Book Review - November 2022 - Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know
THINGS ARE A LOT BETTER THAN THEY ARE MADE OUT TO BE
I’ve spent my whole adult life living under an apocalyptic, pessimistic narrative about the future of the world, which has only intensified in recent years. It seems that humans are hard-wired to take more note of bad possibilities, and there’s probably some evolutionary reason for this. Anyway, a book has recently come out, based on freely available data, and thoroughly researched, that gives a much more optimistic prognosis. Below is a long interview with author Marian Tupy. I feel like an existential weight is lifting from me.
Points made include: We’re richer by far in terms of productivity and quality of products; absolute poverty has declined precipitously; commodity prices have fallen; we’re not going to overpopulate the world in any cataclysmic sense; everyone has increasingly more than enough to eat; there’s more land for nature, and that trend seems upward; more people are moving to urban areas and that’s advantageous rather than disadvantageous; there are more democracies and so we’re better governed; we’re more peaceful; and we’re less likely to die from catastrophes. And we’re not about to be burnt to a cinder: Tupy condemns that narrative as untrue and irresponsible.
Click here for more book reviews