A bigger population makes knowledge proportionally more valuable.
Let's say you can spend five million on inventing something that saves $2 dollars each person each day. A major invention by any measure.
I a village of 200, that is going to take 12500 days, or little over 34 years to repay. It may be perfectly reasonable not to do that.
In a town of 20 thousands, it will only take 125 days, or four months to repay. By all means y9u should do that.
in a city of two million, it's goung to repay in less than two days, in fact you may be tempted to spend considerably more to get the results faster.
How about something that takes $100 million to invent and saves 10 cents each day?
In the village, you can just forget about that.
In the town, it would take 50000 days, or 136 years to pay off. You would have to be pretty determined to think it's wort that.
In the city? Only a thousand days or less than three years to repay.
Let's say you can spend five million on inventing something that saves $2 dollars each person each day. A major invention by any measure.
I a village of 200, that is going to take 12500 days, or little over 34 years to repay. It may be perfectly reasonable not to do that.
In a town of 20 thousands, it will only take 125 days, or four months to repay. By all means y9u should do that.
in a city of two million, it's goung to repay in less than two days, in fact you may be tempted to spend considerably more to get the results faster.
How about something that takes $100 million to invent and saves 10 cents each day?
In the village, you can just forget about that.
In the town, it would take 50000 days, or 136 years to pay off. You would have to be pretty determined to think it's wort that.
In the city? Only a thousand days or less than three years to repay.
