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It is commonly believed that humanity has developed as agriculture spread.
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Really?
- In reality, it is argued that humanity has become slaves to crops.
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In fact, as the transition to agriculture occurred, life became more difficult (Quality of Life decreased).
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The reason is that the population increased.
- The prevailing belief at the time was “if you work hard, life will become easier.”
- While it is true that there was an increase in productivity, the population also increased simultaneously (due to the impact of settlement).
- Therefore, the share per person actually decreased.
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In other words, individual happiness decreased, but the number of individuals increased, resulting in prosperity.
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From the perspective of people at that time, it was just a scam.
- It reveals the foolishness of humans, as they cannot grasp the full consequences of their decisions.
- This is also related to the question of “Does Technology Make Humans Smarter?”
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There are other problems with agriculture as well:
- Settlement carries high risks (similar to the risks of being a salaryman).
- Since they rely on a single crop, if it fails to grow, they will die. #Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind