In some ways, this is a rather shocking book. It does not gloss over the difficulties still faced by too many people, but it provides a viewpoint over time, and not just responding to each crisis or peril as it happens. No doubt the book is written from a right-wing-ish point of view, but it's a good antidote to the relentless gloom and doom of the media, which can only survive on bad news and disaster. If you listen to the news, it's hard not to get depressed about how awful things are in the world - war, famine, poverty, ecological disaster, climate change, pollution, global warming, etc etc.īut this book shows that actually, and perhaps counter-intuitively, things are actually getting steadily better in the world as a whole.įor more people, in more places, the indicators of improvement are gradually consolidating and growing - the defeat of childhood diseases, life expectancy and longevity, family incomes, standards of education, travel, growth of democracy or electoral freedom, life choices, and so on.Įach chapter gives statistics and references, and seems to be very thorough. Africa is following Asia out of poverty the Internet, the mobile phone, and container shipping are enriching people's lives as never before.Īn 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. Food availability, income, and life span are up disease, child mortality, and violence are down all across the globe. But in fact, life is getting better-and at an accelerating rate. 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.įor two hundred years the pessimists have dominated public discourse, insisting that things will soon be getting much worse.
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. "A delightful and fascinating book filled with insight and wit, which will make you think twice and cheer up." - Steven Pinker
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