In the show "3 Body Problem" (I haven't read the book) the statement was made 'our civilization is no longer capable of solving its own problems'. Would you agree?
"Problems existing" is not the same as "never solving any problems." Old problems get solved, new ones arise, and no problem gets solved until it does. People in the middle of the process always point to the extant problems and go "welp, we've never solved that one, guess we're fucked"