The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves - Hardcover

Ridley, Matt

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 006145205X ISBN 13: 9780061452055

Publisher: Harper, 2010

Synopsis

"Ridley writes with panache, wit, and humor and displays remarkable ingenuity in finding ways to present complicated materials for the lay reader." -- Los Angeles Times

In a bold and provocative interpretation of economic history, Matt Ridley, the New York Times-bestselling author of Genome and The Red Queen, makes the case for an economics of hope, arguing that the benefits of commerce, technology, innovation, and change--what Ridley calls cultural evolution--will inevitably increase human prosperity. Fans of the works of Jared Diamond (Guns, Germs, and Steel), Niall Ferguson (The Ascent of Money), and Thomas Friedman (The World Is Flat) will find much to ponder and enjoy in The Rational Optimist.

About this title

Review:

A fabulous new book... I was so delighted, amused and uplifted by it that I bought a couple hundred copies and sent one to all my clients.--Donald Luskin, Smart Money

"This inspiring book, a glorious defense of our species...is a devastating rebuke to humanity's self-haters."--Sunday Times (London)

"Invigorating...For Mr. Ridley, the market for ideas needs to be as open as possible in order to breed ingenuity from collaboration."--Trevor Butterworth, Wall Street Journal

"A mesmerizing book."--Los Angeles Times

"A very good book...a rich analysis...Ridley is a cogent and erudite social critic...He bolsters his argument with an impressive tour of evolutionary biology, economics, philosophy, world history."--Washington Post

"A superb book...Elegant, learned, and cogent...a far-reaching synthesis of economics and ecology, a triumphant new demarche in the understanding of wealth and poverty...Inspiring."--George Gilder, National Review

"A fast-moving, intelligent description of why human life has so consistently improved over the course of history, and a wonderful overview of how human civilizations move forward."--John Tierney, New York Times

"A dose of just the kind of glass-half-full information we need right now...A powerful antidote to gloom-n-doom-mongering."--Washington Examiner

"Ridley's dazzling, insightful and entertaining book on the unstoppable march of innovation is a refresher course in human history...Great ideas spring up unexpectedly from every direction, with each new one naturally coordinating with others..."--New York Post

"Original, clever and ...controversial"--The Guardian

From the Back Cover:

Life is getting better--and at an accelerating rate. Food availability, income, and life span are up; disease, child mortality, and violence are down -- all across the globe. Though the world is far from perfect, necessities and luxuries alike are getting cheaper; population growth is slowing; Africa is following Asia out of poverty; the Internet, the mobile phone, and container shipping are enriching people's lives as never before. The pessimists who dominate public discourse insist that we will soon reach a turning point and things will start to get worse. But they have been saying this for two hundred years.

Yet Matt Ridley does more than describe how things are getting better. He explains why. Prosperity comes from everybody working for everybody else. The habit of exchange and specialization--which started more than 100,000 years ago--has created a collective brain that sets human living standards on a rising trend. The mutual dependence, trust, and sharing that result are causes for hope, not despair.

This bold book covers the entire sweep of human history, from the Stone Age to the Internet, from the stagnation of the Ming empire to the invention of the steam engine, from the population explosion to the likely consequences of climate change. It ends with a confident assertion that thanks to the ceaseless capacity of the human race for innovative change, and despite inevitable disasters along the way, the twenty-first century will see both human prosperity and natural biodiversity enhanced. Acute, refreshing, and revelatory, The Rational Optimist will change your way of thinking about the world for the better.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 006145205X
• ISBN 13: 9780061452055
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 448