GDP Measures Throughput. Civilization Advances by Reducing Friction. GDP tells us how much economic activity passes through the machine. It does not tell us how difficult the machine is to use. A society can generate enormous throughput while burying citizens beneath bureaucracy, intermediaries, delays, fees, and dependencies. Conversely, simplification, automation, disintermediation, and friction reduction often improve real-world outcomes while reducing measurable activity. Rather than replacing GDP, societies should pair it with a Simplicity Index that measures friction reduction. --raw
