Social standards of living as a whole, should be tied to the level of technical evolution achieved by our species. What I mean is that our level of technological advancement must benefit the physiological and psychological standards of the population equally. If we have the ability to advance science, communication and space exploration (mostly funded by public money), yet have hundreds of millions of humans living in substandard conditions, then we have failed to promote, achieve and maintain social equilibrium.
Advanced civilizations do not cast off its own kind in order for a select few to hoard profits and micro-manage the direction of so-called progress. An advanced society would use intellectual advancements in technology for the benefit of all. Or it becomes amoral, a self destructive force like alcohol is to the alcoholic, or how heroine is to the heroine addict.
Technology exploited and monopolized will eventually destroy humanity. As it advances it will become the enemy of all life. We see this happening with our over the top funding of research and development for weapons of war. Where billions in public money is spent to advance a technology that is then used to kill the public.
Surely the reason governments exist in a modern society is to fulfill an obligation to protect the public from being scapegoated, exploited and killed off by the rich. In other words, governments of advanced, civil and intellectual societies have an obligation to promote, achieve and maintain legitimate social equilibrium.
~ Stephanie J. Gilley