The Rational Optimist
How Prosperity Evolves
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The Rational Optimist
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Narrated by:
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L. J. Ganser
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Written by:
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Matt Ridley
About this listen
Life is getting better at an accelerating rate. Food availability, income, and life span are up; disease, child mortality, and violence are down all across the globe. Though the world is far from perfect, necessities and luxuries alike are getting cheaper; population growth is slowing; Africa is following Asia out of poverty; the Internet, the mobile phone, and container shipping are enriching people's lives as never before.
The pessimists who dominate public discourse insist that we will soon reach a turning point and things will start to get worse. But they have been saying this for 200 years.
Yet Matt Ridley does more than describe how things are getting better. He explains why. Prosperity comes from everybody working for everybody else. The habit of exchange and specialization, which started more than 100,000 years ago, has created a collective brain that sets human living standards on a rising trend. The mutual dependence, trust, and sharing that result are causes for hope, not despair.
This bold book covers the entire sweep of human history, from the Stone Age to the Internet, from the stagnation of the Ming empire to the invention of the steam engine, from the population explosion to the likely consequences of climate change. It ends with a confident assertion that thanks to the ceaseless capacity of the human race for innovative change, and despite inevitable disasters along the way, the 21st century will see both human prosperity and natural biodiversity enhanced. Acute, refreshing, and revelatory, The Rational Optimist will change your way of thinking about the world for the better.
©2010 Matt Ridley (P)2010 HarperCollins PublishersWhat listeners say about The Rational Optimist
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Janet Engel
- 2021-11-15
Refreshing perspective on humanity
Matt Ridley convincing lays out the framework for why we should be optimistic about the future while cautioning against going down roads that will stifle innovation. Fantastic book!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ryan
- 2022-06-07
This should be required reading.
This should be required reading for all high school students. It would put us in a much better position to make decisions collectively.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-09-18
Life-changing!!
One of the best books ever written. It dares the reader to become an optimist awaiting growth and prosperity. It does so based on ingenious analysis of common themes throughout human existence from 200,000 years ago to the current day. Highly recommend to each and everyone.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jake L.S.
- 2020-03-26
Rationally Optimistic
I agree with the author. We have more reason than ever to be optimistic however the story written is somewhat boring and mundane in the way it was explained/delivered.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
Good listen.
A good book that presents some interesting perspectives on what lies ahead in the 21st century.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AlbertaComputers
- 2020-10-28
One of the best audiobooks I've ever purchased.
This is a brilliant analysis of the past and present showing an excellent case for optimism while the world is constantly selling fear and pessimism.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Geoff Woodfied
- 2022-07-08
Dare to go against the herd
Matt Ridley puts together a compelling argument that the pessimists have it wrong. Think outside the box and prepare to have your assumptions challenged.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- KA90
- 2025-01-17
Don’t trust everything they teach
This book is a continuous learning of various facts and lies that so called experts have stated over the centuries. It’s hard to get all of it in one go, so I’d suggest to listen to it in breaks and probably listen a few number of times to get the whole story.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-11-15
follow up needed
This book needs a refresh given the state of things in 2021. I'd like to hear the author's opinions about how to remain optimistic in this increasingly authoritarian world.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- xeea
- 2019-11-18
Good but Agenda-Laden, biased.
First half, the historical recounting of the dawn of mankind was fascinating, and very good! A thorough delve into our dark primeval past, uniquely expressed in fresh ways. The author has an enjoyable flair for simplifying complex concepts.
Second half was marred by a series of extrapolationist long-winded obsessive personal rants denying climate change, ridiculing renewable energy, denouncing organic farming. Such subject matter is poorly presented in two dimensional biases, glossed over as the author’s emotional entrenchment is revealed, unprofessional repeated generalizations of “those people”, alongside endorsements for factory-farming, burning fossil fuels.
Overall a good informative book, but keep your wits about you in the second half where the authors agenda rears it’s head as subtly as a bulldozer driving through a china shop.
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4 people found this helpful