Peak Human

All golden ages share periods of remarkable cultural flourishing, scientific discovery, technological innovation, and economic growth—yet no two are alike. Each is shaped by its own beliefs, institutions, and place in the wider world. Still, every past golden age has eventually come to an end, undone by external threats, internal divisions, overconfidence, or complacency.

In Peak Human, historian and commentator Johan Norberg examines seven of humanity's greatest civilizations—ancient Athens, the Roman Republic, Abbasid Baghdad, Song China, Renaissance Italy, the Dutch Republic, and the modern Anglosphere—to uncover what made them thrive and why they ultimately fell.

As thought-provoking as it is urgent, Peak Human is both a celebration of our extraordinary progress and a timely warning that even the most brilliant eras can fade if we fail to learn from the past.