Britain is on the Verge of an Age of Abundance, says ASI President
A new book by Dr Madsen Pirie argues that the current mood of pessimism is wrong and that Britain, and the world, could be about to enter its most creative and prosperous era in history.
As much of the developed world grapples with stagnant economic growth and deep anxieties about the future, Dr Madsen Pirie, President of the Adam Smith Institute, explains why we should reject the prevailing mood of despair. In his new book, The Optimistic Outlook, Dr Pirie presents an evidence-based case that, with the right policy framework, we could be about to enter a new Age of Abundance.
The book serves as a toolkit for policymakers, demonstrating that the solutions to some of our most intractable problems - from rising energy costs to terminal illness - are already being developed. By analysing revolutions in gene editing, energy generation and quantum computing, Dr Pirie argues that what was considered science fiction a decade ago is now on the verge of becoming reality.
The report identifies several key breakthroughs set to transform living standards:
With the arrival of commercial fusion power, the link between economic growth and pollution could finally be broken, providing a permanent solution to high energy costs.
AI-driven diagnostics and gene editing are beginning to stop diseases before they start, boosting the overall quality of life for ordinary people.
Synthetic biology is revolutionising manufacturing. Scientists can now program cells to grow fuels, materials, and even cultivated meat and dairy in laboratories, bypassing the environmental toll of traditional industry and farming.
Innovations, including carbon vacuums that pull CO2 from the sky and autonomous drones capable of planting 100,000 trees a day, allow for the active repair, rather than mere conservation, of the natural world.
Autonomous vehicles and holographic innovations could make travel effortless and even allow seamless global collaboration, dissolving boundaries.
Quantum computing might increasingly be harnessed to design new batteries and life-saving drugs at speeds unreachable by even the world’s most powerful classical computers.
Far from being a period of inevitable decay, these innovations show that the human capacity for renewal is stronger than ever.
Dr Madsen Pirie, President and Co-founder of the Adam Smith Institute and author of The Optimistic Outlook, said:
“It has become fashionable to believe the world is in irreversible decline. Newsfeeds deliver a daily diet of disasters, wars, fires, floods, political turmoil, and technological dread. Commentators warn of collapsing ecosystems, runaway artificial intelligence and social disintegration. Fear sells, and pessimism feels intellectually serious, even virtuous. Yet this prevailing mood conceals a deeper truth: beneath the noise of crisis, an extraordinary transformation is taking place. The twenty-first century, far from being an age of decay, may prove to be the most creative and constructive period in human history.
This book,‘The Optimistic Outlook,’ is written to restore perspective. It does not deny the gravity of the world’s problems. Global warming, poverty, and the misuse of power remain urgent challenges. But it argues that despair is neither accurate nor useful. Across energy, medicine, biology, agriculture, and environmental restoration, evidence points to accelerating improvement, progress not driven by wishful thinking, but by science, ingenuity, and collaboration on a scale unmatched in the past. The data reveal a story that is not of decline, but of possibility.”
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
For further comment, or to arrange an interview with Madsen, please contact press@adamsmith.org | +44 7584778207.
Dr Madsen Pirie is President of the Adam Smith Institute, and was one of three Scots graduates working in the US who founded the Institute in 1977. Before that, Madsen worked for the House of Representatives in Washington DC, and was Distinguished Visiting Professor Philosophy at Hillsdale College in Michigan.At the Institute, Madsen was part of the influential team which pioneered privatisation and the extension of market choices and incentives. His work in helping to develop the Citizen’s Charter led to his appointment to the Prime Minister’s Advisory Panel from 1991-95.
The Adam Smith Institute is one of the world’s leading think tanks. It is ranked first in the world among independent think tanks and as the best domestic and international economic policy think tank in the UK by the University of Pennsylvania. Independent, non-profit and non-partisan, the Institute is at the forefront of making the case for free markets and a free society, through education, research, publishing, and media outreach.