The Uses Of Pessimism

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The Uses of Pessimism

Author : Roger Scruton
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199798990
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis The Uses of Pessimism by : Roger Scruton

Download or read book The Uses of Pessimism written by Roger Scruton and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-10-04 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ranging widely over human history and culture, from ancient Greece to the current global economic downturn, Scruton makes a counterintuitive yet persuasive case that optimists and idealists -- with their ignorance about the truths of human nature and human society, and their naive hopes about what can be changed -- have wrought havoc for centuries. Scruton's argument is nuanced, however, and his preference for pessimism is not a dark view of human nature; rather his is a 'hopeful pessimism' which urges that instead of utopian efforts to reform human society or human nature, we focus on the only reform that we can truly master -- the improvement of ourselves through the cultivation of our better instincts. Written in Scruton's trademark style-- erudite, sweeping in scope across centuries and cultures, and unafraid to offend-- this book is sure to intrigue and provoke readers concerned with the state of Western culture, the nature of human beings, and the question of whether social progress is truly possible.

Cosmic Pessimism

Author : Eugene Thacker
Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
ISBN 13 : 1937561879
Total Pages : 44 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (375 download)

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Book Synopsis Cosmic Pessimism by : Eugene Thacker

Download or read book Cosmic Pessimism written by Eugene Thacker and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 2016-03-01 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “We’re doomed.” So begins the work of the philosopher whose unabashed and aphoristic indictments of the human condition have been cropping up recently in popular culture. Today we find ourselves in an increasingly inhospitable world that is, at the same time, starkly indifferent to our species-specific hopes, desires, and disappointments. In the Anthropocene, pessimism is felt everywhere but rarely given its proper place. Though pessimism may be, as Eugene Thacker says, the lowest form of philosophy, it may also contain an enigma central to understanding the horizon of the human. Written in a series of fragments, aphorisms, and prose poems, Thacker’s Cosmic Pessimism explores the varieties of pessimism and its often-conflicted relation to philosophy. “Crying, laughing, sleeping—what other responses are adequate to a life that is so indifferent?”

The Uses of Pessimism:And the Danger of False Hope

Author : Roger Scruton
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 9780199747535
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (475 download)

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Book Synopsis The Uses of Pessimism:And the Danger of False Hope by : Roger Scruton

Download or read book The Uses of Pessimism:And the Danger of False Hope written by Roger Scruton and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2010-10-07 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ranging widely over human history and culture, from ancient Greece to the current global economic downturn, Scruton makes a counterintuitive yet persuasive case that optimists and idealists -- with their ignorance about the truths of human nature and human society, and their naive hopes about what can be changed -- have wrought havoc for centuries. Scruton's argument is nuanced, however, and his preference for pessimism is not a dark view of human nature; rather his is a 'hopeful pessimism' which urges that instead of utopian efforts to reform human society or human nature, we focus on the only reform that we can truly master -- the improvement of ourselves through the cultivation of our better instincts.Written in Scruton's trademark style-- erudite, sweeping in scope across centuries and cultures, and unafraid to offend-- this book is sure to intrigue and provoke readers concerned with the state of Western culture, the nature of human beings, and the question of whether social progress is truly possible.

Learned Optimism

Author : Martin E.P. Seligman
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307803341
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (78 download)

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Book Synopsis Learned Optimism by : Martin E.P. Seligman

Download or read book Learned Optimism written by Martin E.P. Seligman and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-08-10 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The father of positive psychology draws on more than twenty years of clinical research to show you how to overcome depression, boost your immune system, and make yourself happier. "Vaulted me out of my funk.... So, fellow moderate pessimists, go buy this book." —The New York Times Book Review Offering many simple techniques anyone can practice, 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. 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.

Buying at the Point of Maximum Pessimism

Author : Scott Phillips
Publisher : FT Press
ISBN 13 : 0137084072
Total Pages : 375 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (37 download)

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Book Synopsis Buying at the Point of Maximum Pessimism by : Scott Phillips

Download or read book Buying at the Point of Maximum Pessimism written by Scott Phillips and published by FT Press. This book was released on 2010-05-05 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Sir John’s ability to comprehend complex concepts and distill these into money-making ideas for his investors was legendary. With this book, Scott Phillips extends Sir John Templeton’s crystal clear vision to some of tomorrow’s most interesting and powerful money-making opportunities. All readers should be prepared to learn–and profit!” –Jeffrey Everett, Founding Partner, Everkey Global Partners “The brilliant global investing strategy of Sir John Templeton finds new life in Scott Phillips’ Buying at the Point of Maximum Pessimism. With the U.S. in trouble, savvy international investing is a must, and this book shows you the best places to put your money for serious profits ahead.” –Christopher Ruddy, CEO, Newsmax Media, Inc. “In Buying at the Point of Maximum Pessimism, Scott Phillips delivers a road map to investment success traveled by the very few but guaranteed to lead you to enormous profits. The book offers a delightful, common sense approach to investing that unfortunately is not so common.” –Robert P. Miles, author, The Warren Buffett CEO "If you want to mitigate your risks while leveraging your long-term sources for growth, read every page of this book and invest accordingly. In ten or twenty years you will look back and be thankful you did.” –Theodore Roosevelt Malloch, Ph.D., Research Professor, Yale University and CEO, The Roosevelt Group Value Investing for the 2010s! Earn Consistent Long-Term Profits in a Radically New Market Environment Legendary value investor Sir John Templeton knew the secret of earning consistent profits: In times of maximum pessimism, recognize what your long-term opportunities are–and be ready to pounce. This book shows you where today’s long-term opportunities are, so you can earn outsized profits when the “herd” is running away in terror. Lauren Templeton Capital Management’s Scott Phillips identifies six powerful value investing themes for the 2010s: areas of long-term growth that become even more compelling in volatile or bear markets. This is value investing for the 2010s: a set of emerging opportunities you can profit from, while other investors are selling in fear!

The Uses of Pessimism

Author : Roger Scruton
Publisher : Atlantic Books Ltd
ISBN 13 : 1848878818
Total Pages : 206 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (488 download)

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Book Synopsis The Uses of Pessimism by : Roger Scruton

Download or read book The Uses of Pessimism written by Roger Scruton and published by Atlantic Books Ltd. This book was released on 2014-05-01 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scruton argues that the tragedies and disasters of the history of the European continent have been the consequences of a false optimism and the fallacies that derive from it. In place of these fallacies, Scruton mounts a passionate defence of both civil society and freedom. He shows that the true legacy of European civilisation is not the false idealisms that have almost destroyed it - in the shapes of Nazism, fascism and communism - but the culture of forgiveness and irony which we must now protect from those whom it offends. The Uses of Pessimism is a passionate plea for reason and responsibility, written at a time of profound change.

It's Better Than It Looks

Author : Gregg Easterbrook
Publisher : PublicAffairs
ISBN 13 : 1610397428
Total Pages : 413 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 413 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.

Afropessimism

Author : Frank B. Wilderson III
Publisher : Liveright Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1631496158
Total Pages : 246 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (314 download)

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Book Synopsis Afropessimism by : Frank B. Wilderson III

Download or read book Afropessimism written by Frank B. Wilderson III and published by Liveright Publishing. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Wilderson’s thinking teaches us to believe in the miraculous even as we decry the brutalities out of which miracles emerge”—Fred Moten Praised as “a trenchant, funny, and unsparing work of memoir and philosophy” (Aaron Robertson,?Literary Hub), Frank B. Wilderson’s Afropessimism arrived at a moment when protests against police brutality once again swept the nation. Presenting an argument we can no longer ignore, Wilderson insists that we must view Blackness through the lens of perpetual slavery. Radical in conception, remarkably poignant, and with soaring flights of memoir, Afropessimism reverberates with wisdom and painful clarity in the fractured world we inhabit.“Wilderson’s ambitious book offers its readers two great gifts. First, it strives mightily to make its pessimistic vision plausible. . . . Second, the book depicts a remarkable life, lived with daring and sincerity.”—Paul C. Taylor, Washington Post

Optimists Die First

Author : Susin Nielsen
Publisher : Wendy Lamb Books
ISBN 13 : 0553496921
Total Pages : 211 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (534 download)

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Book Synopsis Optimists Die First by : Susin Nielsen

Download or read book Optimists Die First written by Susin Nielsen and published by Wendy Lamb Books. This book was released on 2017-02-21 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Award-winning author Susin Nielsen has written a laugh-out-loud and heartrending novel for fans of Robyn Schneider’s Extraordinary Means and Cammie McGovern’s Say What You Will. Beware: Life ahead. Sixteen-year-old Petula de Wilde is anything but wild. A former crafting fiend with a happy life, Petula shut herself off from the world after a family tragedy. She sees danger in all the ordinary things, like crossing the street, a bug bite, or a germy handshake. She knows: life is out to get you. The worst part of her week is her comically lame mandatory art therapy class with a small group of fellow misfits. Then a new boy, Jacob, appears at school and in her therapy group. He seems so normal and confident, though he has a prosthetic arm; and soon he teams up with Petula on a hilarious project, gradually inspiring her to let go of some of her fears. But as the two grow closer, a hidden truth behind why he’s in the group threatens to derail them, unless Petula takes a huge risk. . . Praise: Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year “Nielsen writes with sensitivity, empathy, and humor.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred “Nielsen excels at depicting troubled, clever teenagers in familiar environments.” —School Library Journal, Starred “[An] empathic and deeply moving story, balanced by sharply funny narration and dialogue.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred “A poignant exploration into the nuances of healing.” —Quill and Quire, Starred

Pessimism

Author : Joshua Foa Dienstag
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400827485
Total Pages : 313 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Pessimism by : Joshua Foa Dienstag

Download or read book Pessimism written by Joshua Foa Dienstag and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2009-02-17 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pessimism claims an impressive following--from Rousseau, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche, to Freud, Camus, and Foucault. Yet "pessimist" remains a term of abuse--an accusation of a bad attitude--or the diagnosis of an unhappy psychological state. Pessimism is thought of as an exclusively negative stance that inevitably leads to resignation or despair. Even when pessimism looks like utter truth, we are told that it makes the worst of a bad situation. Bad for the individual, worse for the species--who would actually counsel pessimism? Joshua Foa Dienstag does. In Pessimism, he challenges the received wisdom about pessimism, arguing that there is an unrecognized yet coherent and vibrant pessimistic philosophical tradition. More than that, he argues that pessimistic thought may provide a critically needed alternative to the increasingly untenable progressivist ideas that have dominated thinking about politics throughout the modern period. Laying out powerful grounds for pessimism's claim that progress is not an enduring feature of human history, Dienstag argues that political theory must begin from this predicament. He persuasively shows that pessimism has been--and can again be--an energizing and even liberating philosophy, an ethic of radical possibility and not just a criticism of faith. The goal--of both the pessimistic spirit and of this fascinating account of pessimism--is not to depress us, but to edify us about our condition and to fortify us for life in a disordered and disenchanted universe.

Infinite Resignation

Author : Eugene Thacker
Publisher : Watkins Media Limited
ISBN 13 : 1912248204
Total Pages : 349 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (122 download)

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Book Synopsis Infinite Resignation by : Eugene Thacker

Download or read book Infinite Resignation written by Eugene Thacker and published by Watkins Media Limited. This book was released on 2018-07-17 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Scholarly advice for dark times.” —The New Yorker “Provides a metric ton of misery and a lot of company.” —New York Times “Probably philosophy’s only beach read.” —Vice A ‘nihilist’s devotional,’ this collection aphorisms, fragments, and observations on philosophy and pessimism offer a raw look at the human condition Dark times lie around us and ahead of us, and what better way to survive the coming Apocolypse than by immersing yourself in some of the greatest thinkers on pessimism, brought together with his own thoughts on the subject by Eugene Thacker, author of the contemporary classic, In the Dust of This Planet. Comprised of aphorisms, fragments, and observations both philosophical and personal, Infinite Resignation traces the contours of pessimism, caught as it often is between a philosophical position and a bad attitude. Reflecting on the universe’s “looming abyss of indifference,” Thacker explores the pessimism of a range of philosophers, from the well-known (Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Camus), to the lesser-known (E.M. Cioran, Lev Shestov, Miguel de Unamuno). Readers will find food for thought in Thacker’s handling of a range of themes in Christianity and Buddhism, as well as his engagement with literary figures (from Dostoevsky to Thomas Bernhard, Osamu Dazai, and Fernando Pessoa), whose pessimism about the world both inspires and depresses Thacker. By turns melancholic, misanthropic, and darkly funny, Infinite Resignation is a welcome antidote to the exuberant imbecility of our times.

The Positive Power Of Negative Thinking

Author : Julie Norem
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 0786725303
Total Pages : 252 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (867 download)

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Book Synopsis The Positive Power Of Negative Thinking by : Julie Norem

Download or read book The Positive Power Of Negative Thinking written by Julie Norem and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2008-08-05 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How often are we urged to "look on the bright side"? From Norman Vincent Peale to the ubiquitous smiley face, optimism has become an essential part of American society. In this long-overdue book, psychologist Julie Norem offers convincing evidence that, for many people, positive thinking is an ineffective strategy -- and often an obstacle -- for successfully coping with the anxieties and pressures of modern life. Drawing on her own research and many vivid case histories, Norem provides evidence of the powerful benefits of "defensive pessimism," which has helped millions to manage anxiety and perform their best work.

Strange Future

Author : Min Hyoung Song
Publisher : Duke University Press
ISBN 13 : 0822387492
Total Pages : 301 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (223 download)

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Book Synopsis Strange Future by : Min Hyoung Song

Download or read book Strange Future written by Min Hyoung Song and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 2005-11-10 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sometime near the start of the 1990s, the future became a place of national decline. The United States had entered a period of great anxiety fueled by the shrinking of the white middle class, the increasingly visible misery of poor urban blacks, and the mass immigration of nonwhites. Perhaps more than any other event marking the passage through these dark years, the 1992 Los Angeles riots have sparked imaginative and critical works reacting to this profound pessimism. Focusing on a wide range of these creative works, Min Hyoung Song shows how the L.A. riots have become a cultural-literary event—an important reference and resource for imagining the social problems plaguing the United States and its possible futures. Song considers works that address the riots and often the traumatic place of the Korean American community within them: the independent documentary Sa-I-Gu (Korean for April 29, the date the riots began), Chang-rae Lee’s novel Native Speaker, the commercial film Strange Days, and the experimental drama of Anna Deavere Smith, among many others. He describes how cultural producers have used the riots to examine the narrative of national decline, manipulating language and visual elements, borrowing and refashioning familiar tropes, and, perhaps most significantly, repeatedly turning to metaphors of bodily suffering to convey a sense of an unraveling social fabric. Song argues that these aesthetic experiments offer ways of revisiting the traumas of the past in order to imagine more survivable futures.

Half Empty

Author : David Rakoff
Publisher : Anchor
ISBN 13 : 0767929055
Total Pages : 242 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (679 download)

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Book Synopsis Half Empty by : David Rakoff

Download or read book Half Empty written by David Rakoff and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2011-09-06 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this deeply smart and sneakily poignant collection of essays, the bestselling author of Fraud and Don’t Get Too Comfortable makes an inspired case for always assuming the worst—because then you’ll never be disappointed. Whether he’s taking on pop culture phenomena with Oscar Wilde-worthy wit or dealing with personal tragedy, Rakoff’s sharp observations and humorist’s flair for the absurd will have you positively reveling in the untapped power of negativity.

How to Think Seriously about the Planet

Author : Roger Scruton
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199371245
Total Pages : 464 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (993 download)

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Book Synopsis How to Think Seriously about the Planet by : Roger Scruton

Download or read book How to Think Seriously about the Planet written by Roger Scruton and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-10 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roger Scruton here makes a plea to rescue environmental politics from the activist movements and to return them to the people. The book defends the legacy of home-building and practical reasoning with which ordinary human beings solve their environmental problems, and attacks the alarmism and hysteria that are being used to uproot these resources, while putting nothing coherent in their place.

In Praise of Commercial Culture

Author : Tyler COWEN
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674029933
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (74 download)

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Book Synopsis In Praise of Commercial Culture by : Tyler COWEN

Download or read book In Praise of Commercial Culture written by Tyler COWEN and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does a market economy encourage or discourage music, literature, and the visual arts? Do economic forces of supply and demand help or harm the pursuit of creativity? This book seeks to redress the current intellectual and popular balance and to encourage a more favorable attitude toward the commercialization of culture that we associate with modernity. Economist Tyler Cowen argues that the capitalist market economy is a vital but underappreciated institutional framework for supporting a plurality of co-existing artistic visions, providing a steady stream of new and satisfying creations, supporting both high and low culture, helping consumers and artists refine their tastes, and paying homage to the past by capturing, reproducing, and disseminating it. Contemporary culture, Cowen argues, is flourishing in its various manifestations, including the visual arts, literature, music, architecture, and the cinema. Successful high culture usually comes out of a healthy and prosperous popular culture. Shakespeare and Mozart were highly popular in their own time. Beethoven's later, less accessible music was made possible in part by his early popularity. Today, consumer demand ensures that archival blues recordings, a wide array of past and current symphonies, and this week's Top 40 hit sit side by side in the music megastore. High and low culture indeed complement each other. Cowen's philosophy of cultural optimism stands in opposition to the many varieties of cultural pessimism found among conservatives, neo-conservatives, the Frankfurt School, and some versions of the political correctness and multiculturalist movements, as well as historical figures, including Rousseau and Plato. He shows that even when contemporary culture is thriving, it appears degenerate, as evidenced by the widespread acceptance of pessimism. He ends by considering the reasons why cultural pessimism has such a powerful hold on intellectuals and opinion-makers.

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.