[vermilingua]

I've been wondering recently if the economy has shaped to optimally exploit the most readily available and easily renewable resource available: people.

There's been an explosion in computing power over the last two decades, and computing power roughly equals the ability to optimise. Has this allowed the economy, through sheer market forces, to reach an equilibrium where people are maximally exploited while still being able to grow, and increase their "value output" over time?

Has the economy managed to dodge the malthusian trap with humanity, that it has otherwise fallen into with fossil fuels and rare metals/minerals?

[nerdponx]

I've been wondering recently if the economy has shaped to optimally exploit the most readily available and easily renewable resource available: people.

Has not shaped of its own accord, it has been shaped. At least to some extent, this is planned, and governments are mostly complicit.

[cjmb]

(Hey, OP here, thanks for reading I really appreciate it!)

Look, on the one hand this can get a bit too cynical, to the extent that you start looking for a "grim cabal" (quoting myself, not you) to blame. There are no lizard people etc. etc. :) So you have to phrase things carefully.

On the other hand, this quote from the article is me trying to highlight...exactly what you're saying here about optimizing human output:

"The slave works for his owner. The indentured servant for his master. The communist for everyone. The American for himself. It’s a powerful idea, a powerful motivator, and a powerful system. A grand competition, where advancement can be achieved through merit and competence — so don’t be shocked when those with merit and competence flock to compete. And they make perfect competitors."

I wanted to dodge the Culture War / Politics questions a bit. This was more about specifying the pain points than proposing My Genius Solution To The Utopia Problem #729.

But I didn't want to let it go unsaid that the American system powerfully motivates the sorts of people most-apt-to-compete to do exactly that.