What is it for?

And there is an even bigger problem with relying on evolutionary change in the economy. Evolution has no purpose. It does not look forward or plan in any way. It is blind.

But most people need a sense of purpose to be happy, at least beyond satisfaction of basic needs. This is one of the biggest problems in the labor market, in job satisfaction, in motivation, in the economy as a whole. Most people feel the need for purpose in what they do - something beyond doing tax law, say, or selling t-shirts at the Gap, or finding alpha in a a hedge fund. Those aims satisfy the need for feelings of competence or mastery, to be sure. And they may be necessary, both to society (well, some of them at least) and to people who need to make a living. But it may also lead to a society which is materially plentiful but full of anomie.

Evolutionary change is very good for finding better ways to move pears from California to the NorthEast along the interstate highway system. But it is not so good at satisfying purpose.