Yes. For my parents ability to see their grandkids every week via internet is a huge improvement in quality of life.
People who have not died from simple infections as they definitely would 150 years ago, will disagree with you.
Everything is pretty much minor technical improvement, after all we are still using pretty much the same atoms as a million years ago... But somehow I doubt that you want to live in 1000 B.C. society.
Human nature have not changed significantly. However eating others become much less popular in the last few thousands years. I would definitely call it an improvement.
Sigh! Who does the maintenance and construction work? Where do those road users get money to pay for using the roads? How do these workers learn how to do their job? Where do the manufactured and raw materials and supplies come from? Who does the work to get those? Who does the work to deliver anything on time?
Road workes hired by road owners. Where is the problem?
By exchanging their labor/service/property for the money. Where is the problem?
What "these workers"? If you meant road workers then exactly the way they do it now. Technical school, college, on-site training... Where is the problem?
Raw material are usually mined from upper portion of Earth litosphere. I see no reason to do it differently for private road. Manufactured materials are supplied by the companies processing raw mined material. Where is the problem?
Whoever desires to sell their road construction and repair sevices. Where is the problem?
There is a voluntary contract between road owner and road worker (person or company). Usual rules for contract enforcement are applied. Where is the problem?
Every other industry successfully managed to do it somehow. Why should the road industry be different?
Well, what do you expect them to do? That will always be the case. The question is, to what degree?
A hundred years ago, they had nothing better than to amputate gunshot wounds in appendages. Today they can reconstruct gunshot wounds almost anywhere in the body.
The threshold for mere amputation has changed dramatically. Severed limbs can be reattached: a radical procedure, unimagined just fifty years ago. Doctors can do more about toxicity (venom, necrosis, diabetes, etc.), reducing the incidents where amputation is required.
Infections are successfully fought off chemically now more than ever. With a diverse spectrum of antibiotics, most bacteria, protozoans, fungi and parasites don't stand a chance. Notably, viruses are the only class of pathogen which still seem stuck in the past, as your accusation suggests. But even there, antivirals are making progress.
And is it so wrong to let the body heal itself? Seems like it would know best! Indeed, we should encourage it as best we can. And we do. Immunizations are an example of that, and have done wonders at reducing viral infections.
There is a tremendous wealth of knowledge in medicine today. Much of it is still here-and-there, so that it's hard to draw treatments from much. Almost anything neurological is a prime example: we know how the fine structure works (neurons, signalling), and we know how the gross structure works (fMRI studies showing functional regions), but we don't know what's inbetween (the source code, the modules thereof, and so on), so we don't really know the mechanics behind things like schizophrenia. A lot we do know about, however; we have the human genome, we know about so very many proteins, we know the chemical mechanisms behind a lot of medications, and we've designed a lot of medications based on the same model. As these building blocks are studied, more and more medications will be developed for more and more specialized purposes.
Tim
--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms
He thinks he has the god-given right to be treated by someone who has spent many years in training, paying for their education, and the politicians will legislate it for him. When that happens all the British doctors leave for America and the Indian doctors come to Britain. The altruistic get their training and go back to India, the rest stay happy in a welfare state, paid according to how many patients they have on their books. Hooray for capitalism, it produces quality.
You have to wonder about the future in a country with almost 25% adult AIDS incidence and their major industry (diamond mining) in a state of collapse. But still maybe the most attractive country in Africa.
Vaccines. Antibiotics. Preventative medications. Surgery. Medical imaging. Blood chemistry and pathogen culture lab tests. Artificial joints. Pacemakers. Transplants. Chemotherapy.
Just as important: using statistical methods to find out what actually works.
I've been cured of likely lethal diseases at least twice, stuff that would have been hopeless 100 years ago. I use a number of drugs that really improve my life.
This can be seen as the other form of addiction; distracting people from the achievement of any goals, either material or spiritual.
Basic hygiene and the quality of nutrition.
Root of the problem: It is cheaper to raise a new person then to fix the broken one. Exactly like the hardware.
Just ~60 years ago, they used to make soap and leather from people as a large scale industrial process. That was in the middle of the civilized Europe.
Gatling gun is an improvement over the bows and arrows.
Vladimir Vassilevsky DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant
Nobody's actually "arguing" anything any more (that stopped at least 20 posts ago), they are just ranting; under the most useless topic heading ever. Does it really need the resources of usenet?
The roads would be built by the people who want roads; they'd pay for it partly out of their pockets, and partly from tolls.
Admittedly, there does need to be a map room somewhere so when Podunk and Elbow Bend want a road, there's someplace to coordinate their efforts.
The fire trucks would be bought by the people who want to have a fire department, and probably should be paid for by the people who are prone to burn their own house down.
The schools - hell, drag your kids to the library and teach them to read - it doesn't need to cost anything.
Admittedly, libraries are a legitimate function of government (one of about two or three), but also should be paid for at a local level.
Hospitals? Who needs a hospital? Eat right, get some sleep, some exercise, and don't do stuff that results in catastrophic injury.
Cops? Why should I pay to investigate YOUR crimes? Just hire security guards.
And, finally, if we abolished government entirely, there would be no wars. People don't make wars, only governments do.
Harry Browne has a few words on this:
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If you think you can survive in the wilderness with zero education, you're going to be seriously surprised.
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