The Rational Optimist (Hardcover)

from thronm

A seductive and provocative book that gets you to thinking about the state of our world. At first very convincing about the major thesis that commerce and trade are the keys to progress and a civilized, progressive society but as it moves through historical example after example, you realize he i...

from HadriantheBlind

Very tempting title and first several chapters - life has been steadily improving. However, some of these happy platitudes seem to fall apart the further I read.I'm not going to dispute the benefits of free trade, the exchange of ideas, and the steady march of technology. On the contrary. I'm eve...

from castiron

Very thought-provoking. While I don't agree with all Ridley's arguments, the overall thesis is interesting, and the book is definitely worth reading.

from DLMorrese

The short answer to the question implied by the subtitle (according to the author) is specialization and the exchange of goods, services, and ideas. He goes on to show that once our ancestors learned to trade with one another, human prosperity (collectively) began to grow rapidly (relatively spea...

from ehousewright

This is an engaging, eye-opening and thought provoking book. I don't necessarily agree with all of it, but it did make me think about some of the ways media can shape your responses and the way your gut reactions to people, organizations or ideas can lead you to think less carefully about what is...