On Peter H. Diamandis’ website, Evidence of Abundance, there are many figures that show the global trends of several aspects of human wellbeing. One aspect listed on his website is “Increasing Health Abundance,” in which he showcases figures that indicate an improvement to global public health.
One trend that many of the figures commonly show is the overall decrease in infant, child, and maternal mortality. This trend represents progress because it means that people across the world are able to have smaller families, which reduces familial burdens and resource needs. Additionally, it shows that societal conditions have changed, such that society is able to better care for the well-being of women and children, indicating that there has in fact been progress in global public health. However, potential barriers that exist in terms of reducing mortality could be the many other conditions of poverty. According to Amartya Sen, public health goes hand in hand with other socioeconomic freedoms. In developing countries where such freedoms are not enjoyed, it becomes more difficult to maintain public health and therefore the health of infants, children and women, hindering progress.
Another trend shown in these figures is the overall increase in life expectancy. This trend is also indicative of progress because of the developmental requirements for maintaining a high life expectancy. The fact that people are able to live longer shows that public health must have improved, which according to Amartya Sen is a major contributor to human development. In addition, it also means that public safety must have improved, because less people are dying prematurely from going outside to obtain what they need. What can potentially hinder progress in improving life expectancy however is the fact that there are still many unsafe developing countries. Sen quintessentially shows the consequences of low public safety with his Kader Mia anecdote, in which he witnesses a man getting killed while trying to go to work. Evidently, it is important for people to be able to live out their lives without having to deal with a high risk of premature mortality if a high life expectancy is to be maintained.
Several of the figures show that especially in the United States, the amount of teen births and the overall fertility rate have decreased. This represents progress because it means that young women are able to more stay in school and pursue higher education. As a result, they are able to maintain higher socioeconomic statuses, improving their wellbeing. Sen defines human development in terms of increases in human welfare, so this can be viewed as a step forward in development in the United States. Additionally, the lower fertility rate means that people are having smaller families, which as stated previously makes life much easier for families. This can be viewed as an increase in wellbeing, and therefore developmental progress. A potential setback in reducing teen births and the overall fertility rate is the fact that there will always be heterogeneity, and therefore some impoverished people in the population. As a result, there will always be people who end up having either too many children, or children too soon, reducing their ability to maintain a state of wellbeing.
Because of the number of improvements that have been made across many different aspects of global health, it can be said that progress has been made despite numerous setbacks. Not only have improved global health conditions allowed for a greater state of wellbeing, but the also indicate that other facets of development like public safety have been satisfied.