This is a reasonable note and I do agree with you that the ideas presented in this essay only capture the increased “glean” of metal (the desirable output of happiness, insights, stories).
Less ore for me was both a creative liberty I took with the metaphor, but also represented a shift in what levers should be focused on. I would posit that most people now seek more metal with more ore.
“I will be happier if I make more money”
So, less ore is relative to this, not relative to the stable level of inputs a person would be currently at.
Otherwise, I would argue that not only are “opportunities for increasing inputs are exhausted more quickly”, but some would run counterproductive to the fundamental goals of whatever optimization problem. It’s hard to determine what will meaningfully contribute to vague and complex ideas like happiness, insightfulness, story-worthiness, etc. Would definitely be interested in expanding on these ideas in a further essay.
This is a reasonable note and I do agree with you that the ideas presented in this essay only capture the increased “glean” of metal (the desirable output of happiness, insights, stories).
Less ore for me was both a creative liberty I took with the metaphor, but also represented a shift in what levers should be focused on. I would posit that most people now seek more metal with more ore.
“I will be happier if I make more money”
So, less ore is relative to this, not relative to the stable level of inputs a person would be currently at.
Otherwise, I would argue that not only are “opportunities for increasing inputs are exhausted more quickly”, but some would run counterproductive to the fundamental goals of whatever optimization problem. It’s hard to determine what will meaningfully contribute to vague and complex ideas like happiness, insightfulness, story-worthiness, etc. Would definitely be interested in expanding on these ideas in a further essay.