I think one of our problems these is are the poor definition of the terms “productive” and “production”...for example, the GDP does not measure production.
It causes confusion.
For example, pulling minerals from the ground and selling them, selling our real estate to foreigners, etc., are not truly “productive.” An intellectual or technological creation, or planting a field to yield vegetation (if soil loss and fertilization, etc., are replenished), is productive.
Could not agree less
Mining and extraction from the earth is very laborious, produces necessary petroleum and minerals and has been done since ancient times
The three traditional essential economic activities are-
An intellectual or technological creation
Much of today's intellectual activity is useless. All those highfalutin educational degrees for k-12 teachers.... We are top heavy with non-productive credentialed classes. No one needs so many lawyers or Government planners. Laser and GPS guided tractors....that comes from productive intellectual activity