IIUC the calculation of GDP doesn’t factor in whether the produced goods serve a human need - the system can in theory continue to optimize for ever-increasing GDP while every human on earth starves to death.
There’s an old joke I remember about economists and the GDP.
Two economists are walking through the jungle and come across a gigantic pile of lion scat. One turns to the other and said I’ll pay you 100$ to eat a bite of that shit.
Being an economists and 100$ being worth a lot, the guy eats the shit and gets paid.
A little while later they come across a pile of rhino dung. The now richer economist turns to the first and offers 100$ for him to take a bite out of this pile. 100$ is again a lot of money so he does it and eats the shit.
As they’re walking along, both picking their teeth, one turns to the other and asks “did we both just eat shit for nothing?” And the other days “of course not, now the GDP of the jungle has increased by 200$!”
There’s an old joke I remember about economists and the GDP.
Two economists are walking through the jungle and come across a gigantic pile of lion scat. One turns to the other and said I’ll pay you 100$ to eat a bite of that shit.
Being an economists and 100$ being worth a lot, the guy eats the shit and gets paid.
A little while later they come across a pile of rhino dung. The now richer economist turns to the first and offers 100$ for him to take a bite out of this pile. 100$ is again a lot of money so he does it and eats the shit.
As they’re walking along, both picking their teeth, one turns to the other and asks “did we both just eat shit for nothing?” And the other days “of course not, now the GDP of the jungle has increased by 200$!”