Matt Ridley, acclaimed author of the classics Genome and Nature via Nurture, turns from investigating human nature to investigating human progress. In The Rational Optimist Ridley offers a counterblast to the prevailing pessimism of our age, and proves, however much we like to think to the contrary, that things are getting better. Over 10,000 years ago there were fewer than 10 million people on the planet. Today there are more than 6 billion, 99 per cent of whom are better fed, better sheltered, better entertained ... Read More
Matt Ridley, acclaimed author of the classics Genome and Nature via Nurture, turns from investigating human nature to investigating human progress. In The Rational Optimist Ridley offers a counterblast to the prevailing pessimism of our age, and proves, however much we like to think to the contrary, that things are getting better. Over 10,000 years ago there were fewer than 10 million people on the planet. Today there are more than 6 billion, 99 per cent of whom are better fed, better sheltered, better entertained and better protected against disease than their Stone Age ancestors. The availability of almost everything a person could want or need has been going erratically upwards for 10,000 years and has rapidly accelerated over the last 200 years: calories; vitamins; clean water; machines; privacy; the means to travel faster than we can run, and the ability to communicate over longer distances than we can shout. Yet, bizarrely, however much things improve from the way they were before, people still cling to the belief that the future will be nothing but disastrous. In this original, optimistic book, Matt Ridley puts forward his surprisingly simple answer to how humans progress, arguing that we progress when we trade and we only really trade productively when we trust each other. The Rational Optimist will do for economics what Genome did for genomics and will show that the answer to our problems, imagined or real, is to keep on doing what we've been doing for 10,000 years - to keep on changing. Read Less
Add this copy of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2010 by Fourth Estate.
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Add this copy of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (P.S. ) to cart. $5.85, good condition, Sold by SELL BOOKS LTD rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2011 by Harper Perennial.
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Our good condition books are generally good for reading but not for gifting or collecting. They could have imperfections such as creasing, fanning, inscriptions, margin notes, yellowing, staining on edge or cover or pages, bumps, scuffs, etc etc (sometimes multiple of these). It's a wide category that encompasses anything that isn't almost-new down to anything that is slightly better than poor. We would NOT recommend gifting Good books-these should be considered reading copies. Our books ar.
Add this copy of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves to cart. $6.66, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2011 by Fourth Estate.
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Add this copy of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (P.S. ) to cart. $8.29, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Harper Perennial.
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Fair. This copy has clearly been enjoyed-expect noticeable shelf wear and some minor creases to the cover. Binding is strong and all pages are legible. May contain previous library markings or stamps.
Add this copy of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves-an Astute to cart. $8.48, very good condition, Sold by Greenworld Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Harper Perennial.
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Very Good condition book with a firm cover and clean pages. Shows normal use and some light wear or limited notes markings. A solid nice copy to enjoy.
Add this copy of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves-an Astute to cart. $8.48, good condition, Sold by Greenworld Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Harper Perennial.
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Good condition. It may show normal signs of use such as light writing highlighting or library markings but all pages are intact and the book is fully readable. A solid complete copy that's ready to enjoy.
Add this copy of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves (P.S. ) to cart. $8.49, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books East rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Glendale Heights, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Harper Perennial.
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Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.
Add this copy of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves-an Astute to cart. $8.63, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Belleville, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Harper Perennial.
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Fast &-Good condition. It may show normal signs of use such as light writing highlighting or library markings but all pages are intact and the book is fully readable. A solid complete copy that's ready to enjoy.
Add this copy of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves to cart. $9.02, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Harper.
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Fair. This copy has clearly been enjoyed-expect noticeable shelf wear and some minor creases to the cover. Binding is strong and all pages are legible. May contain previous library markings or stamps.
Add this copy of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves to cart. $9.15, fair condition, Sold by ClickGoodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Indianapolis, IN, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Harper.
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Fair. Used-Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact but shrink wrap dust covers or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes highlighting or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may be missing bundled media.
There is plenty of bad news about the state of the world and the state of humanity. There are also many possibilities that surprise us by demonstrating examples of improvement, of better than expected outcomes beyond the daily news. Any book that can lift us over the doldrums may be just the "must read it" we were seeking.
Matt Ridley has written The Rational Optimist, How Prosperity Evolves, and you really must read it. I mean it! Read for yourself how brilliance can prevail in place of automatic pessimism. See how human life has consistently improved over the course of history. See how humanity creates, shares, and spreads wealth. Go for it!
