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The advancements in medical science alone make the comparison a non-starter. 200 years ago, around 40% of children died before the age of 15±. Any fracture, cold or bruise could devolve into a matter of life and death. And good luck coping with a deteriorating eyesight or tooth pain. Most of your diet consisted of whatever crops didn’t fail that year. Most workers had no rights and only limited ownership: farmers paid rent or labor services to the nobility in exchange for their right to survive off that land! Pre-industrial processing facilities – like a tannery or a forge – were not bound by workplace safety regulations. Before the newspaper and modern means of transportation, you had no way to witness a world different than your immediate sorroundings. Your 'culture' was whatever the village you were born into believed in. If you didn't fit in, you didn't get second chances: your community was your safety net in case of permanent injury or illness. In a way, individualism is a byproduct of the industrial revolution.

± Sweden, 1750-80: https://ourworldindata.org/child-mortality-in-the-past



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