The Rational Optimist
There’s always something to complain about. We have made so much progress as a human race and yet we find so many things that aren’t working or are inconvenient to us. If you think about it, most topics of discussion have a hint of negativity to them. We’re complaining about the government, the weather (and environmental issues), someone cutting you off in traffic, or work. Complaining about these things is easy and it gives us a way to vent but complaining so much can shape the way we see the world and our lives. In The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley, everything is put into perspective. He gives a thorough history lesson about the advancement of the human race and why it happened. What we’ve achieved as a race is amazing and so is the way we exponentially grow every year. We should be more appreciative of how far we’ve come and how lucky we are as the generation that gets to live in this time.
Collective Brain
Matt starts at the very beginning when Homo Sapiens first began. He explains why and how we made the progress we did. There are reasons why life expectancy improved and why the population began to increase. I had my ideas but never gave them any proper thought. Neanderthals and Homo Erectus had been around before us, but they didn’t seem to make much progress as a people. What was interesting is that these clans all over the world had never interacted and yet had similarly shaped weapons that they didn’t improve on for thousands of years. Then we came along with a brain rapidly growing to make staggering technological advancements. The main reason for this was specialization. It’s so intuitive to us now, but back then it was a discovery to figure out that if each person focused on a particular skill, it would save time and help the rest of the tribe grow. That could be making fishhooks, spears or even looking after the children for example. With specialization came a sudden increase in the production of these tools and not enough people to use them. Which led to the bartering between tribes, and as the tribes grew bartering within them too.
Farming and Trade
Farming and trade go hand in hand. 14000 years ago, farming towns were trade towns because trade enabled farmers to grow more than their town needed. Shells and other trinkets used for bartering have been found in old farming towns nowhere near their place of origin. The growth of a town, or later nation, became so heavily dependent on trade. Once empires were established you could see a direct correlation between the growth of a city or country and how freely their goods were traded. This was the reason for Britain’s growth starting in the 1200s. Many countries were imposing tariffs on imported goods and disincentivising trade to protect their goods. This did more harm than good and enabled Britain’s economy to grow at a staggering rate because their trade agreements were comparatively free. This isn’t disputing the fact that colonialism benefitted them hugely, but it is looking at it from an economic point of view.
Slavery
Although it’s sad to say, slavery seems to have been abolished because of technological advancements, not necessarily because of human rights issues. Man has always been incentivised by producing and making more and they will do it in the most efficient way possible. Humans were enslaved and used to build Rome, build the pyramids and farm cotton, but animals were stronger and cheaper to feed, and ways were developed to build and farm with animals more efficiently. Then came even more efficient ways to harness the energy and water and windmills began to gain popularity. However, the main source of energy that really changed how everything was done, was coal. Coal led to electricity and factories full of machinery. Now people and animals weren’t needed as much. The discovery of fossil fuels led to inventions that changed the living standards of people forever. Productions lines increased output exponentially and the trade of materials needed to keep up.
Pessimism After 1900 to Today
Since the rate of progress increased so too has our pessimism. With everything we have achieved, we tend to look at the negatives or the things that need to be fixed. In a way, this is good because it helps us focus on the things that need to be improved but takes away from deserved appreciation. There are many worries throughout the 1900s that worry no more. We have overcome issues of nuclear Armageddon, famine, lack of resources, clean air, genes and plagues. Although all of these issues aren’t completely resolved, the amount of progress we have made in each of them has enabled us to progress further. The two main issues of today are said to be the state of Africa and climate change. Both issues are hot topics, and many people have their opinions, but if we zoom out, we can still be positive about them. The progress being made in Africa is faster than anywhere else in the world and they are catching up. Climate change is a part of how the world works. There used to be forests in the Sahara desert and so climate change is always happening. We should of course do our part not to contribute to speeding it up or making it worse and look after our environment. But when we zoom out and look at the history of mankind, things aren’t that bad.
I have been pessimistic about the world lately and reading this book helped me rethink things and be more appreciative of the time that we live in. This is the most advanced the human race has ever been, and we are lucky enough to live in this time. There are of course things happening in our world that need our love and attention and we should always try to be the best we can be. But taking some time to appreciate it all doesn’t hurt.