Teologicus, you seem to have some view that no matter what the state of the world, people will always be the same. It doesn't matter if we lift more people out of poverty. It doesn't matter if we make the struggle for survival a relic of the past. People are people, so will always suffer the same pains we always have. Maybe you're right, but then what's the point of anything. As an atheist, I don't think there is any inherent meaning in the universe or in humanity. But the fact is we exist and as a member of our species I'd like to see us do better and create a better world for ourselves. I'd like to see us evolve to a more perfect existence. Maybe it's impossible to ever get there, but I think we can always get closer.

Your point seems to rely on the relativity of human suffering (and other emotions), and I don't doubt it exists to some extent. Someone used to a life of comfort and security may experience the same suffering from a minor romantic breakup as someone in Africa used to war and famine feels from the death of a member of his family. Maybe. Or maybe not. Do you know this? Are you sure? If it's true, that is certainly important to know, but it's not going to be your vague notion of "wisdom" that tells us whether it's true or not. It's going to be studies that tell us that. Sure, we can't measure suffering accurately right now, but we can make efforts at it. And maybe in the future we'll get a lot better at it. So there you go... science. An actual answer to a question based on fact and study rather than speculation.

This is what science is. It's a process of getting closer to the truth.