You know, I hear this quit a bit but I really don&#x27;t like this position because it ignores all the very real issues and seemingly justifies the current state of things through some strange &quot;the greater good&quot; lens.<p>Sure, we are better off as a percentage, because we now have 7 billion plus people in the world. 20 years ago there were only 5 billion... but the actual numbers of people with poor living standards is, I would venture, actually higher. There were only 2 billion in 1927...<p>As to your original point that little improvement in living standards being a &quot;myth caused by lamp-posting&quot;... I don&#x27;t know how you can ignore the actual numbers regarding lack of living standards reflecting productivity gains for the lower-middle class... It&#x27;s not a myth at all, it&#x27;s a fact that we work longer hours, for less pay adjusted for inflation, with higher-costs of living.<p>The industrial revolution was supposed to be about giving man the time to pursue more noble goals, but instead it became a notch in the capitalists belt of exploitation of the workers.<p>In short, I think your post is nonsensical.