I think people survived for a long time without philosophers and professional pundits to explain the meaning of life.
The only thing that makes a noticable difference in ordinary people's well being is medicine and dentistry -- both products of science, and both resisted by luddites.
oh, I dunno... I think a case can be made for the true machine screw being a fundamental technical innovation which has benefitted the well-being of countless billions of people ;)