A review by mgibsonsf
Civilized to Death: What Was Lost on the Way to Modernity by Christopher Ryan

3.0

A good book for its thesis, which is well-argued. Not quite the cornucopia of insights and fringe anecdotes as the earlier, better Sex at Dawn. It occasionally deteriorates into a manifesto, with an unremarkable and unconvincing prose style. (The chapter on psychedelics in particular could have been half the length and better for it; the last chapter on technological progressivism is muddled and intellectually weak.) Still, the essential argument is solid, unusual, and timely, so I'd recommend this strongly, with caveats.