If there is one dominant myth about the world one huge mistake we all make it is that we all go around assuming the world is much more of a planned place than it is' From the industrial revolution & the rise of China to urbanisation & the birth of bitcoin Matt Ridley demolishes conventional assumptions that the great events & trends of our day are dictated by those on high On the contrary our most important achievements develop from the ground up In this wide-ranging & erudite book Matt Ridley brilliantly makes the case for evolution as the force that has shaped much of our culture our minds & that even now is shaping our future As compelling as it is controversial as authoritative as it is ambitious Ridley's deeply thought-provoking book will change the way we think about the world & how it works