Unfortunately life expectancy and quality of life is very strongly correlated to GDP.
I’m not saying we can’t live without money, or anything like that. But modern society strongly relies on complex economies for even basic functions like food supply.
The health of that economy can be roughly measured using GDP, a significant drop in GDP (such as a depression) strongly suggest that economy isn’t healthy, and then the basics (like food) stop working.
Unfortunately plenty of people already rely on food banks to avoid starvation. You can’t feed an entire country like that.
The short version of the above is at the extreme you can either risk it with coronavirus (~1%-10% death rate depending on the health of your heathcare system), or in the long term risk it with starvation (guaranteed to kill you).
So yes, at certain point risking widespread infection becomes preferable to economic collapse.
In biology the health of a species is in its fertility. High GDP is associated with low birth rate. Life expectancy drives it down even further.
> But modern society strongly relies on complex economies for even basic functions like food supply.
This is as true as it is stupid.
> The health of that economy can be roughly measured using GDP
I would argue that if you have to depend on others you are not fit enough. You do want efficiency but not to the point where it dramatically eats into your resilience.
> Unfortunately plenty of people already rely on food banks to avoid starvation. You can’t feed an entire country like that.
It wouldn't be pretty but agriculture employs amazingly few people, we makes a lot of luxury products we don't need and we feed a lot to our cows, pigs and chickens. If it is impossible or not will depend on administrative tasks/logistics/bean counting. I could see us screw that up tho.
I’m not saying we can’t live without money, or anything like that. But modern society strongly relies on complex economies for even basic functions like food supply.
The health of that economy can be roughly measured using GDP, a significant drop in GDP (such as a depression) strongly suggest that economy isn’t healthy, and then the basics (like food) stop working.
Unfortunately plenty of people already rely on food banks to avoid starvation. You can’t feed an entire country like that.
The short version of the above is at the extreme you can either risk it with coronavirus (~1%-10% death rate depending on the health of your heathcare system), or in the long term risk it with starvation (guaranteed to kill you).
So yes, at certain point risking widespread infection becomes preferable to economic collapse.