Life, Liberty, And Happiness: An Optimist Manifesto

There’s no shortage of gloom-and-doom viewpoints about humanity: our history of violence and war, environmental profligacy, economic and social injustice, etc. Frank S Robinson has written this ‘optimist manifesto’ as an antidote to such poisonous pessimism. Here you will find some radical and refreshing assertions: that most people are fundamentally good, that global society is getting better all the time, and that, in the big picture, humankind is not at the end of a brief, tragic existence but, rather, has just embarked on a long, bright future. What started as an extended letter to his daughter, one father’s effort to leave an intellectual legacy, grew to comprehensively cover and tie together the big philosophical, political, social and economic issues. Writing in a highly readable style, Robinson steadfastly emphasises reason as our best tool for discovering truth and making objective decisions. It is through this consistently rational approach to life that he argues for a positive humanistic vision, based on people being left free to pursue their dreams. The book celebrates the human character and achievement, and America’s ideals of liberty and opportunity; it is packed not with bland bromides but thought-provoking ideas. The unifying theme is freedom as the key to understanding our own lives and happiness, and in making a better world for all.