The Rational Optimist

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The Rational Optimist

Matt Ridley
The Rational Optimist Book PDF

Author : Matt Ridley
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 480 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2010-06-15
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780062025371

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The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley Pdf

“A delightful and fascinating book filled with insight and wit, which will make you think twice and cheer up.” — Steven Pinker In a bold and provocative interpretation of economic history, Matt Ridley, the New York Times-bestselling author of Genome and The Red Queen, makes the case for an economics of hope, arguing that the benefits of commerce, technology, innovation, and change—what Ridley calls cultural evolution—will inevitably increase human prosperity. Fans of the works of Jared Diamond (Guns, Germs, and Steel), Niall Ferguson (The Ascent of Money), and Thomas Friedman (The World Is Flat) will find much to ponder and enjoy in The Rational Optimist. For two hundred years the pessimists have dominated public discourse, insisting that things will soon be getting much worse. But in fact, life is getting better—and at an accelerating rate. Food availability, income, and life span are up; disease, child mortality, and violence are down all across the globe. Africa is following Asia out of poverty; the Internet, the mobile phone, and container shipping are enriching people's lives as never before. An astute, refreshing, and revelatory work that covers the entire sweep of human history—from the Stone Age to the Internet—The Rational Optimist will change your way of thinking about the world for the better.

The Case for Rational Optimism

Frank S. Robinson
The Case for Rational Optimism Book PDF

Author : Frank S. Robinson
Publisher : Transaction Publishers
Page : 342 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2011-12-31
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781412815819

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The Case for Rational Optimism by Frank S. Robinson Pdf

The Case for Rational Optimism tackles a host of challenging subjects in an engaging, accessible, down-to-earth style. It is intellectually serious, ceaselessly intriguing, and devoid of banalities. While other books in this genre tend to be oriented toward self-help, this volume brings evolutionary biology, neuroscience, psychology, sociology, economics, and a keen sense of history to the topic. Robinson begins with three goals: making the case for feeling good about oneself, about humanity in general, and about the global situation. He addresses such seemingly disparate subjects as selfi shness versus altruism, mind and free will, human nature, and issues relating to economics, technology, the environment, and more. Unifying these ideas into a coherent philosophical whole are central concepts: evolution has endowed our species with more good qualities than bad, and why; those qualities, and our use of reason, are the foundations of civilization, and how; and, consistent with our nature, we make a better world by valuing human life therefore enabling others to fl ourish in ways they freely choose. The Case for Rational Optimism argues that the highly challenging conditions confronting early man created a Darwinian selective pressure for cooperation, even altruism, among members of a tribe. Th e author fi nds evidence for this in the way our brains work, and in observable human behavior. He argues against existential despair over the human condition. Even though there probably is no grand celestial design investing life with meaning, he considers this liberating, giving every person the freedom to craft their own meaning. To Robinson, whether sentient beings experience suff ering or joy is the only thing that matters; without emotive highs and lows, the Universe would hardly matter.

The Evolution of Everything

Matt Ridley
The Evolution of Everything Book PDF

Author : Matt Ridley
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2015-10-27
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780062296023

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The Evolution of Everything by Matt Ridley Pdf

“Mr. Ridley’s best and most important work to date…there is something profoundly democratic and egalitarian—even anti-elitist—in this bottom-up approach: Everyone can have a role in bringing about change.” —Wall Street Journal The New York Times bestselling author of The Rational Optimist and Genome returns with a fascinating argument for evolution that definitively dispels a dangerous, widespread myth: that we can command and control our world Human society evolves. Change in technology, language, morality, and society is incremental, inexorable, gradual, and spontaneous. It follows a narrative, going from one stage to the next, and it largely happens by trial and error—a version of natural selection. Much of the human world is the result of human action but not of human design: it emerges from the interactions of millions, not from the plans of a few. Drawing on fascinating evidence from science, economics, history, politics, and philosophy, Matt Ridley demolishes conventional assumptions that the great events and trends of our day are dictated by those on high. On the contrary, our most important achievements develop from the bottom up. The Industrial Revolution, cell phones, the rise of Asia, and the Internet were never planned; they happened. Languages emerged and evolved by a form of natural selection, as did common law. Torture, racism, slavery, and pedophilia—all once widely regarded as acceptable—are now seen as immoral despite the decline of religion in recent decades. In this wide-ranging, erudite book, Ridley brilliantly makes the case for evolution, rather than design, as the force that has shaped much of our culture, our technology, our minds, and that even now is shaping our future.

The Red Queen

Matt Ridley
The Red Queen Book PDF

Author : Matt Ridley
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 416 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2012-02-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780062200716

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The Red Queen by Matt Ridley Pdf

“A terrific book, witty and lucid, and brimming with provocative conjectures.” (Wall Street Journal) from the author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller Genome Brilliantly written, The Red Queen compels us to rethink everything from the persistence of sexism to the endurance of romantic love. Referring to Lewis Carroll's Red Queen from Through the Looking-Glass, a character who has to keep running to stay in the same place, Matt Ridley demonstrates why sex is humanity's best strategy for outwitting its constantly mutating internal predators. The Red Queen answers dozens of other riddles of human nature and culture—including why men propose marriage, the method behind our maddening notions of beauty, and the disquieting fact that a woman is more likely to conceive a child by an adulterous lover than by her husband. The Red Queen offers an extraordinary new way of interpreting the human condition and how it has evolved.

It's Better Than It Looks

Gregg Easterbrook
It s Better Than It Looks Book PDF

Author : Gregg Easterbrook
Publisher : PublicAffairs
Page : 413 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2018-02-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781610397421

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It's Better Than It Looks by Gregg Easterbrook Pdf

Is civilization teetering on the edge of a cliff? Or are we just climbing higher than ever? Most people who read the news would tell you that 2017 is one of the worst years in recent memory. We're facing a series of deeply troubling, even existential problems: fascism, terrorism, environmental collapse, racial and economic inequality, and more. Yet this narrative misses something important: by almost every meaningful measure, the modern world is better than it ever has been. In the United States, disease, crime, discrimination, and most forms of pollution are in long-term decline, while longevity and education keep rising and economic indicators are better than in any past generation. Worldwide, malnutrition and extreme poverty are at historic lows, and the risk of dying by war or violence is the lowest in human history. It's not a coincidence that we're confused -- our perspectives on the world are blurred by the rise of social media, the machinations of politicians, and our own biases. Meanwhile, political reforms like the Clean Air Act and technological innovations like the hybridization of wheat have saved huge numbers of lives. In that optimistic spirit, Easterbrook offers specific policy reforms to address climate change, inequality, and other problems, and reminds us that there is real hope in conquering such challenges. In an age of discord and fear-mongering, It's Better Than It Looks will profoundly change your perspective on who we are, where we're headed, and what we're capable of.

Learned Optimism

Martin E.P. Seligman
Learned Optimism Book PDF

Author : Martin E.P. Seligman
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2011-08-10
Category : Self-Help
ISBN : 9780307803344

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Learned Optimism by Martin E.P. Seligman Pdf

National Bestseller The father of the new science of positive psychology and author of Authentic Happiness draws on more than twenty years of clinical research to demonstrate how optimism enchances the quality of life, and how anyone can learn to practice it. Offering many simple techniques, Dr. Seligman explains how to break an “I—give-up” habit, develop a more constructive explanatory style for interpreting your behavior, and experience the benefits of a more positive interior dialogue. These skills can help break up depression, boost your immune system, better develop your potential, and make you happier.. With generous additional advice on how to encourage optimistic behavior at school, at work and in children, Learned Optimism is both profound and practical–and valuable for every phase of life. "Vaulted me out of my funk.... So, fellow moderate pessimists, go buy this book." —Marian Sandmaier, The New York Times Book Review

Abundance

Peter H. Diamandis,Steven Kotler
Abundance Book PDF

Author : Peter H. Diamandis,Steven Kotler
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 432 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2014-09-23
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781451616835

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Abundance by Peter H. Diamandis,Steven Kotler Pdf

The authors document how four forces--exponential technologies, the DIY innovator, the Technophilanthropist, and the Rising Billion--are conspiring to solve our biggest problems. "Abundance" establishes hard targets for change and lays out a strategic roadmap for governments, industry and entrepreneurs, giving us plenty of reason for optimism.

Union Atlantic

Adam Haslett
Union Atlantic Book PDF

Author : Adam Haslett
Publisher : Anchor
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2010-02-09
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780385532617

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Union Atlantic by Adam Haslett Pdf

From the acclaimed author of Imagine Me Gone and the Pulitzer Prize finalist You Are Not A Stranger Here, a stunning, masterful portrait of our modern gilded age. At the heart of Union Atlantic lies a test of wills between a retired history teacher, Charlotte Graves—who has suddenly begun to hear her two dogs speaking to her in the voices of Cotton Mather and Malcolm X—and an ambitious young banker, Doug Fanning, who is building an ostentatious mansion on what was once Charlotte’s family land. Drawn into the conflict is Nate Fuller, a troubled high-school student who stirs powerful emotions in both of them. What emerges is a riveting story of financial power, the defense of tradition, and the distortions of desire these forces create. With remarkable scope and precision, Union Atlantic delivers a striking vision of the violent, anxious world we’ve come to inhabit.

The Lessons of History

Will Durant,Ariel Durant
The Lessons of History Book PDF

Author : Will Durant,Ariel Durant
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2012-08-21
Category : History
ISBN : 9781439170199

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The Lessons of History by Will Durant,Ariel Durant Pdf

A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant. With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress, the Durants take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the towering themes of history and give meaning to our own.

Genome

Matt Ridley
Genome Book PDF

Author : Matt Ridley
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 370 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2013-03-26
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780062253460

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Genome by Matt Ridley Pdf

“Ridley leaps from chromosome to chromosome in a handy summation of our ever increasing understanding of the roles that genes play in disease, behavior, sexual differences, and even intelligence. . . . . He addresses not only the ethical quandaries faced by contemporary scientists but the reductionist danger in equating inheritability with inevitability.” — The New Yorker The genome's been mapped. But what does it mean? Matt Ridley’s Genome is the book that explains it all: what it is, how it works, and what it portends for the future Arguably the most significant scientific discovery of the new century, the mapping of the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome raises almost as many questions as it answers. Questions that will profoundly impact the way we think about disease, about longevity, and about free will. Questions that will affect the rest of your life. Genome offers extraordinary insight into the ramifications of this incredible breakthrough. By picking one newly discovered gene from each pair of chromosomes and telling its story, Matt Ridley recounts the history of our species and its ancestors from the dawn of life to the brink of future medicine. From Huntington's disease to cancer, from the applications of gene therapy to the horrors of eugenics, Ridley probes the scientific, philosophical, and moral issues arising as a result of the mapping of the genome. It will help you understand what this scientific milestone means for you, for your children, and for humankind.

Nature via Nurture: Genes, experience and what makes us human

Matt Ridley
Nature via Nurture Genes experience and what makes us human Book PDF

Author : Matt Ridley
Publisher : HarperCollins UK
Page : 82 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2011-06-09
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780007380855

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Nature via Nurture: Genes, experience and what makes us human by Matt Ridley Pdf

Acclaimed author Matt Ridley's thrilling follow-up to his bestseller Genome. Armed with the extraordinary new discoveries about our genes, Ridley turns his attention to the nature versus nurture debate to bring the first popular account of the roots of human behaviour.

The Better Angels of Our Nature

Steven Pinker
The Better Angels of Our Nature Book PDF

Author : Steven Pinker
Publisher : Penguin Books
Page : 834 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2012-09-25
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9780143122012

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The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker Pdf

Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think this is the most violent age ever seen. Yet as bestselling author Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true.

The End Is Always Near

Dan Carlin
The End Is Always Near Book PDF

Author : Dan Carlin
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2019-10-29
Category : History
ISBN : 9780062868060

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The End Is Always Near by Dan Carlin Pdf

Now a New York Times Bestseller. The creator of the wildly popular award-winning podcast Hardcore History looks at some of the apocalyptic moments from the past as a way to frame the challenges of the future. Do tough times create tougher people? Can humanity handle the power of its weapons without destroying itself? Will human technology or capabilities ever peak or regress? No one knows the answers to such questions, but no one asks them in a more interesting way than Dan Carlin. In The End is Always Near, Dan Carlin looks at questions and historical events that force us to consider what sounds like fantasy; that we might suffer the same fate that all previous eras did. Will our world ever become a ruin for future archaeologists to dig up and explore? The questions themselves are both philosophical and like something out of The Twilight Zone. Combining his trademark mix of storytelling, history and weirdness Dan Carlin connects the past and future in fascinating and colorful ways. At the same time the questions he asks us to consider involve the most important issue imaginable: human survival. From the collapse of the Bronze Age to the challenges of the nuclear era the issue has hung over humanity like a persistent Sword of Damocles. Inspired by his podcast, The End is Always Near challenges the way we look at the past and ourselves. In this absorbing compendium, Carlin embarks on a whole new set of stories and major cliffhangers that will keep readers enthralled. Idiosyncratic and erudite, offbeat yet profound, The End is Always Near examines issues that are rarely presented, and makes the past immediately relevant to our very turbulent present.

The Great Surge

Steven Radelet
The Great Surge Book PDF

Author : Steven Radelet
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2016-11-22
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781476764795

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The Great Surge by Steven Radelet Pdf

"The Great Surge tells the remarkable story of this unprecedented economic, social, and political transformation. It shows how the end of the Cold War, the development of new technologies, globalization, courageous local leadership, and in some cases, good fortune, have combined to dramatically improve the fate of hundreds of millions of people in poor countries around the world. Most importantly, The Great Surge reveals how we can fight the changing tides of climate change, resource demand, economic and political mismanagement, and demographic pressures to accelerate the political, economic, and social development that has been helping the poorest of the poor around the world,"--Amazon.com.

Optimists Always Win!

Kimberly S. Reed
Optimists Always Win Book PDF

Author : Kimberly S. Reed
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2021-01-12
Category : Self-Help
ISBN : 9780757323577

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Optimists Always Win! by Kimberly S. Reed Pdf

Difficulties and struggles are unavoidable in life, but a person has complete control over one’s personal response to the situation. This book offers readers a plan for responding with optimism for both the challenges and blessings that come their way. Our brain’s default setting is negativity. Ask anyone who has ever tried to lose weight, achieve a new skill, or incorporate a new habit and they can tell you that our natural tendency is to levitate toward mediocrity. However, optimism overpowers that negativity or tendency to be mediocre. International speaker and diversity/inclusion strategist Kimberly Reed’s book Optimists Always Win!: Unlocking the Power to Reach Life’s C-Suite isn’t merely motivational mumbo jumbo. It is designed to help readers develop a process to stay optimistic all the time. Reaching life’s C-Suite means obtaining a level of happiness, peace, wisdom and growth in all areas of our lives. It’s choosing optimism instead of anger, bitterness, or revenge. The life events that unfold for Reed in Optimists Always Win! will do just that—challenge anyone facing what seems to be an impossible situation and show that victory is absolutely possible. Her heroic battle with her mother’s terminal illness and sudden loss as well as her subsequent battle with cancer will encourage others that one doesn’t have to face adversity with pessimism or hopelessness. Relying heavily on her faith in God and the optimism that she learned to cultivate, Kimberly Reed teaches her readers the ten discouragement eliminators she used, which helped her succeed not just in her fight against cancer but as she lives each day as her best self. The message of this book is simple: difficulties and struggles are unavoidable in life, but a person has complete control over one’s personal response to the situation. Readers of this book will discover the following ten tools to eliminate discouragement, grow their faith, and engage an optimistic attitude for their own battles with the wisdom Kimberly was taught and subsequently put into practice during her own diagnosis and ultimate victory. They include: · Discouragement Eliminator #1: Staying Away from Kryptonite · Discouragement Eliminator #2: Defining Your Life’s C-Suite · Discouragement Eliminator #3: Quieting the Soul · Discouragement Eliminator #4: Gratitude · Discouragement Eliminator #5: Faith at the Speed of Light · Discouragement Eliminator #6: Unlocking Your Y.E.S. (You Empower Self) Factor. · Discouragement Eliminator #7: Be Willing to Give What You Require · Discouragement Eliminator #8: The Art of Becoming a Chameleon · Discouragement Eliminator #9: The Power of Your Rearview Mirror · Discouragement Eliminator #10: Taking the Elevator to Life’s C-Suite These tools will help develop the fortitude to face every area of life with faith and optimism. All Book Royalties Are Being Donated to a Premier Academic Research Institution for Integrated Breast Cancer Fund and Patient Care, and American Cancer Society AstraZeneca Hope Lodge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania