Human consumption is a rather low level function.
The consumption needed to stay alive, continues to be a smaller and smaller percentage of total consumption, or total resources, but we have more and more that we can consume, and I don't see any reason to think this trend will end soon. Not just more of the same old things, but new things that didn't even exist before.
I think quite the opposite is happening. We have a higher diversity of goods, instead of having nearly identical commodities, stamped out in great number for each person.
Most everything is mass produced.
Perhaps goods that we produce are mass produced but
1 - Most is not all.
2 - Consider services as well.
3 - Mass produced doesn't mean we don't have a greater and greater number of choices. It doesn't mean simple commodities, or that what we own and can buy has a lower value.
4 - As we become richer, less and less of our wealth goes to basic commodities. We don't just have shelter, basic food. We have more luxury items, thousands of food choices, an uncountable number of choices for information, education, and entertainment. Commodities would mean less diversity, while we are getting more. |
