"Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind" is a sweeping narrative that covers the entire history of humankind, from the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa to the present day. Written by Yuval Noah Harari, a historian and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the book offers a concise and thought-provoking account of the development of our species.
Harari concludes that while agriculture allowed the species ( Sapiens ) to explode in numbers, it made the individual . We did not domesticate wheat; wheat domesticated us.
Despite living longer, being richer, and having less violence, the evidence is ambiguous. Anthropological studies of foragers suggest they were deeply satisfied. Suicide rates are higher in rich, peaceful Denmark than in war-torn Afghanistan. Harari pulls no punches: All the revolutions of history—agriculture, industry, science—may have increased the aggregate power of humankind, but they show no clear correlation with the happiness of the individual. Sapiens- A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval N...
Harari identifies the "Credo of the Modern Scientist":
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind – Exploring the Epic of Our Species "Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind" is
Before diving into the book, let's take a brief look at the author. Yuval Noah Harari is an Israeli historian, professor, and author. Born in 1976 in Kiryat Ata, Israel, Harari grew up in a family of academics and was educated at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Oxford. He is currently a lecturer in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has written several books on history, including , which has become an international bestseller.
Harari turns this narrative on its head. The chapter titled "History's Biggest Fraud" argues that agriculture was a trap—a disastrous mistake for the average individual Sapiens . We did not domesticate wheat; wheat domesticated us
"A monkey can say, 'Look, a lion!'" writes Harari. "But a human can say, 'The lion is the guardian spirit of our tribe.'"
This ability to speak about —gods, spirits, nations, laws, corporations, money—is the secret sauce of our success. When enough people believe the same fiction, that fiction becomes reality. This is what Harari calls "Intersubjective Reality" : something that exists only in the shared imagination of billions of people but can influence the physical world.
Harari asks: If we can cure all diseases, create "super-soldiers" with superior intelligence, and design "perfect" children, what happens to the concept of "human"? The result will not be Homo sapiens —wise man. It will be a new species: Homo deus —god man.