{"product_id":"civilized-to-death-the-price-of-progress","title":"Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling coauthor of \u003ci\u003eSex at Dawn\u003c\/i\u003e explores the ways in which \"progress\" has perverted the way we live: how we eat, learn, feel, mate, parent, communicate, work, and die.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMost 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: \u003ci\u003eCivilization is humankind's greatest accomplishment. Progress is undeniable. Count your blessings. You're lucky to be alive here and now. \u003c\/i\u003eWell, maybe we are and maybe we aren't. \u003ci\u003eCivilized to Death\u003c\/i\u003e counters the idea that progress is inherently good, arguing that the \"progress\" defining our age is analogous to an advancing disease. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePrehistoric 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, Ryan argues, were these pre-civilized dangers more murderous than modern scourges, such as car accidents, cancers, cardiovascular disease, and a technologically prolonged dying process? At a time when our ecology, our society, and our own sense of selves feels increasingly imperiled, an accurate understanding of our species' long prelude to civilization is vital to a clear sense of the ultimate value of civilization--and its costs. In \u003ci\u003eCivilized to Death\u003c\/i\u003e, Ryan makes the claim that we should start looking backwards to find our way into a better future.","brand":"Christopher Ryan","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46352361488620,"sku":"9781451659115","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9781451659115.jpg?v=1744235560","url":"https:\/\/allstora.com\/products\/civilized-to-death-the-price-of-progress","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}