[Recording Start]
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What were the concepts of personal well-being before 1980, and how have they evolved up to now, or what might personal notions of well-being look like today?
Rick Rosner: Alright, throughout human history, a key aspect of well-being has been our ability to overlook the inevitability of aging and death. This was even more crucial before the 20th century, as life expectancy was shorter. Feelings of well-being have primarily revolved around two aspects. Firstly, the joys derived from sensory pleasures, such as delicious food, sex, and other physically gratifying experiences. Secondly, spiritual fulfillment played a significant role. This includes the sense of doing good deeds or being in harmony with divine principles, often coupled with the expectation of a heavenly reward.
As we entered the deep industrial era, things began to shift. Lifespans increased, and reliance on divine refuge started to wane. I believe that, on average, people nowadays lead longer, more enjoyable, and entertaining lives than at any point in the past. This improvement continues despite current challenges like COVID-19 and, particularly in America, frustrating political scenarios. This upward trend in quality of life is likely to grow even stronger in the future. If we manage to extend life expectancy and maintain physical vitality for decades, our opportunities for entertainment and pleasure will expand. However, this comes with a trade-off. The more we understand and rely on technology, the less significant we might feel. The traditional refuge in God is replaced by technology, yet this knowledge places humans in a somewhat secondary position in the natural hierarchy.
We’ll still rank above other species, but there will be an increasing number of enhanced humans and artificial intelligences, some of which will surpass us in certain aspects. Despite this, humans are likely to remain the primary economic force for centuries, maintaining the somewhat illusionary yet not entirely false belief that everything revolves around humanity. This state of affairs is expected to persist for a considerable duration.
[Recording End]
Authors
Rick Rosner
American Television Writer
Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Founder, In-Sight Publishing
In-Sight Publishing
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In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.rickrosner.org.
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Rick Rosner 