So that is societal progress? Work til you die? That's what the cave men did. Only in the make believe Utopian Communist world would anyone believe that is the goal of civilization.
Yes, that is societal progress. Cave men didn't do much working by the way. Unless you call hunting, gathering and trying to avoid being slaughtered by predators and/or other cave men work. They were also lucky to live 30 years.
I think they would trade places with us in a heartbeat. Live to be 85 years old and have all the food you want...are you kidding? And what we call "work" - the cave men would laugh at us for thinking we had it so hard.