Almost every schoolchild learns that Thomas Edison invented the light
bulb. But did he? And if he hadn’t invented it, would we be still
living in the dark? Acclaimed author Matt Ridley (The Rational
Optimist, The Evolution of Everything) explains that at least 20 other
people can lay claim to this breakthrough moment. Ridley argues that
the light bulb emerged from the combined technologies and accumulated
knowledge of the day – it was bound to emerge sooner or later. Based
on his 2018 Hayek Memorial Lecture, Ridley contends that innovation
– from invention through to development and commercialisation – is
the most important unsolved problem in all of human society. We rely
on it – but we do not fully understand it, we cannot predict it and
we cannot direct it. In How Many Light Bulbs Does It Take to Change
the World? Ridley examines the nature of innovation – and how people
often fear its consequences. He dispels the myth that automation
destroys jobs – and demonstrates how innovation leads to economic
growth. And he argues that intellectual property rights, originally
intended to encourage innovation, are now being used by big business
to defend their monopolies. Ridley concludes that innovation is a
mysterious and under-appreciated process that we discuss too rarely,
hamper too much and value too little.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780255367868
Publisert
2019
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
London Publishing Partnership
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter