Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Get started
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper summary
How Innovation Keeps Proving the Catastrophists Wrong
14 mins
Brief summary
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper by Robert Bryce tells us how innovation is making things and devices smaller, faster, lighter, denser, and cheaper, and how it is transforming our lives and the world.
Topics
Table of Contents
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper
Summary of 6 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 6
Global problems give us collapse anxiety, but innovation can help us find the right solutions.
At present, humanity is facing many complex problems, such as climate change, terrorism, bloody civil conflicts and the threat of nuclear war. But is it too late to combat these problems and move forward? This is one of the predominant questions of our age. While many people seem ready to give up and roll over, this is not the way forward if we want to combat these problems effectively.
These days, we are being constantly bombarded with bad news from around the world. Often, this news is either about environmental disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, or political crises, such as war and terrorism. Either way, our worldview is continuously shaped by unpleasant information.
The bombardment of bad news we all face causes many people to suffer from collapse anxiety. Basically, collapse anxiety is a fear that the world as we know is on the brink of destruction, and that there’s nothing we can do to stop it.
It can be tempting to give up and resign ourselves to the idea that the world is going to, well, collapse. But this stops us from fighting to improve our lives and those of the people around us.
Technological innovations have been a constant source of dramatic improvements in the everyday lives of people around the globe. Thanks to these innovations, people live longer and healthier lives than ever before. Advances in medicinal science have enabled us to overcome formerly life-threatening diseases such as smallpox and polio.
Innovation has also given rise to the internet, a tool that gives us access to countless websites, many of which are packed with useful information. The internet allows millions of people to pursue life-enriching education that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
Clearly, innovation has been the source of many great achievements that have improved the lives of human beings everywhere. Next, we’ll explore some of the innovations that humans have come up with in the last millennia, and how such innovations could save us and our future.
Want to see all full key ideas from Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper?
Key ideas in Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper about?
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper (2014) explains the psychology behind our anxiety and pessimism regarding climate change. Rather than giving up and reverting to a medieval way of life, these blinks explain how innovation and new technologies will help humankind survive and continue moving forward.
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper Review
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper (2014) by Robert Bryce is a fascinating exploration of how technology is shaping our world and why it matters. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- Offers an eye-opening perspective on the future of technology, showing how smaller, faster, lighter, denser, cheaper innovations are fueling progress in various fields.
- Backed by extensive research and compelling examples, it highlights how these advancements impact everything, from energy production to transportation, making it an informative and thought-provoking read.
- The book's accessible and engaging writing style ensures that even complex topics are presented in an enjoyable and easily understandable manner.
Best quote from Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper
Global grain yields experienced an average increase of 1.9 percent per year in the years between 1950 and 2010.
—Robert Bryce
Who should read Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper?
- People curious about the role innovation plays in our future
- Readers interested in alternative approaches to the issue of climate change
- Anyone determined not to surrender to the problems we face today
Categories with Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper
Book summaries like Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.8 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
35 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper FAQs
What is the main message of Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper?
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper explores how innovation and progress depend on doing more with less.
How long does it take to read Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper?
The reading time for Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper varies. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper a good book? Is it worth reading?
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper is worth reading for its fascinating insights into the power of efficiency and optimization.
Who is the author of Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper?
Robert Bryce is the author of Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper.
What to read after Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper?
If you're wondering what to read next after Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Becoming a Person of Influence by John C. Maxwell
- Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari
- Organize Tomorrow Today by Jason Selk
- The Culture Engine by S. Chris Edmonds
- The Lincoln Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
- On Writing Well by William Zinsser
- The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche
- Gemba Kaizen by Masaaki Imai
- The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman
- Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá