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Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Audiobook15 hours

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Written by Yuval Noah Harari

Narrated by Derek Perkins

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

New York Times Bestseller

A Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg

From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.”

One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?

Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.

Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?

Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateAug 15, 2017
ISBN9780062796233
Author

Yuval Noah Harari

Prof. Yuval Noah Harari, bestselling historian and philosopher, is considered one of the world’s most influential intellectuals today. His popular books—including Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind; Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow; 21 Lessons for the 21st Century; and the series Sapiens: A Graphic History and Unstoppable Us—have sold more than 45 million copies in 65 languages. Harari co-founded Sapienship, a social impact company with projects in the fields of education and storytelling, whose main goal is to focus the public conversation on the most important global challenges facing the world today. Harari has a PhD in history from the University of Oxford and currently lectures in the department of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

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Rating: 4.718663594470046 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This connected quite a few dots

    This book made more sense to me than anything I've read in a long time. If you think the God has a plan for you then you may not enjoy this. But if you got a kick out of those Star Trek scenes when Spock raises an eyebrow at some emotional outburst by a human and says "fascinating" the. You will get a kick out of this.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Not typically the type of book I would pick up and read, but Sapiens was an excellent book. Well-written and interesting from the get-go.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a winner. The author cuts across disciplines to explore the history of humankind. What emerges is a picture of an inherently clever and creative but ultimately destructive beast. Along the way he asks poignant questions, such as: what if Homo sapiens had not killed off its brother humanoid species i.e. Neanderthals, Homo erectus etc. Also he points to the possible ultimate destruction of mankind, yet gives some hope. History, biology, anthropology, sociology, psychology all come together in this wonderful book about us that everyone should read.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a history of humankind, or, as Harari makes clear, of Sapiens, because the other species of genus homo were humans, too. It's a fairly in-depth look at our cultural development from the first cognitively modern home sapiens about 70,000 years ago to our essentially complete dominance of the planet. He looks at our possible interactions with other human species, including the interbreeding revealed by DNA analysis, as well as the fact that, clearly, we're the only survivors, and what that might mean. The lives of hunter-gatherers, the agricultural evolution and whether or not that was a net benefit, and the major cultural and technological changes down to the present day get intelligent and opinionated analysis.If at any point you think Harari is overlooking major issues, keep reading or listening. It's coming.Which is not to say that I agree with him on everything. I doubt anyone will, though the particular points of disagreement will be different. I'm reasonably sure that, for the late 20th/21st century portion, when he describes every major belief system extant today except Buddhism as "delusion," he's pretty close to being an equal opportunity offender. Basically, if you find happiness and contentment by finding meaning in your life and in what you do with your life--your work, your beliefs, whether, political, religious, or philosophical, whatever--you are delusional. And he's quite certain not just that he's right about this, but that he's disclosing obvious, objective truth.There's a lot to be frustrated with, especially in the later portions of the book, but there's also a lot of interesting, thought-provoking material. There is, usefully, overlap between those things.Not a perfect book, but an interesting one. Recommended.I bought this audiobook.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A phenomenal book on the history and structure of the world, detailing how we stand as humans. Harari manages to capture so many different disciplines, and so much terrain, with this endeavour. It is highly educational, logical, structured (in a good, appealing way) and detailed. I was WOWed by the book entirely and believe that it is among some of the greatest books that we have available to us today. I recommend it for anyone who wants to think and has an inquisitive mind.5 stars- fully earned!

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    very thought provoking book. Makes some basic logic errors, but tries to account for them in places (Post hoc Ergo proctor hoc) I borrowed this from library and listened to it but think i will buy so i can take notes and delve into it more

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Since I have already read few books related to world history and believe that I am relatively familiar with history of human kind. Therefore initially I was reluctant about it but when I started reading this books I could not stop myself and finally finished it in couple of weeks. The book is written very beautifully, easy to understand and expalins history with different perspective which made me think about my knowledge of history. Even for a history grad it offers so much new to learn in a different way.
    Dealing with the biggest question of our species..it explians the reasons for dominance of humans on earth through three main revolutions viz. #CognitiveRevolution, #AgricultureRevolution and #ScientificRevolution. It also beatifully explians the relationship between the evolution of humankind and its imapct on envirinment and biodiversity(Since the Agriculture Revolution biodiversity of earth has declined drastically).
    Harari beautifully links the giant forces that control our world such as capitalism, science and empire provides a fresh perspective about it.
    I completely loved this book and can't wait to read the next book of this series Homodeus.
    Everyone should read this book.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this 40 hour narration. Many topics discussed were new to me. Many atrocities committed by humans were hitherto unknown and seemed all the more barbaric for their discovery. The breadth of the discussion was pretty impressive; the depth of the science was good enough for me, but not, I suspect, for the true scientist.The narration by Deredk Perkins was excellent though I found his British accent amusing at times (eevolution?), and helpful at others (oh, is THAT how one pronounces seconded!).

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The picture on the book jacket shows a young man, fashionably bald, and the book conveys a sensation of an adolescent mind, brimming with new and challenging ideas, determined to remake world history. The narrative is stimulating, and the ideas do offer a fresh perspective. Yes, there are more domestic animals in the world than ever before, but their lives are miserable. Wheat may be evolutionarily more successful than mankind, once it was domesticated. The hunter-gatherer had more time for leisure, and had to be smarter, with better memory than the farmer, who was caught in a trap of production. More food, more mouths, more labor, more food. The scientific revolution produced more advances in 500 years than the preceding 7000 years, and the coming advent of very long lives, and artificial intelligence, threatens to change experience even more. I am writing about six weeks after finishing the book, cannot recall many profound passages, and I have a sensation of eating popcorn; tasty, entertaining, but not weighty.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    You know without looking that a book subtitled A Brief History of Humankind is an ambitious undertaking. And when you see the book is only 416 pages long, you suspect the author must paint with a rather broad brush. But that approach can work if you step back far enough and enjoy the view from a great distance. So is such a book worth reading? In the case of Sapiens, I think the answer is an enthusiastic Yes!The author has a PhD in history for the University of Oxford and now lectures on world history. His organizing principle for this book is that three revolutions greatly affected human history. They were: (1) the cognitive revolution—begun about 70,000 years ago; (2) the agricultural revolution—begun about 12,000 years ago; and (3) the scientific revolution, begun about 500 years ago.The cognitive revolution probably began when humans began to walk upright instead of shambling along on four limbs like modern day apes. Standing upright allowed sapiens to scan their surroundings for game or enemies. More importantly, it freed their arms for throwing things or signaling and it allowed their hands to develop significant dexterity. Mastering the use of fire had some unexpected consequences. It was not only a source of heat and light, it was a formidable weapon against larger animals. Harari argues that for most of their existence, men were in the middle of the food chain and only comparatively recently, with the development of weapons, have been able to hunt large game. The ecosystem has not had time to adjust to man’s current food chain primacy. Moreover:“[h]aving so recently been one of the underdogs of the savannah, we are full of fears and anxieties over our position, which makes us doubly cruel and dangerous. Many historical calamities, from deadly wars to ecological catastrophes, have resulted from this over-hasty jump.”Most cultural historians point to the invention of agriculture as the seminal step that freed man from some of the vicissitudes of primitive existence and fueled further development of the human brain. Harari disagrees. On the first point, he argues that the life of a farmer requires much more work than that of a hunter-gatherer. Moreover, most early farmers were almost trapped on their lands in order to protect their crops from marauding scavengers like crows and other humans. The Agricultural Revolution, Harari avers, “left farmers with lives generally more difficult and less satisfying than those of foragers.” Extra food did not translate into a better diet or more leisure, he notes: “Rather, it translated into population explosions and pampered elites.” In other words, he claims, “plants domesticated Homo sapiens, rather than vice versa.”As for his second point, what did primarily fuel brain development according to Harari? He contends the aspect of human development that allowed us to take primacy over all other species was the evolution of a sophisticated language, a unique feature of which is the ability to transmit information about things that do not exist. This in turn allowed us to create myths, which made collective cooperation possible.Harari makes numerous fascinating observations about these organizing myths of Sapien society. One of his most interesting chapters is about religion. He points out that when animism (the religious belief that objects, places and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence) was replaced by polytheism (a belief that the world is controlled by a group of powerful gods), the greatest impact was on mankind’s conception of mankind. He observes:“Animists thought that humans were just one of many creatures inhabiting the world. Polytheists, on the other hand, increasingly saw the world as a reflection of the relationship between gods and humans. Our prayers, our sacrifices, our sins and our good deeds determined the fate of the entire ecosystem. [emphasis added]”Then polytheism was replaced by monotheism which Harari doesn’t see as a positive step. He explains that polytheism does recognize a supreme power governing the universe, standing behind all the different gods who take care of day-to-day matters. (In modern parlance, we might understand this as the gods who figure out which football team to favor in a match, which makes more sense than both sides counting on Jesus.)Since it is the multitude of lesser gods that are concerned with the mundane cares of humans, the supreme power is devoid of interests and biases. Thus, Harari argues, “polytheism is conducive to far-reaching religious tolerance.” On the other hand:“Monotheists have tended to be far more fanatical and missionary than polytheists. A religion that recognises the legitimacy of other faiths implies either that its god is not the supreme power of the universe, or that it received from God just part of the universal truth.”It is necessary, therefore, for monotheists to “strengthen their hand by violently exterminating all competition.”Unfortunately, monotheists have a bit of problem explaining away evil. Somewhat wryly, Harari contends:“There is one logical way of solving the riddle [of evil]: to argue that there is a single omnipotent God who created the entire universe - and He’s evil. But nobody in history has had the stomach for such a belief.”Religious beliefs have limits in other ways too. The Scientific Revolution, which began about 500 years ago, caused tremendous changes in the way people live and think. Harari maintains that a key to the revolution was the discovery of our ignorance. When man realized that not all knowledge was contained in sacred texts, he began to look elsewhere for enlightenment. Then he discovered that he could learn about the world by systematically examining it. This in turn led man not only to challenge prior beliefs, but to develop new tools to exploit the new knowledge. One group of Sapiens, the Europeans, caught on to the implications of the scientific revolution faster than any other group on the planet. Modern science and the institution of capitalism allowed them to dominate the late modern world. Harari concludes with some dour observations about the fate of our species. He says, “As far as we can tell, from a purely scientific viewpoint, human life has absolutely no meaning.” He warns that we can’t be certain that modern science won’t create a replacement for Homo sapiens by fashioning beings who possess completely different cognitive and emotional worlds. He cautions:“What we should take seriously is the idea that the next stage of history will include not only technological and organizational transformations, but also fundamental transformations in human consciousness and identity.”Lastly, Harari wants to make sure we know that we are a danger to ourselves and other species. Harari believes the situation of other animals is deteriorating more rapidly than ever before. He compares our powers to those of ancient gods but grouses that we are directionless. His final sentence is:“Is there anything more dangerous than dissatisfied and irresponsible gods who don’t know what they want?”Evaluation: This entertaining book is chock full of incisive and trenchant observations and occasional humor, but its concluding mood is pessimistic. His next book, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, which I have not yet read, may attempt to show the way out of the fix in which he leaves us in Sapiens. I hope so. Note: The hardback book contains photos, maps, and a timeline. You have to love a timeline that begins 13.5 billion years ago. (JAB)

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was recommended Harari by two different people and then two different recommendation algorithms. This one should be required reading. Nothing less than an ambitious, clearly written, engaging, and opinionated account of our species. I liked in particular the thread about the variety and necessity of myth-making. It diverges from Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel" to cover very different ground.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I think I picked this up because of a comparison to Jared Diamond and that could be why I expected a focus on the early years of humanity's existence. In actuality, the author spends approximately equal time on the years before and after each of three major revolutions in human thought: the agricultural, cognitive, and scientific revolutions. I was also surprised by how philosophical this book was. Instead of simply relating a factual history of humanity, the author asks tough questions, discussing the foundations of current belief systems and wondering whether or not each of the major revolutions he discusses really made people happier.

    In a final surprise when I added this review to my book-tracking spreadsheet, I discovered that this was the first work of translated nonfiction I've read (yay!). I must offer some serious kudos to the author and the translator (perhaps one and the same? I can't find any translator listed) for keeping a sense of humor alive through the translation. There were many parts of this book that were quirky or funny in a way that made me smile and made this book a pleasure to read. I suspect that's something that is very hard to achieve across a language barrier. The fun facts in this book also contributed to my enjoyment and I'd recommend it to my many readers who share my love of the an interesting bit of trivia.

    Despite my surprise at the philosophical tone of the book, it was largely something I enjoyed. The author made me question basic assumptions, such as whether or not capitalism should be considered a religion and whether or not the agricultural revolution was good for the individual. On occasion, I did feel as though the author went out of his way to give traditional religions a hard time. Even as someone who is not religious, the jabs at religion bothered me when they didn't contribute something useful to the book. However, overall, I felt like the author was very evenhanded in his treatment of some difficult questions. Even when I thought his personal opinion was clear, he usually gave the other side a fair shake.

    This book was something completely different. Although it does share the scope of its questions with Jared Diamond's work, it strays more into the philosophical and more into the modern era. This could be a good or a bad thing, depending on the reader and their expectations. This was one of the few times when I enjoyed a book being very different from what I expected. I liked the way it made me question things that seem obvious and wasn't offended by the author's lack of reverence and willingness to dissect all aspects of our culture. If you like Jared Diamond's books, are interested in the very early history of humanity, or just want to read something thought-provoking, I'd highly recommend this. If you are religious, I'm not sure this will be your cup of tea.

    This review first published at Doing Dewey.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very interesting read tracing humankind from the origin of the universe to the present. The author goes into some detail in describing the evolutionary process and the ancestry of modern Homo sapiens. He focuses heavily on turning points for the species and the societies and civilizations it has constructed.The Cognitive Revolution (roughly 70,000 years ago) saw the emergence of language and of the concept of history.The Agricultural Revolution (12,000 years ago) allowed the creation of permanent settlements with the start of the domestication of plants and animals.The Scientific Revolution (500 years ago) allowed mankind to question previously accepted authority and to acquire an increasing grasp of the principles underlying the physical world.With the Industrial Revolution (barely 200 years ago), we developed powerful tools and technologies which accelerated the growth of society.And during my own lifetime, the Cyber Revolution has revolutionized the very nature of information storage and communication. The author discusses the implications of each of these monumental changes. Only 150 years ago, educated persons began replacing the theory of Intelligent Design explaining life with the concept of Natural Selection. Ironically, however, we're now at the point where Intelligent Design is becoming a reality . . . but with the Intelligence being Homo sapiens rather than a undemonstrable deity. At the same time, though, scientists are forming an increasing consensus that we ourselves have triggered our planet's sixth great extinction.Lots of good stuff to think about.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Simply brilliant, and it isn't necessary to agree with all of it to say so. First, Harari's writing is just superb. He explains things so clearly and so concisely (such as Buddhism) that I was just amazed. For once, the blurbs from famous people on the cover of the paperback edition are justified! However, while the book is easy to read from a sheer point of style, it isn't easy to read in terms of dealing with the story it tells. I won't sum up Harari's conclusions, other than to say they are either pessimistic or downright terrifying depending on your point of view, so I'll just give you a hint by indicating who may or may not be pleased by this book:Won't be pleased:* Religious folks, since he just states plainly that religion is a myth* Atheists, since he also states that societies need myths to bind them, and religion is such a myth (along with capitalism, communism, etc.)* Meat eaters* Ordinary people, whose lifespans will grow arithmeticallyWill be pleased:* Animal lovers* Buddhists, whose basic philosophy the author seems to agree with* Really rich people, whose lifespans may grow geometricallyIf any of this doesn't make sense, just read the book. It is unlike any other book I have ever read. This is very much a personal work of the author's own view of the world, but for the most part, it is a very convincing one. I read this in two days and immediately purchased his follow-up, Homo Deus, which I expect to be ten times as frightening.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A good work of big history. Challenging in places, idiosyncratic, wrong in part but never boring. Obviously a work of great learning and much thought.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I highly rate this history for content but the writing is fun and provocative as well. The author has written a history with a biological perspective. He grounds the species within its genus. He mentions the problems of industrial agriculture for both out species and others. There's a section called "life on a conveyor belt" which discusses the mass culling of chicks in the chicken processing industry. The last chapters have a bit of science fiction flavor because he speculates about where the biological sciences may change humankind.

    The material about our imagined communities and the mythic structure of our culture is the most provocative to me. He uses Peugeot as an example of the mythic construction of the legal fictions of out culture. As he points out all the manager, employees, and stockholders of Peugeot could die but the company would still exist as a legal fiction until a court mandates its demise. From a biological perspective all talk about human rights and human nature are suspect. Destiny is an mythic concept. He writes an essay about the undone work of the study of happiness in history - human and non-human.

    I found the book dense with new ideas but accessible and worthwhile.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book is a look at how humans have largely taken over the planet and, uniquely, are reshaping it to our own ends. It considers the impacts of major sociobiological revolutions: cognitive, agricultural, and industrial; the rise of currency, religion, and politics; and the nonseverability of science and empire. Dichotomies make regular appearances throughout the book. For example, at one point he notes that many things painted as “unnatural” are only socially anathema. Biology enables creatures to do x, y, or z; culture may forbid it. But there is nothing natural or innate about culture. Throughout the book, the author’s editorialization on certain subjects makes regular distracting appearances, but apart from that, it’s an intriguing look at human history.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I picked out Sapiens because of my interest in early hominin evolution especially when it comes to thinking that many species were alive at the same time. The book proved to be much more -- highly aligning with my interest in the history of innovation. There are many reasons why I enjoyed reading this book."Sapiens" presents three revolutions by sapiens. Harari identifies them as: 1) The Cognitive Revolution, 2) The Agricultural Revolution, and 3) The Scientific Revolution.The Cognitive Revolution is described by Harari as happening 70,000 to 30,000 years ago causing new ways of thinking and communicating. This argument places language as a key development allowing the species to better coordinate activities. I had not heard of the Cognitive Revolution before and wonder if this is a generally accepted term and idea.What I found interesting to consider about the Agricultural Revolution is that this transpired very gradually over thousands of years. Harari provides compelling descriptions of how a hunter-gathering society would slowly add cultivated plants to its diet over many generations.In the Scientific Revolution, Harari describes how important Capitalism has become to our ability to innovate. The trust in a better future is a requirement for both to work; this trust is a very recent phenomenon as the lives of the vast majority of our ancestors changed very little.My only real complaint about the book is a stylistic one. In science texts I prefer to read within the body of the text direct references to the research upon which it is based. Harari provides significant references as end notes which is good. But, for my tastes, I'd like to see those references in the body of the test.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was interesting, but he didn't do a good job of separating fact and opinion.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Absolutely love it. This was the first book that I read in totally worth it. It gives a detail and vast explanation of our very existed validated by history and research.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I compare this book to Guns, Germs, and Steel by Diamond (who actually blurbs this book)- it's an attempt at a full history of the human species from the dawn of time to the present.I liked the first half of the book, describing the Cognitive Revolution of 70,000 years ago that allowed Homo Sapiens to spread out and vanquish other human species, and then the Agricultural Revolution of 12,000 years ago which allowed Homo Sapiens to feed many more people and grow their populations exponentially. He has some interesting theories about subsequent history, but the book was long, the history more known to me, and then the book was due at the library before I was fully done with it. So I didn't finish it, which to me means that I didn't love it enough to go to the trouble of finding a way to get it done.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I learned many things from reading this book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in anthropology or even just history. It reads at a satisfying pace and I found it thoroughly enjoyable.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is not an easy book to present or review. It dissects so many parts of human life and culture, that it would be complicated to discuss on that basis alone. And yet one comes to feel that Harari addresses history largely in the service of offering deeply-held critiques and challenges that unfold over the course of the book.Let me just mention that the hardcover first U.S. edition is an admirable physical specimen. Most notable to me is the feel of the paper. I don't know the accurate words to describe it, but it may be a premium glossy high-lustre paper that feels extremely comfortable to handle. This book fits clearly into the emerging area of historical study some call Big History. It concerns itself with the broad sweep of the human career. Not quite as broad as the view of David Christian who doesn't limit himself to the human part of the story, but broad in that Harari starts with our proto-human ancestry and concludes with a consideration of a potential trans-human future.Let's be clear: I found no original scholarship here. Harari hews to familiar if wide and inclusive intellectual terrain. He owes a great debt to people like Jared Diamond, David Christian, and numerous authors who have come before. The Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution, civilization, modernity. Science and its overthrow of the belief that was no more to discover about the universe. The interplay between science, capital and government. And on.This is not a criticism. Harari is an articulate and forceful purveyor of ideas. Sometimes he fails to make clear the distiction between scholarship and his own opinions, but for the most part he can be forgiven; his playing fast and-loose can be frustrating (eg. the chapter on the Agricultural Revolution is titled "History's Biggest Fraud"; "having so recently been one of the underdogs of the Savannah we are full of anxieties over our position, which makes us doubly cruel and dangerous"; "the leading project of the Scientific Revolution is to give humankind eternal life"), but it often feels like quibbling in the face of the questions he raises. Or alternatively, one tends to agree but knows inside that there is less certainty in his assertions that he lets on.Harari spends a lot of time on the notion of human success being due to what he calls inter-subjective phenomena, meaning fictions we agree upon, like money or countries but unlike electrons. He wants to remind us of how much of what we take for granted about ourselves and the world -- and which has resulted in our numerical proliferation and material aggrandizement -- is in a deep sense imaginary. He emphasizes the (familiar) dark side of the Neolithic (and post-Paleolithic in general): longer hours, disease, the false lure of acquisitiveness, etc. He suggests that happiness ought to be the barometer of how we live. Are people happier now than they were before giving up the migrant hunter-gatherer life and becoming sedentary participants in civilization? (Acknowledging however that there's no going back) He is forceful in his criticisms of religion and government. His account of money, capital and banking is especially cogent. He emphasizes repeatedly our insensitivity to the emotional harm our practices have on animals. This book is meant to challenge, to be a cautionary tale. There is a dark -- but not necessarily unfair -- thread running through the text. About our potential future as powerful beings: "Is there anything more dangerous than dissatisfied and irresponsible gods who don't know what they want?"; and "But since we might soon be able to engineer our desires too, the real question facing us is not 'What do we want to become?', but 'What do we want to want?'. Those who are not spooked by this question probably haven't given it enough thought."In the end, this is a thought-provoking book. He may not be right about everything, he may blur the lines between scholarship and interpretation, but his critiques are well worth considering. For a thorough introduction to Big History, I prefer David Christian's Maps of Time. For a challenging critique of the human past and future, this book must be reckoned with.

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a complicated book to review. I found it often compelling, sometimes annoying, mostly well researched, and certainly well written. The writing style is not overly academic, though also not overly simplistic. This is a good middle ground read that works for both casual and serious readers.The first part of the book, in which we trace the evolution of the various human-like species, was the most compelling aspect for me. Here the author takes us on a journey. We follow along as Homo Sapiens conquer their surroundings and eventually become the only people walking the earth. During this journey, the author makes interesting suppositions as to how and why various religions formed and evolved. I was intrigued by his ideas here. He offers some unique input on this topic. At the same time, some of the content seems too far-reaching in his conclusions, and some is clearly there to spark controversy. An important thing to remember is that this book is more a work of journalistic social science than it is history. The author mixes fact with conjecture, stating both with equal conviction. Yet we simply cannot know what early man was thinking, any more than we can know what our neighbor is thinking today. Some of the authors assertions are merely educated opinions, and those do not belong in a history book.At times, the author's biases are too heavy-handed. I found this particularly irritating within his political discussions. Harari claims that all liberals believe in the Christian God, and that, without God, a liberal's belief system of individual rights collapses. Many atheist, Jewish, and Buddhist liberals would likely disagree. There is quite a lengthy section in which he berates liberal beliefs. He does the same with socialism. Though, oddly, he makes absolutely no mention of conservatism. Harari also seems to have little understanding of certain societal problems. He claims that poverty is no longer much of an issue for developed countries, and that people are more likely to die of obesity than starvation. While this argument has some merit, it's far too simplistic. Here he completely overlooks those people dying of malnutrition-related diseases, where obesity is in fact a side effect of cheap, processed foods. Poor people in developed countries might not be starving for food, but they are still starving for nutrition.The last part of this book, in which the author looks at the future direction of humankind, certainly gives us a lot to consider. Here we have content that will likely be the basis of much conversation and perhaps a little fear of what's to come.Overall, this is an entertaining read on a complex subject.A word of caution for the strongly religious readers: The author calls all religions myths, perhaps in a bit of a mocking tone, which might be offensive to some.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Wie haben wir, Homo Sapiens, es geschafft, den Kampf der sechs menschlichen Spezies ums Überleben für uns zu entscheiden? Warum ließen unsere Vorfahren, die einst Jäger und Sammler waren, sich nieder, betrieben Ackerbau und gründeten Städte und Königreiche? Warum begannen wir, an Götter zu glauben, an Nationen, an Menschenrechte? Warum setzen wir Vertrauen in Geld, Bücher und Gesetze und unterwerfen uns der Bürokratie, Zeitplänen und dem Konsum? Und hat uns all dies im Lauf der Jahrtausende glücklicher gemacht?Vor 100 000 Jahren war Homo sapiens noch ein unbedeutendes Tier, das unauffällig in einem abgelegenen Winkel des afrikanischen Kontinents lebte. Unsere Vorfahren teilten sich den Planeten mit mindestens fünf weiteren menschlichen Spezies, und die Rolle, die sie im Ökosystem spielten, war nicht größer als die von Gorillas, Libellen oder Quallen. Vor 70 000 Jahren dann vollzog sich ein mysteriöser und rascher Wandel mit dem Homo sapiens, und es war vor allem die Beschaffenheit seines Gehirns, die ihn zum Herren des Planeten und zum Schrecken des Ökosystems werden ließ. Bis heute hat sich diese Vorherrschaft stetig zugespitzt: Der Mensch hat die Fähigkeit zu schöpferischem und zu zerstörerischem Handeln wie kein anderes Lebewesen. Und die Menschheit steht jetzt an einem Punkt, an dem sie entscheiden muss, welchen Weg sie von hier aus gehen will.

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5

    Liked the first half. In the second half he touches too briefly on topics, and seems to just pick examples that fits his narrative rather than do a thorough examination of his claims.



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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    "Consistency is the playground of dull minds." This is one of the many sentences in this book that challenged me and got me thinking. I'm not sure I agree with it but you have to read his argument leading up to it to decide what you think.
    I was given this book and thought it would probably stay unread on my shelves for a long time. 'A Brief History of Mankind' isn't (for me) a very grabbing sub-title. But the reviews made it sound more interesting than the title suggested. And they were right. It's the best kind of 'pop' history - intelligent and immensely knowledgeable but written with a light touch, plenty of dry humour and a series of hypotheses that get you thinking. For example, his argument that our language evolved as a way of gossiping. Or, that obesity is a natural state inherited from our hunter-gatherer ancestors who had to binge-eat when they found a supply of food, for example a tree full of ripe fruit, because they couldn't carry much of it and it would probably be eaten by other humans or animals by the time they returned to it. There's also some wonderful anecdotes including one about Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong meeting a Native American while they were training in the desert for the moon landing. I won't spoil it by repeating it here.
    Part of my enjoyment of the book was disagreeing with a lot of Harari's more iconoclastic theories including those concerning imperialism and the state of global capitalism. This is a book that will teach you a lot but also help you to formulate your own ideas about our past, present and future.

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The flippant tone of this work, especially early on, sometimes works against it. Once you get past that, however, its arguments are both interesting and challenging, and the sombre "Afterword" is sobering indeed.

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a fabulous book this is! Humankind through the ages, Sapiens and otherwise. Creationists are really not going to like this book, but then, few of them will read the whole thing The book is both entertaining and highly informative. Especially interesting to me is the section on the cognitive revolution. The creations of myths that allowed us to be large societies. The effects of the various peoples on the environment. There is the comparison of evolutionary success to individual suffering. Not all is gloom and doom, but then, not all is sunshine and butterflies. While the author tells us that now is a period of relative peace, it is also a period unequaled in history for the mass torture of animals. This information is not new to me, but it does break my heart. There is also information on current bioengineering. Just because we can do something does not mean we should. Hubris, greed, gluttony run amok. This book, a potentially dry subject, kept me enthralled throughout, and is worth a second read/listen to me, something I rarely do. I listened to an unabridged audio version, and the narrator, Derek Perkins, was perfect.

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great book!

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