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. 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.
The mutual dependence, trust, and sharing that result are causes for hope, not despair. 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. Prosperity comes from everybody working for everybody else. Yet Matt Ridley does more than describe how things are getting better.
But they have been saying this for 200 years. The pessimists who dominate public discourse insist that we will soon reach a turning point and things will start to get worse. 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. Food availability, income, and life span are up disease, child mortality, and violence are down all across the globe. Life is getting better at an accelerating rate.
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