Matt Ridley, "Deep Optimism"

Undeniable Progress
A Summary by Stewart Brand

Hominids had upright walking, stone tools, fire, even language but still remained in profound stasis. What led to humanity's global takeoff, Ridley argues, was the invention of exchange about 120,000 years ago. "That's ten times older than agriculture."

The beginnings of trade encouraged specialization and innovation, which encouraged further innovation, specialization, and trade, and the unending virtuous cycle of…

Read the rest of Stewart Brand's Summary here.