Julian Simon is a widely respected and published
academic best known for his work regarding natural resources and population
growth. His views were recently featured in a
Wired Magazine
article
In general, Simon believes that by analyzing
long term data and trends it can be convincingly determined that the overall
welfare of mankind is increasing in almost every way. Simon's work could
best be described as anti-Malthusian. Simon believes so strongly in his work
that he bet famous doom-sayer Paul Erlich that the price of various crucial
commodities would decrease over time. Simon won the bet, and has the check
to prove it.
In "The State of Humanity" Simon brings
together over 50 academics and researchers, all experts in their fields,
to analyze topics covering the full range of human welfare, including infant
mortality, productivity, homicide, housing, diet, agriculture, the environment
and many more.
While this book isn't quite light reading,
it's a great, solidly documented reference book. It's perfect for making
convincing arguments in favor of a positive world view, and the facts to
support your case are easy to find due to the organization of the book into
bite-sized chapters. Great for anyone who would like to read a serious, solidly
researched argument that the world is getting better and better.
(1995. 694 pages, many charts and graphs. Paperback)
You can find excerpts of this volume in our
Positive Essays area:
See these related Historical Perspectives:
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Reviews
and ordering information
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for "The State of Humanity" from Amazon.com
Or, you can visit the author's website at:
http://www.bmgt.umd.edu/~jsimon
Talk about this and other topics of interest
with other positive people at
Positive Talk.