We're at or close to the peak of human prosperity which is not sustainable since we live in a resource finite world.

[@angusowen9863]

There is no reason that with the proper technological and societal progress we can't keep this prosperity rising, especially if we ever get off this particular rock and go exploring.

[@greengoose6818]

Angus Owen This guy pretty much sums up what you are calling human progress - watch?v=-Na9-jV_OJI. I do agree with you in that we are progressing in turning what was once an ecologically diverse, clean planet into a rock.

[@greengoose6818]

***** You fail to address the continued destruction of the natural environment. Exhibit A: 90% of big fish are gone - watch?v=05UXm5-ddhA.

[@greengoose6818]

***** Please don’t tell me you’re so naive that you’re equating a natural fish ecosystem to a fish farm. That’s like comparing a Rembrandt to a 3rd. graders finger painting. "Big fish are an important part of the marine ecosystem - which includes the ocean and all the things living in it - because they keep down the numbers of smaller fish. Without fish that eat other fish, populations of smaller swimmers could swell. More of these smaller fish would devour more plants, leaving less vegetation for other organisms - or for future fish." stephen ornes

[@greengoose6818]

***** I very much appreciate hearing your opinions and outlook - you are an optimist for sure. I guess you could label me a pessimist but I'd like to think of myself as a realist. We could go back and forth debating but I think sharing a video that pretty much sums up my point of view would save a lot of typing. If you have time, take a look at it - /watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU. Feel free to share any video you may have which expresses your point of view.

[@paulprice29]

What makes prosperity? Access to products of cheap energy. From slavery in Adam Smith's time to coal in the 19th century, oil in the 20th and now coal and fracked gas and any other fossil fuel. Energy and wealth form a mutually reinforcing feedback. Sadly, we now also know that burning "cheap" fossil fuels is producing emissions that will exhaust the atmospheric capacity for a "safe", less than 2ºC climate before 2030. We can only hope that economists can wake up very soon to the fact that the prosperity of now for the few can only be extended to the many if they begin to create an economics that cuts wealthy energy use and emissions radically and quickly to give space for some prosperity for our children and others around the world. Can your economics course work on that?

[@johnp.johnson1541]

*And you can thank Anglo-Saxon Protestant Christian white males for all of this, almost exclusively.*

[@jamtheman3017]

2/3 of humans alive today still live in absolute poverty?

[@86SuperRay]

Still far lower than how it was centuries ago

[@mma220]

we live in the time were oil rule the earth and will destroy it sorry but its the truth

[@pannalalyoutube5668]

wau

[@davebirney]

right off the bat ive had enough of this guy, "before the industrial revolution life expectancy was about 30 years" ...yea sorry "before" was a pretty long time. also, whats up with his eyes, is he trying to be marshall applegate? am i in a cult now?!

[@jthomas12793]

He's reading his script from a semi-reflective camera teleprompter of the type that reflects the words directly over the line-of sight to the video camera lens. It's supposed to allow you to read a script while making it seem as if you're not reading, that you are just looking at the camera, but they have him too close to it, and his image is too large for it to work right... at this short distance and with his eyes so clearly visible, it's easy for our brains to see that he's NOT actually looking at us, that his eyes are twitching back and forth, and not focused at the (perceived) distance where our own eyes would be, if were he actually in front of us, speaking. These are subtle issues, but our brains can still pick them out, and make the whole experience of watching him feel "off" and a little bit creepy.

[@renaldoawesomesauce1654]

***** They stated i the video that life expectancy was roughly similar for a very very long time (ancient Egypt) until the 1800s. Or did you fall asleep?

[@davebirney]

Ricky E the problem was that it wasnt roughly similar. and why did you mention ancient Egypt? thats recent

[@nicosmind3]

+Dave Birney Ancient Egypt = Recent.... With "logic" like that it must be impossible to have a rational conversation with you

[@davebirney]

+nicosmind3 our species goes back 200,000 years, egypt was 5,000 years ago. would you like me to draw you a picture to help you understand it better?

[@chriswinning4710]

Made in China, Made in China, Made in China, Made in China....

[@Sorax999]

I agree. Atheism has granted this moment of great intellectual progress in human history. In this moment I am euphoric. Please up vote me fellow redditors.

[@v1dal]

It actually was because of freedom, atheism is just one of the consecuences of freedom. Freedom and only freedom is the only way to build a real capitalist system (not corporativism nor imperialism nor mercantilism). And that capitalism is the only thing that allowed the human kind to thrive.

[@Nick-rm1mi]

So he's basically telling us to just stfu and go back to work...

[@Ryuuken24]

One guy for too many fallacies.

[@hefnasty99]

I love how he uses an illustration of a man from the 16th century to make a point about people the 19th century. Its like he underestimates the knowledge of the viewer, or is just sloppy. Either way, I dont like it.

[@alexb.940]

What knowledge of the viewer did Don underestimate? And what SPECIFICALLY didn't you like?

[@hefnasty99]

Alex B. Knowledge of history. And I don't like inaccuracies.

[@alexb.940]

Stannis What SPECIFIC knowledge of history? What SPECIFIC "inaccuracies" are you talking about?

[@hefnasty99]

Im sure you believe that.

[@hefnasty99]

***** Of course.

[@RyanStokes3]

What you're describing is what's called TECHNOLOGY not Capitalism. lmao. this is so stupid.

[@593iwalkalone]

+Ryan Stokes ? technology has existed long before the industrial revolution, it was the free exchange of goods and services between different places that allowed for the industrial revolution to take place,a aspect of capitalism.

[@Blkglssjw]

"If all of the world’s leading physicists, engineers, chemists, programmers, and entrepreneurs went back in time to the Stone Age, most of them would be dead within a week. Even though they would have all of the cutting-edge knowledge from today, they would lack the capital structure with which to implement their advanced ideas. This is the sense in which Austrian writers like Bohm-Bawerk, Mises, and Rothbard would stress that the ultimate brake on economic growth was not “technology” or “inventions” but instead saving and investment. At any given time, there are always a bunch of projects “on the shelf” that are not put into operation because of a lack of sufficient savings. Right now it would be technologically possible to build a colony on Mars, or a floating ocean city on Earth that could support 100,000 people. But it simply would be too expensive to implement such projects any time soon. It’s not that we “don’t know how to do it,” it’s that it would forfeit too many other potential goods and services to build a giant floating city on the Pacific by 2020." - Robert P. Murphy

[@vigneshy9719]

Beautiful