How Innovation Works

Serendipity, Energy and the Saving of Time

Matt Ridley examines the history and nature of human innovation, tracing key developments across science, technology, and economics from early steam engines to modern digital tools. The book argues that innovation is a gradual, bottom-up evolutionary process driven by trial, error, and serendipity rather than top-down master planning. By analyzing numerous historical examples, the author explores the vital ingredients that allow new ideas to flourish in free societies. Ultimately, the work challenges conventional economic assumptions and highlights how technological progress continues to shape modern living standards.

by Matt Ridley

HarperCollins Publishers Limited · First published 2020 · 416 pages