Why we under-appreciate the division of labor
Economists have long known that a key source of society's wealth is the division of labor. Robinson Crusoe was marvelously self-sufficient, specializing in everything and depending on no one to supply his wants. Doubtless this was a liberating experience for him. Yet, he was desperately poor. When we divide the tasks of life into smaller components, we are able to capitalize on the natural differences in workers' skills, so that we can specialize in what we are intrinsically