Johan Norberg - Why can’t we see that we’re living in a
golden age?
“Global trade has
led to an expansion of wealth on a magnitude which is hard to comprehend.
During the 25 years since the end of the Cold War, global economic wealth — or
GDP per capita — has increased almost as much as it did during the preceding
25,000 years….
Part of our problem
is one of success. As we get richer, our tolerance for global poverty
diminishes. So we get angrier about injustices. Charities quite rightly wish to
raise funds, so they draw our attention to the plight of the world’s poorest.
But since the Cold War ended, extreme poverty has decreased from 37 per cent to
9.6 per cent — in single digits for the first time in history.”