Christopher Ryan on the price of civilization | Living Mirrors #49

In 'Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress,' Christopher Ryan challenges the notion that civilization is inherently good. He argues that the advancements of modern society have introduced new and often more severe problems than those faced by prehistoric humans. Ryan questions whether the dangers of pre-civilized life, such as infant mortality and life-threatening injuries, were more murderous than modern scourges like car accidents, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases. He suggests that the shift from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural and industrial societies has led to a decline in measures of health, longevity, security, and leisure. The book proposes that looking back to the ways of hunter-gatherer societies could provide insights into creating a more sustainable and fulfilling future.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is Dee Brown's eloquent and meticulously documented account of the systematic destruction of American Indians during the late nineteenth century. Using council records, autobiographies, and firsthand descriptions, Brown introduces readers to great chiefs and warriors of various tribes, revealing the battles, massacres, and broken treaties that methodically stripped them of their freedom. The book is a forceful narrative that has permanently altered our understanding of how the American West was defined and the devastating effects of American expansionism on Native American populations.

In 'Sex at Dawn', Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá present a compelling argument that human beings evolved in egalitarian groups where food, child care, and sexual partners were shared. The authors use evidence from anthropology, archaeology, primatology, anatomy, and psychosexuality to debunk the standard narrative of human sexual evolution. They contend that before the advent of agriculture, human societies were characterized by sexual freedom and promiscuity, which strengthened social bonds and ensured the well-being of the group. The book challenges modern concepts of monogamy and sexual exclusivity, offering a fresh perspective on human sexuality and its implications for modern relationships.

In 'The Rational Optimist', Matt Ridley presents a bold and provocative interpretation of economic history, arguing that the innate human tendency to trade goods and services, along with specialization, is the source of modern human civilization. The book covers the entire sweep of human history from the Stone Age to the Internet, highlighting how life is improving at an accelerating rate through increased food availability, income, and life span, while disease, child mortality, and violence are decreasing globally. Ridley emphasizes the role of free trade, individual rights, and innovation in enhancing human prosperity and natural biodiversity despite potential setbacks.

In this book, Steven Pinker presents a detailed argument that violence has significantly decreased over the course of human history. He uses extensive data and statistical analysis to demonstrate this decline in various domains, including military conflict, homicide, genocide, torture, and the treatment of children, homosexuals, animals, and racial and ethnic minorities. Pinker identifies four key human motivations – empathy, self-control, the moral sense, and reason – as the 'better angels' that have oriented humans away from violence and towards cooperation and altruism. He also discusses historical forces such as the rise of the state (which he terms 'Leviathan'), the spread of commerce, the growth of feminist values, and the expansion of cosmopolitanism, which have contributed to this decline in violence.

In this book, Joseph Campbell explores his theory of the 'monomyth', a universal pattern found in the mythological narratives of various cultures. He details the stages of the 'hero's journey', which include departure from the ordinary world, initiation into a supernatural world, and return with a boon. Campbell draws on a wide range of mythological sources and integrates insights from psychology, particularly from Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, to illustrate the common elements of heroic myths across different cultures.