u003cbu003eThe u003ciu003eNew York Times u003c/iu003ebestselling coauthor of u003ciu003eSex at Dawnu003c/iu003e explores the ways in which “progress” has perverted the way we live—how we eat, learn, feel, mate, parent, communicate, work, and die—in this “engaging, extensively documented, well-organized, and thought-provoking” (u003ciu003eBooklistu003c/iu003e) book.u003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003eMost of us have instinctive evidence the world is ending—balmy December days, face-to-face conversation replaced with heads-to-screens zomboidism, a world at constant war, a political system in disarray. We hear some myths and lies so frequently that they feel like truths: u003ciu003eCivilization is humankind’s greatest accomplishment. Progress is undeniable. Count your blessings. You’re lucky to be alive here and now. u003c/iu003eWell, maybe we are and maybe we aren’t. u003ciu003eCivilized to Deathu003c/iu003e counters the idea that progress is inherently good, arguing that the “progress” defining our age is analogous to an advancing disease.u003cbru003e u003cbru003ePrehistoric life, of course, was not without serious dangers and disadvantages. Many babies died in infancy. A broken bone, infected wound, snakebite, or difficult pregnancy could be life-threatening. But ultimately, Christopher Ryan questions, were these pre-civilized dangers more murderous than modern scourges, such as car accidents, cancers, cardiovascular disease, and a technologically prolonged dying process? u003ciu003eCivilized to Deathu003c/iu003e “will make you see our so-called progress in a whole new light” (u003ciu003eBook Riotu003c/iu003e) and adds to the timely conversation that “the way we have been living is no longer sustainable, at least as long as we want to the earth to outlive us” (u003ciu003ePsychology Todayu003c/iu003e). Ryan makes the claim that we should start looking backwards to find our way into a better future.
