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A review by jasonben10
The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley
5.0
Advances in humanity have been the effect of trade and specialization within intra-community as well as inter-community. One person can make 10 fish hooks and sell them while another focuses solely on food instead of each person being self-sufficient. Overall the book is pro-humanity, Ridley constantly rattles against doomsayers of all ages, how we have continually outlived predictions; food shortages, rises in temperature, population excess, whatever it may be - invention (leading to division of labor and division of time) has led to continual success of our race. Especially so in the internet age when our collective knowledge is overflowing and we are connecting ideas around the world. Terrific perspective on the human race, he made many good points for free markets, it's just one of those books I will have forever and hope it finds a nice resting place in my subconscious.
Fantastic book. "It is precisely because so much human betterment has shown to be possible in recent centuries that the continuing imperfection of the world places a moral duty on humanity to allow economic evolution to continue. To prevent change, innovation, and growth is to stand in the way of protentional compassion."
"the pessimists are right when they say that, if the world continues as it is, it will end in disaster for all humanity. If all transport depends on oil, and oil runs out, then transport will cease...But notice the conditional: if. The world will not continue as it is. That is the whole point of human progress, the whole message of cultural evolution, the whole import of dynamic change - the whole thrust of this book. The real danger comes from slowing down the change." p. 281 (great page)
"Yet most anti-corporate activists have faith in the good will of the leviathans that can force you to do business with them [govt], but are suspicious of the behemoths that have to beg for your business. I find that odd." p. 111
Research doesn't equal innovation but in many cases it is only the explanation, "It happens on the shop floor among apprentices and mechanics, or in the workplace...and only rarely as a result of the application and transfer of knowledge from ivory towers of the intelligentsia...Aspirin was curing headaches for more than a century before anybody had the faintest idea how...Food was being preserved by canning long before anybody had any germ theory to explain why it helped."p.258
Fascinating section on Africa as well in the global warming part. Through exchange/trade, trusted laws of personal property, and specialization the nations of Africa can thrive. Foreign aid is not the answer and leads to nothing btw
"As Paul Romer puts it: 'Every generation has perceived the limits to growth that finite resources and undesirable side effects would pose if no new recipes or ideas were discovered. And never generation has underestimated the potential for finding new recipes and ideas. We consistently fail to grasp how many ideas remain to be discovered.'" p.354
Fantastic book. "It is precisely because so much human betterment has shown to be possible in recent centuries that the continuing imperfection of the world places a moral duty on humanity to allow economic evolution to continue. To prevent change, innovation, and growth is to stand in the way of protentional compassion."
"the pessimists are right when they say that, if the world continues as it is, it will end in disaster for all humanity. If all transport depends on oil, and oil runs out, then transport will cease...But notice the conditional: if. The world will not continue as it is. That is the whole point of human progress, the whole message of cultural evolution, the whole import of dynamic change - the whole thrust of this book. The real danger comes from slowing down the change." p. 281 (great page)
"Yet most anti-corporate activists have faith in the good will of the leviathans that can force you to do business with them [govt], but are suspicious of the behemoths that have to beg for your business. I find that odd." p. 111
Research doesn't equal innovation but in many cases it is only the explanation, "It happens on the shop floor among apprentices and mechanics, or in the workplace...and only rarely as a result of the application and transfer of knowledge from ivory towers of the intelligentsia...Aspirin was curing headaches for more than a century before anybody had the faintest idea how...Food was being preserved by canning long before anybody had any germ theory to explain why it helped."p.258
Fascinating section on Africa as well in the global warming part. Through exchange/trade, trusted laws of personal property, and specialization the nations of Africa can thrive. Foreign aid is not the answer and leads to nothing btw
"As Paul Romer puts it: 'Every generation has perceived the limits to growth that finite resources and undesirable side effects would pose if no new recipes or ideas were discovered. And never generation has underestimated the potential for finding new recipes and ideas. We consistently fail to grasp how many ideas remain to be discovered.'" p.354