The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves

For those dreading the apocalypse, zombie-fuelled or otherwise, Matt Ridley may deflate your pessimism somewhat. He argues that rather than sinking into the abyss of forgotten civilisations and extinct species, our world is actually improving at an accelerated rate, and this prosperity is due to our long-fostered habit of exchange and specialisation. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ridley writes with ‘panache, wit, and humor, and displays remarkable ingenuity in finding ways to present complicated materials for the lay reader’.