The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (P.S.)

The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (P.S.) by Harper Perennial
List Price : $15.99
Price Save : $10.87
SalesRank :10739
Warranty:
LowestNewPrice: $9.07
LowestUsedPrice: $8.69



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. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Read more The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (P.S.)

The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (P.S.) Feature

Available from 1 Store :

Store	Rating	Prices
		$10.87
See more Price + Shipping Available on 1 store

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.