Uncovering the Evolution of Prosperity: The Rational Optimist

Amazon Customer: It will help us to understand how humanity evolved and went through disastrous events and still can grow, and how technology helped to do so.

India on Oct 08, 2023

Bhagyawan Ghaturkar: This book really changes your perception towards different issues of the word.

India on Aug 12, 2023

cat47: Dans cet essai très documenté, Matt Ridley explique le développement économique à partir des comportements humains, sa thèse étant que par rapports aux autres animaux, l’homme est le seul à montrer des comportements d’échange et de spécialisation, ce qui a conduit notre espèce à démontrer des capacités d’adaptation hors normes et à trouver des solutions innovantes à tous les obstacles rencontrés jusqu’à présent, même dans les milieux les plus hostiles. L’espèce humaine à réussi à s’imposer et à dominer la planète grâce à la spécialisation et au commerce, ainsi que par la fertilisation croisée des idées. Plusieurs grandes étapes ont été nécessaires mais passer de l'utilisation d'énergie «musculaire » à d’autres sources a permis, difficilement et par étapes successives, à venir à bout de l'esclavage (qui existe toujours, mais au moins plus de manière légale) tout en élevant petit à petit le niveau de vie. Pour commercer et se libérer de l’économie de subsistance (donc de la pauvreté), il faut surmonter d’abord la peur innée de l’Autre. Une société basée sur des échanges (la fameuse « Société des Inconnus »...

France on Dec 23, 2019

M. Hillmann: Optimism about the development of human society is not a question of temperament or instinct, but proven by evidence. Since 1800 life expectancy has doubled, real income has risen nine times, people are one third better fed, child mortality has dropped by two thirds, life expectancy has increased by one third, many diseases have been virtually eliminated, literacy has become widespread and telephones, flush toilets, refrigerators and bicycles have become ubiquitous. Similar progress has been made since the 1950's as many of us can remember.

But at what cost ask the pessimists? Ridley debunks the conventional wisdoms of deteriorating environment, exponential population growth, greater inequality and social breakdown.

The most fundamental feature of the modern world has been the increasing pace of innovation which outpaces population explosion. But from where does this innovation come? Is it driven by science or the development of intellectual property or government? Ridley attributes it to exchange or trade. It is the ever increasing rate of exchange of goods, services and ideas that causes the ever-increasing rate of innovation.

Ridley maintains that whilst...

United Kingdom on Dec 12, 2010

William Petti: Ridley's thesis is that the key to prosperity lies in economic growth, and that economic growth is caused primarily by innovation fueled by the exchange and mating of ideas. As long as ideas are allowed to move freely they will inevitably mate, mutate, and produce innovations that will drive economic growth and improve the quality of life:

"The perpetual innovation machine that drives the modern economy owes its existence not mainly to science (which is its beneficiary more than its benefactor); nor to money (which is not always a limiting factor); nor to patents (which often get in the way); nor to government (which is bad at innovation). It is not a top-down process at all. Instead, I am going to try now to persuade you that one word will suffice to explain this conundrum: exchange. It is the ever-increasing exchange of ideas that causes the ever-increasing rate of innovation in the modern world."

Why is Ridley a "rational optimist"? Because, in his words, he has "arrived at optimism not through temperament or instinct, but by looking at the evidence". As Ridley sees it, throughout history, when the free exchange of ideas has been hampered by natural disasters,...

United States on Oct 25, 2010

Frank Reibold: In diesem Buch versucht ein "rationaler Optimist" zu zeigen, dass die Welt besser und nicht schlechter wird.

Zu diesem Zweck richtet er den Blick auf die wichtigsten Etappen der Weltgeschichte:

- 200 000 Jahre Arbeitsteilung
- 50 000 Jahre Handel
- 10 000 Jahre Landwirtschaft
- 5 000 Jahre Städte
- 300 Jahre fossile Energieträger
- 200 Jahre Erfindungen

Seit der Steinzeit steigt der Lebensstandard zunächst sehr langsam und seit der Industriellen Revolution rasant an. Das Buch zeigt auf, wie die ersten Staaten entstanden (Verstädterung / Landwirtschaft / Wasserwirtschaft / Verteidigung) und warum einige Staaten Erfolg hatten (z. B. Botswana) und andere (z. B. Simbabwe) nicht: Die Marktwirtschaft ist von unten her organisiert, sodass von oben nur Beschränkungen möglich sind. Staatliche Bürokratien haben sich oft als Parasiten (Babylon) oder Hemmnisse (Ming-China) erwiesen. Städte entstanden zuerst als Handelsplätze; danach haben die Herrscher den Wohlstand abgeschöpft. Durch die fragmentierten Regierungen in Europa blieb uns dieses Schicksal erspart und die Industrielle Revolution wurde möglich.

Wie aktuelle Studien zeigen, sind...

Germany on Jul 10, 2010

Bruce Irving: This is a little embarrassing, but right now, right in front of you, millions of ideas are having sex. They might be having it right inside this Amazon review page. I know, freaky, right? According to author Matt Ridley, the secret of humans' success is exchange, and while trade in physical objects is a big part of that, the exchange of ideas is really the thing that has kept this whole civilization thing moving forward for the last 10,000 years or so, and especially in the last 200 years. And when it comes to ideas having sex, the Internet is the ultimate "swingers' club."

Ridley's book "The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves" is quite a bit more serious than that first paragraph makes it sound, but it does describe a key point. He says, "Without trade, innovation just does not happen. Exchange is to technology as sex is to evolution. It stimulates novelty." Another key thing that exchange and trade allow is specialization. Self-sufficiency sounds good in theory (and in practice if you are in a basic survival situation), but when it comes to growth, prosperity, and happiness (all closely linked), specialization means more of everything for everybody. If multiple...

United States on Jul 05, 2010