# The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge **URL:** **By** Matt Ridley, Aaron Ross Powell, Trevor Burrus **Published:** November 27, 2015 --- Matt Ridley joins us to talk about his new book, _The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge_. How are new ideas adopted from the bottom up? Matt Ridley joins us this week to discuss his latest book, [_The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge_](http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Everything-How-Ideas-Emerge/dp/0062296000) (2015). In it, he theorizes that much of the order we see in the natural world and in human culture and society is the result of unplanned, bottom-up, emergent evolution. Is there a way to introduce these evolutionary pressures to government? Is there a bias to thinking that the world operates by design, from the top down? Does this bias have an origin in our evolutionary psychology? Is it reflected in how we view history? **Show Notes and Further Reading** Ridley's newest book, [_The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge_](http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Everything-How-Ideas-Emerge/dp/0062296000) (2015). Ridley's bestselling book is an optimistic look at progress and economic history: [_The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves_](http://www.amazon.com/Rational-Optimist-Prosperity-Evolves-P-S/dp/0061452068/) (2011)**.** Also from Matt Ridley, [_The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation_](http://www.amazon.com/Origins-Virtue-Instincts-Evolution-Cooperation/dp/0140264450/) (1998). Libertarianism.org has [a video from 1983 of professor and Nobel laureate Friedrich Hayek](https://www.libertarianism.org/videos/f-hayek-social-evolution-origins-tradition) talking about cultural evolution and the origins of tradition in society. Ridley mentions the ideas and management practices of Mike Bracken, the UK government's former digital chief. Here's [an extended interview with Bracken about his ideas for government and why he chose to leave](http://www.computerweekly.com/news/4500251662/Interview-Government-digital-chief-Mike-Bracken-why-I-quit).