{"product_id":"9780007267125","title":"The Rational Optimist : How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley","description":"Shortlisted for the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction 2011.             Life is on the up.             We are wealthier, healthier, happier, kinder, cleaner, more peaceful, more equal and longer-lived than any previous generation. Thanks to the unique human habits of exchange and specialisation, our species has found innovative solutions to every obstacle it has faced so far.             In `The Rational Optimist', acclaimed science writer Matt Ridley comprehensively refutes the doom-mongers of our time, and reaches back into the past to give a rational explanation for why we can - and will - overcome the challenges of the future, such as climate change and the population boom.             Bold and controversial, it is a brilliantly confident assertion that the 21st century will be the best for humankind yet.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56220154397045,"sku":"9780007267125","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780007267125.jpg?v=1762186231","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9780007267125","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}