Historical Cost of Light Illustrates Exponential Productivity Growth
According to research by economist Bill Nordhaus, a day's wages in ancient Babylon bought about 10 minutes of light, whereas a day's labor in modern times buys roughly 20,000 hours of light.
“Here's the answer for Ancient Babylon. Maybe 10 minutes.”
David Kestenbaum
“20,000 hours, yes.”
Jacob Goldstein
Heard on Planet Money — “The history of light (classic)”, published Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Heardvine summarizes and quotes with attribution and timestamps, and links to the original everywhere.