Book : Its Better Than It Looks Reasons For Optimism In An..

-Titulo Original : Its Better Than It Looks Reasons For Optimism In An Age Of Fear

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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. Were 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. Its not a coincidence that were 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, Its Better Than It Looks will profoundly change your perspective on who we are, where were headed, and what were capable of. Review Besides providing new ammunition for optimists, Mr. Easterbrooks aim in this important book is to identify what weve been doing right and to consider what we can do about the still pressing problems we face... Mr. Easterbrook wants to make optimism intellectually respectable again, and he has done so with cogent arguments and bountiful evidence. Michael Shermer, Wall Street JournalIts Better Than It Looks makes many good arguments about inequality...Easterbrook is good on democracy and dictatorship (democracy is better at money and better at war). He is also good on climate change (the technical solutions are there, and all will be fine if society chooses reform, though that choice is surely the crux of the problem). Angus Deaton, New York Times Book ReviewEasterbrook sets out to disabuse readers of any casual pessimism and equip them with enough facts and arguments to silence dinner parties from now till kingdom come... rich in detail and observation. Philip Delves Broughton, Weekly StandardCountering the usual pessimism disseminated by the experts and rebroadcast by the if it bleeds, it leads media, Its Better Than It Looks ably defends the view that the grand sweep of history has gone from generally bad to generally good for the vast majority of the worlds populace. Whether the book surveys global food supply, infectious diseases, the natural system, the economy, violence, technology or governance, the overall outlook consistently comes up positive, according to Mr. Easterbrook. His impressive, rather objective, amply-referenced, perspicacious analysis supports his optimism. Anthony Sadar, Washington TimesTerrific...Easterbrooks core conclusions are compelling, and he writes with a journalists flair. Foreign AffairsAn argument worth considering. Kirkus ReviewsAmerica, like most of the world, has fallen prey to a false and destructive narrative: the belief that everything is getting worse. In this important and compelling book, Gregg Easterbrook sets the record straight. His refreshing analysis can restore our optimism and help heal our poisoned politics. Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Leonardo da VinciIts Better Than It Looks is a welcome corrective to our fashionable pessimism that things are bad and getting worse, by providing a wealth of evidence that the reverse is true. Gregg Easterbrook is clear-eyed nonetheless in facing up to present challenges,