On Mar 4, 2013, at 11:49 PM, Gar Lipow <gar.lipow at gmail.com> wrote:
> Not really a good source. He starts at most a couple of centuries
> before capitalism. Not that I don't think your point is not probably
> valid, but your source does not support it. As I understand it, and
> it has been a while since I last glanced an the literature on this,
> there was actually a huge drop in standard of living in the transition
> from hunter-gatherer to agriculture.
Maddison makes the same point over a much longer time period: http://www.ggdc.net/maddison/maddison-project/publications/wp4.pdf