The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves

Ridley, Matt

3.98

12,096 ratings by Goodreads

9780061992629: The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves

ISBN 10: 0061992623 ISBN 13: 9780061992629

Publisher: Harperaudio, 2010

Paperback. Pub Date: 2010 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Life is On getting better-and at an accelerating rate the Food availability income and life span are up; the 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 ...

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Product Description:

By looking at human history from its very beginning, the author argues disasters, downturns and setbacks are just part of a millenia-long cycle of increasing prosperity that will continue through the 21st century and beyond. By the author of Genome. Simultaneous.

Review:

‘A triumphant blast on the vuvuzela of common sense’ Boris Johnson

‘A glorious defence of our species... a devastating rebuke to humanity's self-haters’ Sunday Times

‘No other book has argued with such brilliance against the automatic pessimism that prevails’ Ian McEwan

‘His theory is, in a way, the glorious offspring that would result if Charles Darwin’s ideas were mated with those of Adam Smith’ The Economist

‘Original, clever and controversial’ Guardian

‘As a work of bold historical positivity it is to be welcomed. At every point cheerfulness keeps breaking through’ The Times

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.