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Originally Posted by redbreegull
do we actually know this though, or is this an assumption made because the factors which drive us crazy were not present in the past therefore we assume people just didn't have those kinds of issues?
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My hunch is that there isn't as much evolution of the human spirit as we think there has been. When you read old books, even if the societal context, knowledge, and technology is different, nearly all of the motivations, thoughts, behaviours, and conflicts seem recognisable and familiar. The past is not an alien planet.
I think there were probably tonne of navel-gazers in Ancient Mesopotamia who would have fit right in on Netphoria.
In the social sciences, we had a theory of "post-materialism" that the generations that didn't have to deal as much with material insecurity or war had politics less interested in securing basic needs (jobs, the economy, safety, etc), and politics more about personal expression and fulfillment.
I don't know the specifics, but I believe this theory has been widely rejected. People are
always concerned about their identities, expression, and fulfillment, and it's not just something that arises after basic needs— like food, shelter, and security— are met.