BY FRANK S. ROBINSON
Published by TRANSACTION BOOKS at RUTGERS UNIVERSITY – “Publisher of Record in International Social Science.” Hardcover, 340 pages, $39.95
Special author’s price $29.95 + shipping in USA $4, or $3 for payment by cash or check. Paypal & Visa/MC accepted. Send to Frank S. Robinson, Box 3040, Albany NY 12203, frank@fsrcoin.com; 518-482-2639
This is the ultimate “feel good” book – but much more. It not only shows how human life and the state of the world are good and getting better, but explains the causes, and why they will continue toward a bright future. This brings in evolutionary biology, neuroscience, psychology, sociology, economics, and a keen sense of history. Highly readable with dashes of humor, the book often challenges conventional wisdom.
It tackles a broad range of topics, including human nature, mind and free will, the evolution of morality, the economy, technology, social dynamics, geopolitics, the environment, and even sex. Unifying all this are some central themes: why people are more good than bad, and how we make a better world by valuing human life and empowering all people to flourish in ways they freely choose.
This uplifting book will change your thinking.
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“So many skeptics and humanists have a pessimistic perspective on the world because we tend to be bombarded with all the nutty and dangerous things that people believe, and this understandably leads to the view that we humans are a hopeless species. But it isn’t so, and now we have a manifesto that demonstrates why, in fact, we should be optimistic. The Case for Rational Optimism will show you that reason and rationality are not grim tasks to get down to in facing the real world, but the glorious triumph of the human spirit. Frank Robinson is a fresh voice.”—Michael Shermer, Publisher of Skeptic Magazine, columnist for Scientific American, author of Why People Believe Weird Things, Why Darwin Matters, and The Science of Good and Evil
“I surely approve of rational optimism and I say Bravo to Frank Robinson for emphasizing its importance as a needed antidote to the naysayers in our midst!”—Prof. Paul Kurtz, State University of New York, Chairman of the Council for Secular Humanism, the Center for Inquiry and Prometheus Books, and Editor-in-Chief of Free Inquiry Magazine
“Splendid book.” —Prof. Martin Seligman, former President, American Psychological Assn., author of numerous books including Learned Optimism
“Frank Robinson is dripping with the American spirit, what has made this great country so great in the first place. When he writes, I read.”—Adam Shepard, author of Scratch Beginnings
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Frank S. Robinson is a graduate of NYU Law School and served for two decades as an administrative law judge. He is the author of four previous books: one about machine politics; a novel; a coin collecting guide; and Life, Liberty, and Happiness, which won the Spooner Award in 2006.
The Case for Rational Optimism 