Rational Optimist

<p><strong>A delightful and fascinating book filled with insight and wit which will make you think twice and cheer up. -- Steven Pinker</strong></p><p>In a bold and provocative interpretation of economic history Matt Ridley the <em>New York Times</em>-bestselling author of <em>Genome</em> and <em>The Red Queen</em> 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 (<em>Guns Germs and Steel</em>) Niall Ferguson (<em>The Ascent of Money</em>) and Thomas Friedman (<em>The World Is Flat</em>) will find much to ponder and enjoy in <em>The Rational Optimist.</em></p><p>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.</p><p>An astute refreshing and revelatory work that covers the entire sweep of human history--from the Stone Age to the Internet--<em>The Rational Optimist</em> will change your way of thinking about the world for the better.</p>