
Civilized to Death
Description
Alles über E-Books | Antworten auf Fragen rund um E-Books, Kopierschutz und Dateiformate finden Sie in unserem Info- & Hilfebereich.
Most 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: Civilization is humankind's greatest accomplishment. Progress is undeniable. Count your blessings. You're lucky to be alive here and now. Well, maybe we are and maybe we aren't. Civilized to Death counters the idea that progress is inherently good, arguing that the "progress" defining our age is analogous to an advancing disease.
Prehistoric 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? Civilized to Death "will make you see our so-called progress in a whole new light" (Book Riot) 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" (Psychology Today). Ryan makes the claim that we should start looking backwards to find our way into a better future.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions


Person
Content
- Intro
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Introduction: Know Thy Species
- Part I: Origin Stories
- Chapter 1: What We Talk About When We Talk About Prehistory
- Chapter 2: Civilization and Its Dissonance
- Part II: Apocalypse Always (The NPP in the Present)
- Chapter 3: The Myth of the Savage Savage (Declaring War on Peace)
- Chapter 4: The Irrational Optimist
- Part III: Reflections in an Ancient Mirror (Being Human)
- Chapter 5: The Naturalistic Fallacy Fallacy
- Chapter 6: Born to Be Wild
- Chapter 7: Raising Hell
- Chapter 8: Turbulent Teens
- Chapter 9: Anxious Adults
- Part IV: A Prehistoric Path into the Future
- Chapter 10: All's Well That Ends Well
- Chapter 11: In the Absence of the Sacred
- Conclusion: A Necessary Utopia
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Notes and Further Reading
- Index
- Copyright
System requirements
File format: ePUB
Copy protection: Adobe-DRM (Digital Rights Management)
System requirements:
- Computer (Windows; MacOS X; Linux): Install the free reader Adobe Digital Editions prior to download (see eBook Help).
- Tablet/smartphone (Android; iOS): Install the free app Adobe Digital Editions or the app PocketBook before downloading (see eBook Help).
- E-reader: Bookeen, Kobo, Pocketbook, Sony, Tolino and many more (not Kindle).
The file format ePub works well for novels and non-fiction books – i.e., „flowing” text without complex layout. On an e-reader or smartphone, line and page breaks automatically adjust to fit the small displays.
This eBook uses Adobe-DRM, a „hard” copy protection. If the necessary requirements are not met, unfortunately you will not be able to open the eBook. You will therefore need to prepare your reading hardware before downloading.
Please note: We strongly recommend that you authorise using your personal Adobe ID after installation of any reading software.
For more information, see our ebook Help page.