{"product_id":"2940170481279","title":"Civilized To Death: The Price of Progress","description":"\u003cp\u003e\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\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost of us have instinctive evidence the world is endingamp;mdash;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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\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 civilizationamp;mdash;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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47161726501104,"sku":"2940170481279","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940170481279_p0.jpg?v=1763806486","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940170481279","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}