The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves

In his book, “The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves,” Ridley draws on the work of Smith and Darwin to present a history of cultural and economic evolution.

Brink Lindsey

Brink Lindsey is vice president and director of the Open Society Project at the Niskanen Center. He is the author of several books, including Human Capitalism: How Economic Growth Has Made Us Smarter—and More Unequal and The Age Of Abundance: How Prosperity Transformed America’s Politics and Culture.

Matt Ridley
Robin Hanson

Robin D. Hanson is an associate professor of economics at George Mason University and a research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University.

Featuring the author, Matt Ridley; with comments by Robin Hanson, Associate Professor of Economics, George Mason University. Moderated by Brink Lindsey, Vice President for Research, Cato Institute. Our economy is hurting, and many see environmental degradation as a looming threat. Unfortunately, the proposed solutions for getting humanity back on track are, in fact, rejections of the very factors that guided us from the poverty of our ancestors to the prosperity of today. In his book, The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves, bestselling author Matt Ridley (The Red Queen, The Origins of Virtue, Genome) draws on the work of Adam Smith and Charles Darwin to present a history of cultural and economic evolution — a story of progress driven not by the heavy hand of rulers but by bottom-​up innovation, specialization of labor, and freedom of trade. He uses the insights this historical perspective offers to address some of today’s most pressing issues, from the financial crisis to energy scarcity to globalization. Join us for a discussion of the book by the author, with commentary from Robin Hanson, associate professor of economics at George Mason University.