This could also be called something like "The Neoliberal Manifesto" in that it posits market forces as the greatest agent for change in the history of the world. Which is a view to which I very reservedly subscribe.

The good: I think, probably, nearly everybody who is optimistic at heart should read or listen to this if only to have access to solid arguments for rebutting everybody who whines about how awful the world is. Easterbrook presents oodles of evidence that we, as a collective species, are in the best shape of our history, and there is obviously something to that view. And Easterbrook knows quite a bit about quite a bit. Large swatches of society are covered, from food to medicine to the military to even social media, and he speaks about all of these subjects knowledgeably, if a bit reductively.

Alas, he unbalances his arguments more than a bit, nearly all of which were already simplified, further weakening their case. An example is that he makes an extremely compelling (Milton Friedman-ian) claim for Basic Universal Income as a way to fix all manner of social justice ills, with fiscal benefits besides. However, to get there, he dismisses taxes on the rich as a remedy for income inequality on the basis of the relatively small distributive effect of income tax redistribution. What he does not mention are inheritance taxes, which are ground zero for any discussion of reduction of inequality. I use this as a for-instance only because it is one of the most obvious examples, even if it is also one of the most egregious.

All of this said, though, I strongly recommend it to anybody who is worried that the world is going or has gone to heck. If you've ever worried about a pandemic super-flu, or think global famine is right around the corner because of population, this will at least, likely, put those fears at rest. Which, peace of mind is worth a few hours of your life to read a book, right? ( )

This is the 2nd book I have read by Easterbrook. "The Progress Paradox" dealt with a world of great progress that still resulted in unhappiness. This book sort of continues on the some story line. We are currently hearing nothing but how bad things are in the world. Easterbrook uses this book to lay out a strong argument that on so many levels the world has never been better. He talks about how on the economic level so much extreme poverty has been reduced, incomes and standards of living have improved. The quality of our air and water have never been better. Instead of worrying about people having enough to eat, we are now dealing with problems of obesity. He also mentions all the problems we face but does use history to show that we have always had problems but have overcome them. He does deal with how social media and its impact have created silos that allow people to stay with those that see the world as they do but also to castigate and demonize others. He does come of with reasonable solutions to our current problems. The negative reviews have been that he minimizes the negative things that have incurred in the 20th century(wars etc) but instead treats them as temporary setbacks that have been overcome. I strongly recommend this book. It is a good read and at 288 pages it is doable. I found it a good basis for tuning out the negative we hear and seeing the upward arc. ( )

If you are contented by feeling that this is the worst of all possible times, that hordes of immigrants are destroying our nation, that crazy people of the left or the right are the enemy of all good, that we will run out of everything, that the world is ending soon, this is not the book for you.

By the same token, if you are looking for unicorns and flying silver puppies, this realistic analysis will not satisfy you.

But Gregg Easterbrook’s rational optimism is hopeful without being pollyannish. It is a useful antidote to almost everything else you will read on the best seller list, on social media sites, and in the headlines that all scream declinism. And he is critical of all political parties and tribal slatnts

We do have work to do, crises to face, problems to solve, hard decisions to make, the temptations of autocratic hero leaders to avoid.

But as the author writes, “it's never too late to make a better world.” ( )