Book · 2019 · Social Science
Civilized to Death
The Price of Progress
Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan has been mentioned in 3 episodes across 3 podcasts (1 episode recommends it and 2 episodes discuss it), through . Most frequently brought up by Joe Rogan (1 episode), Andrew Sage (1 episode) and Christopher Ryan (1 episode) on Behind the Bastards (1 episode), The Joe Rogan Experience (1 episode) and The Jordan Harbinger Show (1 episode).
- episodes
- 3
- podcasts
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- people
- 4
- episode recommends it
- 1
Your book argues that this may be the foundational lie of modern life, right? Because the system that became richer and more powerful while the humans inside it were sicker, lonelier, more anxious, less free in many ways.
Questions about Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan
Who recommends Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan on podcasts?
Joe Rogan (1 episode) has recommended Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan on podcasts. In all, 4 people brought it up across 3 podcasts (1 person recommended it).
Which podcasts mention Civilized to Death the most?
Behind the Bastards (1 episode), The Joe Rogan Experience (1 episode) and The Jordan Harbinger Show (1 episode).
Is Civilized to Death recommended, or only discussed?
Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan was recommended in 1 episode and discussed without a recommendation in 2 episodes, as of 2026-09-17.
What do people say about Civilized to Death?
Jordan Harbinger on The Jordan Harbinger Show (2026-09-17): "Your book argues that this may be the foundational lie of modern life, right? Because the system that became richer and more powerful while the humans inside it were sicker, lonelier, more anxious, less free in many ways."
When was Civilized to Death last mentioned on a podcast?
Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan was last discussed on The Jordan Harbinger Show by Jordan Harbinger on 2026-09-17.
What they say about it
- Discussed on The Jordan Harbinger Show“your book argues that this may be”12
The best things said about it
Doubling the lifespan, that is something that I guess up until I read your book, I also believe because it totally makes sense that people would have died at 35 or something if they didn't have dentists or antibiotics or Band-Aids or clean water.
I think one of the insights I was trying to convey in Civilized to Death is that you can look at our bodies and our bodies are very clearly telling us about the mismatches. We get the back pain, we get the diabetes, we get the gout.
You have also made a really good point that I thought was quite interesting in the book. You said that we kind of pat ourselves on the back for solving harms that we actually created, right?
The lie underlying Civilized to Death is everything's better, so whatever problems you're having are your fault, a sign of your inadequacy, because God knows it isn't society's fault, because society's been progressing for 10,000 years.
Where and when it comes up
Most episodes, by podcast
4 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan is a critical examination of modern human progress that argues civilization has left people sicker, lonelier, and more anxious than their hunter-gatherer ancestors. Joe Rogan briefly plugged the book as he wrapped up an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience in 2019. Later, on The Jordan Harbinger Show, Jordan Harbinger discussed the book with the author, noting that Ryan argued modern civilization is built on a foundational lie because people became unhappier and less free as societies grew richer. Harbinger admitted that reading the book changed his previous belief that civilization had doubled the human lifespan by providing modern medical interventions. Christopher Ryan joined the conversation to defend his thesis, pointing out that hunter-gatherer populations often lived into their seventies. Ryan also drew on personal anecdotes from the book, such as feeling wildly wealthy as a young backpacker in India compared to staying in a modern air-conditioned hotel room, to illustrate how the pursuit of comfort and convenience isolates people. Furthermore, Ryan explained that many contemporary physical maladies, ranging from chronic back pain to diabetes, stem from evolutionary mismatches between our ancient bodies and present-day lifestyles. Finally, Ryan referenced his earlier writings and mentioned the Kung San people of Botswana while discussing historical perspectives on human violence and social structures.
Every mention
Joe Rogan civilize to death the price of progress Christopher Ryan then 1
“civilize to death the price of progress Christopher Ryan then”
Andrew Sage I think it's curious because when I look at, for instance, this book, Civilized Death by Christopher Ryan,… 1
“I think it's curious because when I look at, for instance, this book, Civilized Death by Christopher Ryan, and he uses this concept of human domestication.”
Christopher Ryan I wrote about this in the book. I went to India in my 20s and it was the first time in my life I ever felt… 1
“Hunter-gatherers, as I discussed in the book, live well into their 70s all over the world.”
“I wrote about this in the book. I went to India in my 20s and it was the first time in my life I ever felt wealthy, like wildly wealthy, because I wasn't. I was a backpacker with $8,000 to my name.”
“So, the trajectory of modernity toward comfort and convenience and all that, we go from, in the book, the way I tried to illustrate it was I went from a backpacker in a dorm room in a youth hostel in Rajasthan in my 20s to, now that I've got some cash, an air-conditioned room in the Marriott with tinted windows”
“I think one of the insights I was trying to convey in Civilized to Death is that you can look at our bodies and our bodies are very clearly telling us about the mismatches. We get the back pain, we get the diabetes, we get the gout.”
“I talked about this in my previous book, Sex at Dawn, as well. One that I think I talked about in Civilized to Death was he mentions the Kung San people of Botswana, of the Kalahari.”
“But I think that in the years since Civilized to Death came out, that contradiction has become more conventionally understood. Because what's happening in the United States right now? The economy, oh, the stock market's doing great, but I can't afford bacon.”
“The lie underlying civilized to death is everything's better, so whatever problems you're having are your fault, a sign of your inadequacy, because God knows it isn't society's fault, because society's been progressing for 10,000 years.”
“And I talked about examples of that in Civilized to Death, where anyone who shows any aspiration to wield power over others is seen as a danger to that society. So he's immediately eliminated from any consideration of leadership.”
Jordan Harbinger And your book argues that this may be the foundational lie of modern life, right? Because the system that b… 1
“And your book argues that this may be the foundational lie of modern life, right? Because the system that became richer and more powerful while the humans inside it were sicker, lonelier, more anxious, less free in many ways.”
“Doubling the lifespan, that is something that I guess up until I read your book, I also believe because it totally makes sense that people would have died at 35 or something if they didn't have dentists or antibiotics or Band-Aids or clean water.”
“You have also made a really good point that I thought was quite interesting in the book. You said that we kind of pat ourselves on the back for solving harms that we actually created, right?”
“You said in the book, we can't go backwards. So what does forward look like? That's going to be tough, right?”
Other mentions (5: passing, ad reads, own books)
“We also had Dr. Chris Ryan, author of Civilized to Death, The Price of Progress. So you might know him as the co-author of the best-selling book, Sex at Dawn.”
“Chris Ryan is the author of Civilized to Death and Sex at Dawn, and if civilization does collapse, apparently he's got a garden, a sprinter van, friends with livestock, and a yak ranch nearby, so be nice to the guy.”
“There's a there's an anecdote that is in this book civilized to death notice that segue”
“There's a there's an anecdote that is in this book civilized to death Notice that segue”
“it's one of its it covers a lot of the same ground that I cover in civilized to death actually I quote him in civilized to death”