Among its best books of 2025, The Economist selected Peak Human, What We Can Learn from the Rise and Fall of Golden Ages, by Johan Norberg, a Cato Institute senior fellow, historian, and documentary filmmaker.
Commenting on its selection, The Economist wrote,
“Peak Human. By Johan Norberg. … A historian explains how golden ages really start—and end. Some of the periods Johan Norberg describes will be familiar to readers, but he deftly punctures popular misconceptions and adds fresh details and provocative arguments.”
In Peak Human, Norberg analyzes seven golden ages, from ancient Athens to the modern West, revealing the common thread that societies consistently flourish when they embrace openness to trade, ideas, and people—and decline when they withdraw from the world community.
Openness and trade make nations strong, says Norberg, and can lead to spectacular cultural, scientific, and economic growth. This was true in ancient Athens, Song China, Renaissance Italy, and the Dutch Republic. However, when civilizations lose self-confidence and restrict freedom, especially in trade, they begin to decline.
“The lesson is clear,” writes Norberg. “Protectionism might seem like a shield, but it easily becomes a cage. It’s a way of cutting a nation off from the world’s brains and skills, forfeiting not just wealth but the energy and constant renewal that make civilizations shine.”
In a review of Peak Human from May 2025, The Economist said, “Could a history book be more timely?” The Financial Times said, “Johan Norberg offers a compelling and timely study of what drove history’s most influential civilisations.… The book comes with impeccable timing.… This is an entertaining and informative read for anyone
interested in the forces that shape how civilisations progress.”
Norberg is the author and editor of more than 20 books, translated into more than 30 languages. He has received several awards, including the Distinguished Sir Antony Fisher Memorial Award from the Atlas Network, the Julian L. Simon Memorial Award, and the gold medal from the German Hayek Stiftung.
To purchase a copy of Peak Human, click here.