The Rational Optimist

In this summary you will learn

• What role trade plays in human prosperity
• Why organic foods and green fuels are folly
• Why even the poor are better off than you think

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Why you should read The Rational Optimist

Send your inner pessimist packing – along with organic crops and ethanol. That’s the contrarian message of Matt Ridley’s insightful, entertaining look at humankind’s steady progress over the millennia. Ridley dips into biology and economics to support his case that life is good and getting better. His wide-ranging look at humanity’s past and future makes it clear that those who long for the good old days just don’t realize how rugged hunting and gathering or medieval medical care must have been. Ridley meanders at times, yet, as the title suggests, his book offers a fundamentally optimistic analysis of humankind’s ability to solve the planet’s problems, even now. getAbstract recommends it to readers seeking a thought-provoking analysis of contemporary issues that doesn’t hew to conventional wisdom.

About the Author

Matt Ridley has sold more than 800,000 copies of his books about evolution, genetics and society. He is the author of Genome, The Agile Gene and The Origins of Virtue.