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  • Rational Optimist

  • How Prosperity Evolves
  • By: Matt Ridley
  • Narrated by: L J Ganser
  • Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (122 ratings)

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Rational Optimist

By: Matt Ridley
Narrated by: L J Ganser
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Publisher's Summary

The Samuel Johnson Prize Shortlist Nominees 2011

Over 10,000 years ago, there were fewer than 10 million people on the planet. Today there are more than six billion, and 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.

©2010 HarperCollins Publishers (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Rational Optimist

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Rationalism With a Tinge of Ideology

This book does a fantastic job at cutting through the emotion driven ideology that "things are always getting worse". It provides very compelling evidence for a world that is, on the whole, getting better. My only critique would be that in its quest to promote an idea (The world is getting better) it at times commits the same errors that pretty much defines its opponents. Namely arguing a position with insufficient impartiality and ignoring contradictory evidence. I would recommend "Better Angels of Our Nature" for a more data driven, thorough and nuanced book but overall this does a good job at being objective. Also L J Ganser is a fantastic narrator.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Great rrad

Filled with compelling data to make you an optimist. changes the way you look at the future.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Eye opening

Great read, everyone needs to read this book. Especially those in politics and in positions of influence.

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1 person found this helpful

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Excellent

I needed this book a decade ago but better late than never. Excellent book, trigger warning for wacktivists / misanthropes

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Positive Outlook

In depth analysis of the past and present, with a reasonable outlook for the future.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Hope

Refreshing insight into our ever evolving world. Highly recommend for all ages but especially the younger generation.

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A must read

One of the most important books I’ve read. Gave me a whole new perspective on the world and humanity

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Optimistic!

Even as a self-confessed optimist, this book provides eye-opening accounts of human progress, the good (mostly) and bad. The narrative shows that we have come so far, and continue to uplift, empower, and benefit humanity as a collective. History shows us how we are not perfect, however, we have come a long way from our ancestors.
I recommend this book for an easy to follow timeline of human development, and to uplift your mood on the future.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good book, great depth of research

Great book on why the world is likely not ending soon. Being about 12yrs old by now, some of the future facing stuff may not seem relevant any more. Well worth the listen though.

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Enlightening

This book is for anyone who's worried about our future and the future of the planet.

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