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>Many argue that hunters and gatherers lived a much better life than during most of recorded history.

Then why did we stop being hunter-gatherers?

The theory is that agriculture let populations better survive bad years by grain stockpiling so they could outcompete the hunter gatheres.

In general, nothing says that better average quality of life necessarily makes you out-compete other populations.

Agriculture is also more intensive than hunting / gathering, supporting more humans per area. When the two conflicted, the agriculturalists won by strength of numbers.

Generally, more intensive civilizations outcompete less intensive ones, even though the average individual may be worse off in that society.

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