Drawing on historical examples, Roy and Crooks guide us through a sweeping but detailed survey of the major progress traps facing our civilization in the arenas of technology, economics, consumption and the environment. Along the way, we hear powerful arguments in interviews with modern luminaries such as Jane Goodall, Margaret Atwood, David Suzuki, Stephen Hawking and Ronald Wright himself, as well as grassroots activists. From prevalent issues like untenable economic structures, deforestation and political corruption, to the more controversial domains of overpopulation and synthetic biology, Roy and Crooks do not shy away from even the thorniest of topics.