The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age

The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age

Named a Best Book of 2019 by NPR

â€œHow might we mitigate losses caused by shortsightedness? Bina Venkataraman, a former climate adviser to the Obama administration, brings a storytellerâ€™s eye to this question. . . .Â She is also deeply informed about the relevant science.â€ â€”The New York Times Book Review

A trailblazing exploration of how we can plan better for the future: our own, our familiesâ€™, and our societyâ€™s. Â

Instant gratification is the norm todayâ€”in our lives, our culture, our economy, and our politics. Many of us have forgotten (if we ever learned) how to make smart decisions for the long run. Whether it comes to our finances, our health, our communities, or our planet, itâ€™s easy to avoid thinking ahead.

The consequences of this immediacy are stark: Superbugs spawned by the overuse of antibiotics endanger our health.Â Companies that fail to investÂ stagnate and fall behind.Â Hurricanes and wildfires turn deadly for communities that could have taken more precaution. Today more than ever, all of us need to know how we can make better long-term decisionsÂ in our lives, businesses, and society.

Bina Venkataraman sees the way forward. AÂ formerÂ journalist and adviser in the Obama administration, she helped communities and businesses prepare for climate change, and she learned firsthand why peopleÂ donâ€™tÂ think aheadâ€”and what can be done to change that. InÂ The Optimistâ€™s Telescope, she draws from stories she has reported around the world and new research in biology, psychology, and economics to explain how we can makeÂ decisions that benefit us over time.Â With examples from ancient Pompeii to modern-day Fukushima, she dispels the myth that human nature is impossibly reckless and highlightsÂ the surprising practices each of us can adopt in our own livesâ€”and the ones we must fight for as a society. The result is a book brimming with the ideas and insights all of us need in order to forge a better future.
Country USA
Brand Riverhead Books
Manufacturer Riverhead Books
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 35095825
Color White
ReleaseDate 2019-08-27
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780735219472

Country	USA
Brand	Riverhead Books
Manufacturer	Riverhead Books
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	35095825
Color	White
ReleaseDate	2019-08-27
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780735219472

The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age

You might also like...