The Case For Rational Optimism

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The Case for Rational Optimism

Author : Frank S. Robinson
Publisher : Transaction Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1412815819
Total Pages : 345 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (128 download)

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Book Synopsis The Case for Rational Optimism by : Frank S. Robinson

Download or read book The Case for Rational Optimism written by Frank S. Robinson and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on 2011-12-31 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 Rational Optimist

Author : Matt Ridley
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0061452068
Total Pages : 482 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (614 download)

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Book Synopsis The Rational Optimist by : Matt Ridley

Download or read book The Rational Optimist written by Matt Ridley and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2011-06-07 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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. In his bold and bracing exploration into how human culture evolves positively through exchange and specialization, bestselling author Matt Ridley does more than describe how things are getting better. He explains why. 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.

It's Better Than It Looks

Author : Gregg Easterbrook
Publisher : PublicAffairs
ISBN 13 : 1610397428
Total Pages : 378 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis It's Better Than It Looks by : Gregg Easterbrook

Download or read book It's Better Than It Looks written by Gregg Easterbrook and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2018-02-20 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

The Case for Rational Optimism

Author : Frank Robinson
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351485490
Total Pages : 277 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (514 download)

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Book Synopsis The Case for Rational Optimism by : Frank Robinson

Download or read book The Case for Rational Optimism written by Frank Robinson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-28 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Hope without Optimism

Author : Terry Eagleton
Publisher : University of Virginia Press
ISBN 13 : 0813937353
Total Pages : 168 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (139 download)

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Book Synopsis Hope without Optimism by : Terry Eagleton

Download or read book Hope without Optimism written by Terry Eagleton and published by University of Virginia Press. This book was released on 2015-09-09 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his latest book, Terry Eagleton, one of the most celebrated intellects of our time, considers the least regarded of the virtues. His compelling meditation on hope begins with a firm rejection of the role of optimism in life’s course. Like its close relative, pessimism, it is more a system of rationalization than a reliable lens on reality, reflecting the cast of one’s temperament in place of true discernment. Eagleton turns then to hope, probing the meaning of this familiar but elusive word: Is it an emotion? How does it differ from desire? Does it fetishize the future? Finally, Eagleton broaches a new concept of tragic hope, in which this old virtue represents a strength that remains even after devastating loss has been confronted. In a wide-ranging discussion that encompasses Shakespeare’s Lear, Kierkegaard on despair, Aquinas, Wittgenstein, St. Augustine, Kant, Walter Benjamin’s theory of history, and a long consideration of the prominent philosopher of hope, Ernst Bloch, Eagleton displays his masterful and highly creative fluency in literature, philosophy, theology, and political theory. Hope without Optimism is full of the customary wit and lucidity of this writer whose reputation rests not only on his pathbreaking ideas but on his ability to engage the reader in the urgent issues of life. Page-Barbour Lectures

Fewer, Richer, Greener

Author : Laurence B. Siegel
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119526922
Total Pages : 462 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (195 download)

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Book Synopsis Fewer, Richer, Greener by : Laurence B. Siegel

Download or read book Fewer, Richer, Greener written by Laurence B. Siegel and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-11-26 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How the world has become much better and why optimism is abundantly justified Why do so many people fear the future? Is their concern justified, or can we look forward to greater wealth and continued improvement in the way we live? Our world seems to be experiencing stagnant economic growth, climatic deterioration, dwindling natural resources, and an unsustainable level of population growth. The world is doomed, they argue, and there are just too many problems to overcome. But is this really the case? In Fewer, Richer, Greener, author Laurence B. Siegel reveals that the world has improved—and will continue to improve—in almost every dimension imaginable. This practical yet lighthearted book makes a convincing case for having gratitude for today’s world and optimism about the bountiful world of tomorrow. Life has actually improved tremendously. We live in the safest, most prosperous time in all human history. Whatever the metric—food, health, longevity, education, conflict—it is demonstrably true that right now is the best time to be alive. The recent, dramatic slowing in global population growth continues to spread prosperity from the developed to the developing world. Technology is helping billions of people rise above levels of mere subsistence. This technology of prosperity is cumulative and rapidly improving: we use it to solve problems in ways that would have be unimaginable only a few decades ago. An optimistic antidote for pessimism and fear, this book: Helps to restore and reinforce our faith in the future Documents and explains how global changes impact our present and influence our future Discusses the costs and unforeseen consequences of some of the changes occurring in the modern world Offers engaging narrative, accurate data and research, and an in-depth look at the best books on the topic by leading thinkers Traces the history of economic progress and explores its consequences for human life around the world Fewer, Richer, Greener: Prospects for Humanity in an Age of Abundance is a must-read for anyone who wishes to regain hope for the present and wants to build a better future.

The Inevitable

Author : Kevin Kelly
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0525428089
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (254 download)

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Book Synopsis The Inevitable by : Kevin Kelly

Download or read book The Inevitable written by Kevin Kelly and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Becoming -- Cognifying -- Flowing -- Screening -- Accessing -- Sharing -- Filtering -- Remixing -- Interacting -- Tracking -- Questioning -- Beginning

Half Empty, Half Full

Author : Susan C. Vaughan
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Half Empty, Half Full by : Susan C. Vaughan

Download or read book Half Empty, Half Full written by Susan C. Vaughan and published by Houghton Mifflin. This book was released on 2000 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this fascinating book, Columbia University research scientist and psychoanalyst Susan Vaughan argues that our fundamental view of life as half empty or half full is determined by our capacity for emotional self-modulation. Based on her years of experience as a therapist and researcher, Dr. Vaughan shows how a sense of control over feelings like anger, anxiety, sadness, and even elation promotes optimism and well being. In contrast, feeling out of control makes us pessimistic and glum. Dr. Vaughan asserts that the roots of self-control are laid down through early interactions with caretakers, everyday experiences that literally shape the neural circuitry of the brain. The pictures of self and other formed in the first three years establish the basis for mood modulation in later life. How to limit the impact of early life and reshape our neural circuitry for effective mood modulation is the promise, and the gift, of this book. A convivial and accessible writer, Vaughan engages the reader in a conversation about what really determines whether we see the proverbial glass-as well as ourselves and the world around us-as half empty or half full.

Abundance

Author : Peter H. Diamandis
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 145161683X
Total Pages : 432 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (516 download)

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Book Synopsis Abundance by : Peter H. Diamandis

Download or read book Abundance written by Peter H. Diamandis and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-09-23 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

The Optimism Bias

Author : Tali Sharot
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307379833
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (73 download)

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Book Synopsis The Optimism Bias by : Tali Sharot

Download or read book The Optimism Bias written by Tali Sharot and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-06-14 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Psychologists have long been aware that most people maintain an irrationally positive outlook on life—but why? Turns out, we might be hardwired that way. In this absorbing exploration, Tali Sharot—one of the most innovative neuroscientists at work today—demonstrates that optimism may be crucial to human existence. The Optimism Bias explores how the brain generates hope and what happens when it fails; how the brains of optimists and pessimists differ; why we are terrible at predicting what will make us happy; how emotions strengthen our ability to recollect; how anticipation and dread affect us; how our optimistic illusions affect our financial, professional, and emotional decisions; and more. Drawing on cutting-edge science, The Optimism Bias provides us with startling new insight into the workings of the brain and the major role that optimism plays in determining how we live our lives.

The Intelligent Optimist's Guide to Life

Author : Jurriaan Kamp
Publisher : Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1626562776
Total Pages : 119 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (265 download)

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Book Synopsis The Intelligent Optimist's Guide to Life by : Jurriaan Kamp

Download or read book The Intelligent Optimist's Guide to Life written by Jurriaan Kamp and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. This book was released on 2014-10-13 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world isn’t coming to an end, contrary to what you may have heard. But the media’s near-exclusive focus on conflict and disaster means that the progress and everyday acts of brilliance taking place across the globe go unnoticed. Jurriaan Kamp shows that optimism—intelligent optimism, not a rose-colored-glasses brand of wishful thinking—is good for not only your mind but your body too. He details a whole host of health problems that can actually be linked to pessimism. Moreover, there is good reason for optimism: Kamp proves that on the whole we’re living longer, becoming smarter, working less, and growing richer. Not only that, democracy is on the rise, and violence is declining. This book will help you tune out the media’s focus on sensationalism and negativity and turn on your natural optimism so you’ll drop into a “real world” that’s richer than you ever imagined.

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Author : Daniel Kahneman
Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN 13 : 1429969350
Total Pages : 511 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

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Book Synopsis Thinking, Fast and Slow by : Daniel Kahneman

Download or read book Thinking, Fast and Slow written by Daniel Kahneman and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2011-10-25 with total page 511 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Major New York Times Bestseller *More than 2.6 million copies sold *One of The New York Times Book Review's ten best books of the year *Selected by The Wall Street Journal as one of the best nonfiction books of the year *Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient *Daniel Kahneman's work with Amos Tversky is the subject of Michael Lewis's best-selling The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds In his mega bestseller, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman, world-famous psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. The impact of overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning our next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems shape our judgments and decisions. Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives—and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Topping bestseller lists for almost ten years, Thinking, Fast and Slow is a contemporary classic, an essential book that has changed the lives of millions of readers.

The Anatomy of Hope

Author : Jerome Groopman
Publisher : Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN 13 : 0375757759
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (757 download)

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Book Synopsis The Anatomy of Hope by : Jerome Groopman

Download or read book The Anatomy of Hope written by Jerome Groopman and published by Random House Trade Paperbacks. This book was released on 2005-01-11 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do some people find and sustain hope during difficult circumstances, while others do not? What can we learn from those who do, and how is their example applicable to our own lives? The Anatomy of Hope is a journey of inspiring discovery, spanning some thirty years of Dr. Jerome Groopman’s practice, during which he encountered many extraordinary people and sought to answer these questions. This profound exploration begins when Groopman was a medical student, ignorant of the vital role of hope in patients’ lives–and it culminates in his remarkable quest to delineate a biology of hope. With appreciation for the human elements and the science, Groopman explains how to distinguish true hope from false hope–and how to gain an honest understanding of the reach and limits of this essential emotion.

Candide

Author : Voltaire
Publisher : Prabhat Prakashan
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 155 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Candide by : Voltaire

Download or read book Candide written by Voltaire and published by Prabhat Prakashan. This book was released on 2024-09-09 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Venture into the eerie and enigmatic with Ambrose Bierce’s collection of supernatural tales, "Can Such Things Be." This gripping anthology explores the boundaries of reality with stories that delve into the realms of the bizarre and the uncanny. What if the most unsettling experiences were not just figments of imagination but genuine encounters with the supernatural? Bierce’s masterful storytelling will leave you questioning the line between reality and the supernatural, challenging your perceptions of what is possible. With its chilling narratives and unsettling twists, this collection is perfect for readers who relish spine-tingling tales and the exploration of the unknown. Ideal for fans of classic horror and supernatural fiction. Are you prepared to confront the unsettling mysteries of "Can Such Things Be" and uncover the dark secrets that lie beyond the ordinary? Embrace the unknown—purchase "Can Such Things Be" today and dive into a world of supernatural intrigue and suspense!

Behave

Author : Robert M. Sapolsky
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0143110918
Total Pages : 801 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (431 download)

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Book Synopsis Behave by : Robert M. Sapolsky

Download or read book Behave written by Robert M. Sapolsky and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2018-05-01 with total page 801 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times bestseller • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • One of the Washington Post's 10 Best Books of the Year “It’s no exaggeration to say that Behave is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read.” —David P. Barash, The Wall Street Journal "It has my vote for science book of the year.” —Parul Sehgal, The New York Times "Immensely readable, often hilarious...Hands-down one of the best books I’ve read in years. I loved it." —Dina Temple-Raston, The Washington Post From the bestselling author of A Primate's Memoir and the forthcoming Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will comes a landmark, genre-defining examination of human behavior and an answer to the question: Why do we do the things we do? Behave is one of the most dazzling tours d’horizon of the science of human behavior ever attempted. Moving across a range of disciplines, Sapolsky—a neuroscientist and primatologist—uncovers the hidden story of our actions. Undertaking some of our thorniest questions relating to tribalism and xenophobia, hierarchy and competition, and war and peace, Behave is a towering achievement—a majestic synthesis of cutting-edge research and a heroic exploration of why we ultimately do the things we do . . . for good and for ill.

Toward Rational Exuberance

Author : B. Mark Smith
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 0374281777
Total Pages : 358 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (742 download)

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Book Synopsis Toward Rational Exuberance by : B. Mark Smith

Download or read book Toward Rational Exuberance written by B. Mark Smith and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2001 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traces the evolution of popular theories of stock market behavior, showing how they have become widely accepted over time and clarifying some of those them.

The Beginning of Infinity

Author : David Deutsch
Publisher : Penguin UK
ISBN 13 : 0141969695
Total Pages : 571 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (419 download)

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Book Synopsis The Beginning of Infinity by : David Deutsch

Download or read book The Beginning of Infinity written by David Deutsch and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2011-03-31 with total page 571 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Science has never had an advocate quite like David Deutsch ... A computational physicist on a par with his touchstones Alan Turing and Richard Feynman, and a philosopher in the line of his greatest hero, Karl Popper. His arguments are so clear that to read him is to experience the thrill of the highest level of discourse available on this planet and to understand it' Peter Forbes, Independent In our search for truth, how far have we advanced? This uniquely human quest for good explanations has driven amazing improvements in everything from scientific understanding and technology to politics, moral values and human welfare. But will progress end, either in catastrophe or completion - or will it continue infinitely? In this profound and seminal book, David Deutsch explores the furthest reaches of our current understanding, taking in the Infinity Hotel, supernovae and the nature of optimism, to instill in all of us a wonder at what we have achieved - and the fact that this is only the beginning of humanity's infinite possibility. 'This is Deutsch at his most ambitious, seeking to understand the implications of our scientific explanations of the world ... I enthusiastically recommend this rich, wide-ranging and elegantly written exposition of the unique insights of one of our most original intellectuals' Michael Berry, Times Higher Education Supplement 'Bold ... profound ... provocative and persuasive' Economist 'David Deutsch may well go down in history as one of the great scientists of our age' Scotsman