This criticism of progress is nonsensical. You hit precisely why it's wrong in one sentence:
"In the pre-industrial world, you had very little choice in how to spend your life."
Economic growth and human progress is the story of choice and capability. As you said, you can still be a master craftsman if you choose. The fact that you have the choice in the first place is the miracle.
The only concern I have regarding progress, as you know, is that perhaps our technology may get too far ahead of our biology and/or our social political structures.
Perfectly said!
This criticism of progress is nonsensical. You hit precisely why it's wrong in one sentence:
"In the pre-industrial world, you had very little choice in how to spend your life."
Economic growth and human progress is the story of choice and capability. As you said, you can still be a master craftsman if you choose. The fact that you have the choice in the first place is the miracle.
The only concern I have regarding progress, as you know, is that perhaps our technology may get too far ahead of our biology and/or our social political structures.