"Nobody actually feels gratitude towards things like "economies of scale" and "comparative advantage", so the only purpose of Eliezer's remark is to demonstrate his superiority over theists."

Some people, such as myself, find them aesthetically inspiring, and are happy to live in a world where they enjoy such benefits, which they did not create.

John Cramer wrote a novel with an anthropic explanation for the cancellation of the SSC:

http://www.amazon.com/Einsteins-Bridge-John-Cramer/dp/0380788314