Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress 

Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Sex at Dawn, examines how modern “progress” has warped the way we eat, learn, feel, mate, parent, communicate, work, and die. Challenging widely held assumptions that civilization is humanity’s greatest achievement, Ryan argues that many aspects of modern life—technologically prolonged dying, chronic disease, social disconnection, and environmental strain—mirror the dangers of an advancing disease. Drawing on history, anthropology, and science, he compares pre-civilized risks with contemporary scourges, revealing that our so-called progress is not inherently beneficial. Engaging, extensively documented, and thought-provoking, Civilized to Death urges readers to reconsider what we call progress and look to the past to guide a sustainable, healthier future for humanity and the planet.