Fewer, richer, greener : prospects for humanity in an age of abundance / Laurence B. Siegel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Siegel, Laurence B., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Economic development--Forecasting.

Economic development.

Economic history--Forecasting.

Economic history.

Progress--Forecasting.

Progress.

Physical Description:

xviii, 462 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2020]

Summary:

""The quality of [his] thinking and [his] writing is...second to none in the world of finance."--Jack Bogle, founder, Vanguard "That great explainer of everything to everybody." --Richard Flannery, CEO, The Investment Fund for Foundations Our world is burdened with disappearing economic growth, a deteriorating environment, limited natural resources, and not just too many people, but too many old people. Really? While such pessimism may mark you as a wise soul at the neighborhood cocktail party, it isn't supported by the facts. Yes, there are reasons to worry, as there have always been. But there are far more reasons to be optimistic, as author Laurence Siegel explains in his fascinating look at the future, Fewer, Richer, Greener. The recent dramatic slowing in global population growth will allow prosperity to spread from the developed to the developing world. Prosperity is mostly based on technology in the broadest sense of that word--meaning "the techniques we use for getting the most out of what we have." That technology is cumulative. We have what we had yesterday, plus whatever new technology is developed today. Except in times of massive economic dislocation, the present is better than the past--and the future will be better still. Using narrative, data, biography and interviews with leading thinkers, Fewer, Greener, Richer, traces the history of economic progress and explosres its consequences for human life around the world. We are, as Siegel explains, at the turning point where the economic development of the past 200 years in the first world has begun to spread to the rest of the globe. Using sources ranging from the Old Testament to the latest writings on economics, biology, and philosophy, Siegel tells the story of how we arrived at this point, and lays out a vision for the progress we are about to witness. This future will not be without problems, but we will have the knowledge and technology to solve those problems in ways that would have be unimaginable only a few decades ago"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part I The Great Betterment

1 Right Here, Right Now p. 3

Part II Fewer

2 The Population Explosion, Malthus, and the Ghost of Christmas Present p. 19

3 The Demographic Transition: Running Out of and Into People p. 31

4 Having Fewer Children: "People Respond to Incentives" p. 43

5 Age Before Beauty: Life in an Aging Society p. 59

Part III Richer

6 Before the Great Enrichment: The Year 1 to 1750 p. 79

7 The Great Enrichment: 1750 to Today p. 89

9 Health and Longevity p. 121

10 Energy: A BTU Is a Unit of Work You Don't Have to Do p. 135

11 Cities p. 155

12 Education: The Third Democratization p. 171

13 Conflict, Safety, and Freedom p. 191

14 The Alleviation of Poverty p. 217

15 Robots Don't Work for Free: A Meditation on Technology and Jobs p. 245

16 The Mismeasurement of Growth: Why You Aren't Driving a Model T p. 269

17 The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie: Deirdre McCloskey, Capitalism, and Christian Ethics p. 285

18 Simon and Ehrlich: Cornucopianism versus the Limits to Growth p. 299

19 Obstacles p. 305

20 "He Shall Laugh": Why Weren't Our Ancestors Miserable All the Time? p. 319

Part V Greener

21 Prologue: Why Poor Is Brown and Rich Is Green p. 331

22 A Skeptical Environmentalist: The Greening World of Bjørn Lomborg p. 339

23 Dematerialization: Where Did My Record Collection Go? p. 355

24 "We Are as Gods": The Fertile Mind of Stewart Brand p. 369

25 Ecomodernism: A Way Forward p. 379.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Siegel, Laurence B. Fewer, richer, greener

ISBN:

9781119526896

1119526892

OCLC:

1119120480