The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves
(OverDrive MP3 Audiobook, OverDrive Listen)
"A delightful and fascinating book filled with insight and wit, which will make you think twice and cheer up." — Steven Pinker
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.
For two hundred years the pessimists have dominated public discourse, insisting that things will soon be getting much worse. But in fact, 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. Africa is following Asia out of poverty; the Internet, the mobile phone, and container shipping are enriching people's lives as never before.
An astute, refreshing, and revelatory work that covers the entire sweep of human history—from the Stone Age to the Internet—The Rational Optimist will change your way of thinking about the world for the better.
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Matt Ridley. (2010). The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves. Unabridged HarperAudio.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Matt Ridley. 2010. The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves. HarperAudio.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Matt Ridley, The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves. HarperAudio, 2010.
MLA Citation (style guide)Matt Ridley. The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves. Unabridged HarperAudio, 2010.
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Matt Ridley's books have sold over a million copies, been translated into 31 languages and won several awards. His books include The Red Queen, Genome, The Rational Optimist and The Evolution of Everything. His book on How Innovation Works was published in 2020, and Viral: the Search for the Origin of Covid-19, co-authored with Alina Chan, was published in 2021. He sat in the House of Lords between 2013 and 2021 and served on the science and technology select committee and the artificial intelligence select committee. He was founding chairman of the International Centre for Life in Newcastle. He created the Mind and Matter column in the Wall Street Journal in 2010, and was a columnist for the Times 2013-2018. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He lives in Northumberland.
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"A delightful and fascinating book filled with insight and wit, which will make you think twice and cheer up." — Steven Pinker
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.
For two hundred years the pessimists have dominated public discourse, insisting that things will soon be getting much worse. But in fact, 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. Africa is following Asia out of poverty; the Internet, the mobile phone, and container shipping are enriching people's lives as never before.
An astute, refreshing, and revelatory work that covers the entire sweep of human history—from the Stone Age to the Internet—The Rational Optimist will change your way of thinking about the world for the better.
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- content: Matt Ridley doesn't like pessimists, whether they're writing books or setting policy. What he does like, and believe in, is trade. L.J. Ganser's narration of Ridley's political and economic philosophy adds a little extra sarcasm on occasion, especially when the author is talking about the Obama administration. But mostly Ganser keeps to Ridley's optimistic tone as Ridley carefully backs up his philosophy, showing how trade led to many of man's greatest achievements, and offers suggestions for how trade, combined with a can-do outlook, could solve today's financial crises. The hints of sarcasm in Ganser's reading are a distraction, but Ridley's focus on solutions makes for an interesting thesis. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
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April 12, 2010
Ideas “have sex,” in Ridley’s schema; they follow a process of natural selection of their own, and as long as they continue to do so, there is reason to retire apocalyptic pessimism about the future of our species. Erstwhile zoologist, conservationist, and journalist, Ridley (The Red Queen
) posits that as long as civilization engages in “exchange and specialization,” we will be able to reinvent ourselves and responsibly use earthly resources ad infinitum. Humanity’s collective intelligence will save the day, just as it has over the centuries. Ridley puts current perceptions about violence, wealth, and the environment into historical perspective, reaching back thousands of years to advocate global free trade, smaller government, and the use of fossil fuels. He confidently takes on the experts, from modern sociologists who fret over the current level of violence in the world to environmentalists who disdain genetically modified crops. An ambitious and sunny paean to human ingenuity, this is an argument for why “ambitious optimism is morally mandatory.”
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September 15, 2010
If you are very concerned about genetically modified foods, global warming, and the use of nonrenewable energy sources, stop right now: this book is not for you. British science writer Ridley makes a compelling case that humanity is moving in a positive and encouraging direction and has been throughout the course of human history, and he backs up this claim with many statistics and examples. Narrator L.J. Ganser well conveys Ridley's passion and conviction, but because Ridley is a British writer and Ganser has an American accent, there is a jarring element to the reading. Very informative, though sure to be controversial; for those interested in social issues, current events, and the history of trade and business. [The Harper hc was described as "an engaging introduction for those interested in a historical view of human progress and prosperity," LJ 4/1/10.--Ed.]--J. Sara Paulk, Wythe-Grayson Regional Lib., Independence, VA
Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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September 27, 2010
Ridley comes to praise innovation's ability to forestall any number of doom and gloom scenarios, everything from climate change to economic catastrophe. While sounding strikingly similar to narrator Anthony Heald, L.J. Ganser keeps a steady reading pace of Ridley's prose that keeps listeners engaged through the more challenging quantified material (statistics, data, lists) and the more nuanced conceptual material. His escalation, speed, deliberation, and pauses faithfully guide listeners through the text and at times improves upon the dry prose. However, Ganser is prone to over-project, and his forceful overemphasis can wear on the listener's attention. A Harper hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 12).
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"A delightful and fascinating book filled with insight and wit, which will make you think twice and cheer up." — Steven Pinker
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.
For two hundred years the pessimists have dominated public discourse, insisting that things will soon be getting much worse. But in fact, life is getting better—and at an accelerating rate. Food availability, income, and life span are up; disease, child mortality, and...
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