A World That Cannot Satisfy

Gregg Easterbrook wrote about this in a 2003 book called The Progress Paradox. Easterbrook’s subtitle was How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse. He describes how affluent we have become—​​​better food, better healthcare, better education, better communication, better climate control, better entertainment, better transportation—​​​all of that.

Yet, when sociologists do their surveys, and people in America indicate where they fall on the satisfaction scale, they are only “slightly satisfied.” Easterbrook has many explanations for this paradox—​​​a condition some have termed…