Beställningsvara. Skickas inom 7-10 vardagar. Fri frakt för medlemmar vid köp för minst 249 kr.
How the world has become much better and why optimism is abundantly justifiedWhy 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 futureDocuments and explains how global changes impact our present and influence our futureDiscusses the costs and unforeseen consequences of some of the changes occurring in the modern worldOffers engaging narrative, accurate data and research, and an in-depth look at the best books on the topic by leading thinkersTraces the history of economic progress and explores its consequences for human life around the worldFewer, 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.
LAURENCE B. SIEGEL is the Gary P. Brinson Director of Research at the CFA Institute Research Foundation and a writer, speaker, and consultant specializing in economics and investment management. Siegel is the author of more than 200 articles on investing and related topics. He has won many writing awards including the Graham and Dodd Award, Bernstein Fabozzi/Jacobs Levy Award, and the EDHEC/Robeco Award.
Foreword viiPreface xiiiAcknowledgments xviiPart I The Great Betterment1 Right Here, Right Now 3Part II Fewer2 The Population Explosion, Malthus, and the Ghost of Christmas Present 193 The Demographic Transition: Running Out of and Into People 314 Having Fewer Children: “People Respond to Incentives” 435 Age Before Beauty: Life in an Aging Society 59Part III Richer6 Before the Great Enrichment: The Year 1 to 1750 797 The Great Enrichment: 1750 to Today 898 Food 1019 Health and Longevity 12110 Energy: A BTU is a Unit of Work You Don’t Have to Do 13511 Cities 15512 Education: The Third Democratization 17113 Conflict, Safety, and Freedom 19114 The Alleviation of Poverty 217Part IV Explorations15 Robots Don’t Work for Free: A Meditation on Technology and Jobs 24516 The Mismeasurement of Growth: Why You Aren’t Driving a Model T 26917 The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie: Deirdre McCloskey, Capitalism, and Christian Ethics 28518 Simon and Ehrlich: Cornucopianism versus the Limits to Growth 29919 Obstacles 30520 “He Shall Laugh”: Why Weren’t Our Ancestors Miserable All the Time? 319Part V Greener21 Prologue: Why Poor is Brown and Rich is Green 33122 A Skeptical Environmentalist: The Greening World of Bjørn Lomborg 33923 Dematerialization: Where Did My Record Collection Go? 35524 “We are as Gods”: The Fertile Mind of Stewart Brand 36925 Ecomodernism: A Way Forward 379Afterword 403Reader’s Guide: Annotated Suggestions for Further Learning 407References 415Index 439