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Absolutely--some humans were forced into civilization by the poverty of their surrounding environment. Instead of adapting to suit their environment, they had to adapt their environment to suit them. But in almost every measurable sense, life in civilization was far more impoverished than the lives of hunter-gatherers. The only reason it won out is because it led to an immense consolidation of power--but it was centuries if not millennia until the typical member of a civilization had a quality of life comparable to that of a bushman, and even then it's an open question who's really happier.


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