Adumbration

Current events have me prone to pessimism, but this podcast encourages a longer view that observes large improvement in the human condition, with dramatic gains in worldwide standard of living, lifespan, infant mortality, and other measures, tracking consistently through the last decade, quarter century, and multiple century time frames.  More to the point is the analysis of those observations - the motivation of human beings to improve their condition - making optimism a rational conclusion.

Trade, Growth, and the Rational Optimist (10/18/2010) - Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist, talks about why he is optimistic about the future and how trade and specialization explain the evolution of human development over the millennia. Ridley argues that life is getting better for most of the people on earth and that the underlying cause is trade and specialization. He discusses the differences between Smith's and Ricardo's insights into trade and growth and why despite what seems to be strong evidence, people are frequently pessimistic about the future. Ridley also addresses environmental issues.