Each burst of the trading spirit nudges humanity up a notch, but each is dragged down by war, overpopulation or the “parasites” who strangle the merchant class: aristocrats, governments, emperors, health and safety inspectors. In The Rational Optimist, acclaimed science writer Matt Ridley comprehensively refutes the doom-mongers of our time, and reaches back into the past to give a rational explanation for why we can and will overcome the challenges of the future, such as climate change and the population boom. The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley 10,876 ratings, 3. Viewed through this perspective, the subsequent history of our species has been a struggle between specialisation and subsistence, as trading networks edge towards the right numbers, resources and administrative systems to unleash the power of that magical engine of prosperity and innovation known as the market. Fort Worth Star-Telegram This inspiring book, a glorious defense of our speciesis a devastating rebuke to humanity’s self-haters.
Hunting and gathering expanded into a process by which makers of spears, beads or fishhooks could concentrate on what they were best at, increasing humanity’s productivity at the expense of its competitors. The Rational Optimist will give a reader solid reasons for believing that the human species will overcome its economic, political and environmental woes during this century. It was not the size of our brains that allowed us to make great leaps forward, he claims, but barter, which meant we could focus on what we were best at. His new book is How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom. Ridley’s central thesis is that mankind’s development has been as much guided by Adam Smith as by Charles Darwin. He is the author of various books including The Evolution of Everything The Rational Optimist.
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