Are We Working Harder for Less?
The Original Affluent Society:
The “Original Affluent Society” is a concept introduced by anthropologist Marshall Sahlins in his influential 1968 essay, challenging the prevailing narrative that hunter-gatherer societies exist in a state of perpetual scarcity. Sahlins argued that these societies were not impoverished but instead thrived with minimal effort, as their material needs were easily satisfied.
By redefining affluence through the lens of cultural values rather than material accumulation, Sahlins offers a provocative critique of modern economic paradigms that equate productivity with wealth.
It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.
Seneca
The Two Paths to Affluence
Sahlins posited that hunter-gatherers engaged in far less labor compared to contemporary industrialized societies, with subsistence activities averaging only four to five hours per day. This model reveals a critical distinction between two paths to affluence:
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