The evolution of everything by Matt Ridley

BOOK REVIEWS BY BINOD

BINOD’S RATING: 7/10

I am a sucker for big picture works that connect the dots throughout history and Ridley is brilliant at this.

TEOE has a breathtaking sweep- from education to morals to economics to law to tech- and the key theme is that top down is far less common than bottom up. Most systems evolve gradually & naturally, with “stages” occurring at just the right time. And when Homo Sapiens interferes he often screws things up as politics, stupidity and the nasty law of unintended consequences kick in.

It’s a controversial theory (I especially liked his vicious yet compelling description of the origins of Government!) that’s illustrated with a raft of examples. Even if you don’t agree 100% with Ridley you will be informed & entertained.

PS- If you want to be an exceptional ANALYST or INVESTOR, you should read WIDELY (beyond the CFA or CA material) & such books are valuable. History may not repeat but it definitely rhymes & hence is often an extremely useful guide.