I found this talk completely beside the point. He's s basically saying that you can't trust what people report feeling but must look at statistics. It's true that objectively/statistically speaking we are better off. The only problem is he completely (willfully?) ignores how people feel about there lives and meaning in their lives. He seems to believe that objective markers of improvement lead to life satisfaction. Does he think the billionaires like Elon Musk are happier because of more "choice"? This presentation is typical libertarian pablum under the guise of sophistication hip analysis.
thanks for watching and commenting. i'm not saying we shouldn't take people's feelings seriously--though i am saying those feelings are often uninformed by recent history. we do better when we can situate ourselves in our contexts and what came before.
Thanks for your reply to my somewhat snarky comment. My point is that we are in a meaning crisis. The velocity of change is more than many can or wish to handle. You can sight statistics on improvements and those are real.
They just don't tell the whole story. Our moment is chaotic. Some aspects of life are much better and some are worse. It's not possible to sum it up like a simple equation.
To each his own, I would prefer driving a Pinto and having heath coverage and piece of mind to having access to millions of songs ( I happen to be a musician and love music). What I feel and express is as a 76 year old white male that has a privileged life. I would have had a similar life 60 yrs ago. I realize millions of others would have been excluded. Life for those people is undoubtedly better today. I do believe though that the world we have built is producing ( not just recognizing) huge degrees of anxiety, emotional and family disfunction, loneliness and little concern with character, ethics or a positive vision of the future. The answer to all problems or desires today is proposed as technology. So far I'm not convinced that addresses the problem of meaning for most people in the developed world. Science, medicine and technology advances mightily while we are on the verge of self- destruction. So things get better but things also get worse. In the end comparing states of present vs past happiness is a hapless job. It can't really be done. People's expectations and demands for more and better just grow the more they have. It's built in dissatisfaction. Unless we have a revolution in values I see little hope. Thanks again for your previous reply and good luck on your work.
I found this talk completely beside the point. He's s basically saying that you can't trust what people report feeling but must look at statistics. It's true that objectively/statistically speaking we are better off. The only problem is he completely (willfully?) ignores how people feel about there lives and meaning in their lives. He seems to believe that objective markers of improvement lead to life satisfaction. Does he think the billionaires like Elon Musk are happier because of more "choice"? This presentation is typical libertarian pablum under the guise of sophistication hip analysis.
thanks for watching and commenting. i'm not saying we shouldn't take people's feelings seriously--though i am saying those feelings are often uninformed by recent history. we do better when we can situate ourselves in our contexts and what came before.
Thanks for your reply to my somewhat snarky comment. My point is that we are in a meaning crisis. The velocity of change is more than many can or wish to handle. You can sight statistics on improvements and those are real.
They just don't tell the whole story. Our moment is chaotic. Some aspects of life are much better and some are worse. It's not possible to sum it up like a simple equation.
To each his own, I would prefer driving a Pinto and having heath coverage and piece of mind to having access to millions of songs ( I happen to be a musician and love music). What I feel and express is as a 76 year old white male that has a privileged life. I would have had a similar life 60 yrs ago. I realize millions of others would have been excluded. Life for those people is undoubtedly better today. I do believe though that the world we have built is producing ( not just recognizing) huge degrees of anxiety, emotional and family disfunction, loneliness and little concern with character, ethics or a positive vision of the future. The answer to all problems or desires today is proposed as technology. So far I'm not convinced that addresses the problem of meaning for most people in the developed world. Science, medicine and technology advances mightily while we are on the verge of self- destruction. So things get better but things also get worse. In the end comparing states of present vs past happiness is a hapless job. It can't really be done. People's expectations and demands for more and better just grow the more they have. It's built in dissatisfaction. Unless we have a revolution in values I see little hope. Thanks again for your previous reply and good luck on your work.
I liked the Pinto.
This is a great speech.
This is basically like listening to Steven Pinker, but from the perspective of somebody who listens to punk rock.
The maw of WDC swallows yet another institution. Though I have to say Camden was hard to get to and the opera house seats had no leg room.