Swings around this trend are not primarily due to expansions and contractions in knowledge. For example, the
Great Depression didn't occur because people forgot how to efficiently produce, and it wasn't set off by war or
drought. All the elements that make the economy buzz were there, yet it stagnated. So why didn't the idle
factories simply hire the unemployed to utilize the abundant resources in order to produce prosperity? These
cycles are not due to events beyond our control, e.g., natural disasters. They are due to human nature and the
way the credit system works.