I'm a t1 diabetic; I of course share your feelings on progress. That said, I'm unconvinced that technological progress is necessarily dependent on long work weeks (to start, most people working long weeks are totally uninvolved with this sort of innovation).

Yea. For example median lifespan, childbirth, rule of law, the potential to expand to new galaxies. And the simple fact that if we chose to stay in the stone age some more advanced predator would kill us like we've been killing all other advanced predators. Nature tolerates no mediocrity.

Is it possible that our modern lifestyles are at least partially to blame for getting these diseases that need medical treatment in the first place? I.e. sitting in front of a computer for 8+ hours a day might lead to us developing these medical conditions that we must then spend thousands of dollars "fixing" (i.e. often treating the symptoms or temporarily improvement) these things that our work environment caused in the first place?

Granted, yes, some things existed before this became the norm, like plagues and whatnot, but I think part of the reason we all need to be treated for medical problems is because of the nature of modern work being incompatible with human biology.

> You're welcome to go into the forest and do that (well, you'd be arrested!).

Should this be the case? Should we permit society to expand to a point in which it's impossible for people to opt-out?

I'm not comfortable with requiring all humans to be a part of society, but at the same time I'm not sure if there's a solution given the fact that resources are finite.

Genuine question, what would an individual doing such a thing be arrested for?