Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind
Reviews
I'm blind, but that moment I finished reading the first chapter, my eyes are opened. There is no other book as complex, as deep, as rich, yet so compact more than this book. The entire humanity covered in one book.
Kinda hits different in 2025. Lots of interesting elements here. Should be required reading when you graduate college.
It’s more concise and clear then dawn of everything but I think has less scientific evidence. The concepts are very intriguing and have been occupying my head space the whole time.
Yuval is a hack.
Finally started reading this one because i have a severe bitch gene where i can’t consume mainstream media at its height of public attention
Eh, didn't finish it. It's good in laying out how far we have come as humans, but the presentation, the tone, was just not my cup of tea. It's like Neil DeGrasse Tyson's tweets.
Hmm. Maybe the hype set an expectation the book was never going to meet. I enjoyed it, after a fashion. It took me two attempts to get going, initially it just didn't grab me enough. But then I pressed on, and found it less hard to pick up again. There's some wry humour, and more than a few subtle digs at various things. I wouldn't say those stylistic choices add or detract from the book. They are what they are (some made me chuckle). Being a brief history means plenty of topics might be a paragraph or two, or a page at most - some of which caused me to break off and go to find deeper material. Can't fault that. Maybe I just need to discuss it further with somebody to fully appreciate it. Is it "essential reading"? Probably not. Is it worth a read though? Yes, for sure.
I loved reading this book. Absolutely an amazing read throughout.
Titanic tome with an daunting topic - the history of humanity. Written in a digestible, often bordering on entertaining style, the book covers Homo Sapiens (and other Humans) from pre-history into the near future. Bucketing our species' development into 'revolutions' (cognitive, agricultural, scientific) and covering a spate of events in each period, its strengths are the anecdotes, one-offs, trivia and ambition. Some theories land like the broad division these revolutions and diagnosis on how humans were able to leap from nomadic kin based groups into a collective, borderless, global community through economic, political and religious tools. Lots of misses too though, particularly the at times condescending tone, selective examples, contradictions, and glorification (maybe tongue-in-cheek?) of our ancestors. Fascinating to read even when you disagree and full of knowledges. Lots of breadth, little depth.
I enjoyed being told stuff I basically already knew but in a slightly new and very matter of fact way. Made me want to Google lots of random things while I was reading, which is probably a good sign that it was interesting
Interesting thoughts. Doesn't live up to the hype.
Perhaps the best book I have ever read. Yuval does an amazing job of encapsulating human history with an underlying tone of sarcastic humor.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is a thought-provoking exploration of the history of our species. I appreciate Harari's captivating writing style, his ability to weave together complex ideas, and his talent for storytelling. Harari delves into pivotal moments in human history, shedding light on significant developments that have shaped our world. One such moment is the cognitive revolution, which occurred around 70,000 years ago when Homo sapiens acquired the ability to think and communicate in unprecedented ways. This cognitive leap paved the way for the emergence of complex social structures and cooperation, driving our species forward. Another crucial aspect Harari delves into is the Agricultural Revolution. Around 12,000 years ago, humans transitioned from nomadic hunting and gathering societies to settled agricultural communities. This revolution fundamentally transformed our way of life, leading to the rise of civilization, the development of cities, and the birth of agriculture as a foundation for human sustenance. Throughout the book, Harari challenges conventional wisdom and offers insightful perspectives. He explores the concept of money as a collective fiction, highlighting its role in facilitating economic exchanges and cooperation on a large scale. This thought-provoking notion encourages readers to question the fundamental structures that govern our societies. Harari also delves into the profound impact of the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions. These transformative periods in human history brought about groundbreaking discoveries and technological advancements that have shaped every aspect of our existence. The author emphasizes the significance of these revolutions, underscoring their role in propelling our species forward and reshaping the world as we know it. While reading Sapiens, it's impossible to ignore the influence of empires. Harari examines the rise and fall of various empires throughout history, emphasizing their impact on cultural exchange, trade, and the spread of ideas. By understanding the dynamics of empires, readers gain valuable insights into the interconnectedness of human societies and the forces that have shaped our global civilization. It is important to note that Sapiens presents a range of thought-provoking ideas and interpretations, which have sparked debates and controversies within the academic community. Harari's perspectives, while compelling, are not without their critics. Therefore, it is essential for readers to approach these controversial aspects with an open mind and engage in further exploration and research to form a well-rounded understanding. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind is a captivating book that skillfully weaves together complex ideas, historical facts, and thought-provoking perspectives. Harari's engaging writing style and talent for storytelling make the book accessible and intriguing. The inclusion of pivotal moments, such as the cognitive and agricultural revolutions, as well as the impact of empires, provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of the forces that have shaped human history. Despite the controversial aspects, this book is a valuable read for anyone interested in delving into the story of our species and understanding the development of humanity.
What a book. It really makes you think about the way humans got where we are now. I certainly started to view us more as the bad guys (I already had that idea of the Sapiens!). It makes you wonder where we are going to stop and how. If the last species to go into extinction will be ours.
Sapiens:A brief history of mankind A book which is history written in the most interesting manner where the author tries to establish how Homo(Man) evolves into an Homo Sapiens(Wise man) briefing about how people use their brains,tools they used and their social culture. His pictures of the earliest man,the foragers and agrarians fascinated me the most.It takes us in the journey of how agriculture started,how it changed with each generation. Harari's books comes with certain flaws he couldn't piece the shards of medieval with imaginative prehistoric human. His thoughts on religion in the medieval era doesn't impress me much.There's lot about church history how mighty is the church which seems to be boring because it affects the flow. Of all Mr.Harari is an intelligent writer who works on a prescribed agenda but since he goes far and wide across different areas letting confusing characters engulf us making us think whether it's a must read book or not. The size of the book seems to be two Dan Brown's and is at a slow pace so u may find it least interesting in the middle.
This book has its exciting moments and interesting framings. I really enjoy the first part and the happiness chapter. The tight relationship between science and imperialism sucks big time but was a good point. The animal domestication discussion is important and renewed my motivation to reduce animal product intake. I like how the book is organized and there is plenty of useful information. But overall, I'm quite iffy about how he processed his materials. I'm a skeptic and I approach my non-fiction reading with 'ok but why should I believe you?' attitude. Time and time, he left me hanging with insufficient arguments and evidence. I'd love a brief "history of mankind" to be more neutral and less subjective. This, instead, is very opinionated. I'm not a historian, I don't know my facts, but I can sense when he had trailed off his and threw in his personal pennies in lieu. And this happened too many times. His glorification of hunting-gathering cherry-picked the idle peaceful parts and under imagined the anxious and painful parts of being in fights daily. His references to Islam this and Islam that were often underresourced. The talk of imperialism grossly glossed over the victims as if they were NPCs. His minimizing some ancient kingdoms' choice (or I dare say wisdom) not to explore, conquer, and exploit unknown lands, unlike the Europeans, at the expense of acquiring science was pushing greed as the supreme way of life, which, well, is fair as a Personal Opinion. And I'm honestly fine with opinions, if only they're treated as opinions. There are more things that don't sit right with me. Some of them might not be written explicitly, but factoring in the timely jeering tone, I can't help getting the partial impression. Of course, he's entitled to his opinions, and for that, I've decided that instead of a factual historical non-fiction, this book is a lengthy essay, to be taken with grainS of salt. On an important note, I'm not happy at all with Palestine's erasure in this. There's a chapter on war, and I've waited and waited for how he would put Palestine-Israel in the perspective. But he only mentioned Israel-Syria conflict in passing, and severely underrated the seriousness of any war that is still happening currently, including the huge gajah di pelupuk of Israel di Palestine. Is this, what, the government's censoring?? Simply avoiding the topic? Ethnic cleansing apologism?? This stance makes the whole chapter extra unconvincing. This book is thought-provoking, not a herald of absolute truth. Read this if you want, but do check out other similar books to get a second and third opinion. I will too.
"Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari is a thought-provoking ride through human history. It brilliantly stitches together the evolution, cultures, and economies shaping humankind. Harari's insights on how societal structures emerged are enlightening, presenting complex ideas in an accessible manner. However, it's not without its critics. Some argue Harari oversimplifies history and his interpretations may lean on speculation. Also, the vast timeline covered means some parts feel rushed. Nonetheless, it's a compelling read, offering a broad perspective on humanity's journey.
Personally, this book has been quite a ride for me. Sapiens presented itself as "A Brief History of Humankind" and it does justice to the title. The book, in essence, is a abridged version of all that has happened since humans started existing in this world – right from originating in one corner of Africa to being able to harness science and technology to bring about unprecedented changes to the human species. I could break down the book into 5 parts: the very start of the human species, the Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the Scientific Revolution (no, I am not looking at the book sections right now). In each section, Harari covers how a massive change was brought about in the human race, be it biological, social or environmental changes. He then goes on to talk about the many differences that this change brought about in how humans carry on with their life. The first half of the book fell a little "flat" to me – too many facts and ideas which I often did not find relatable because of the drastic difference between then and now. This is not Harari's fault though, he is simply laying out what he thinks is true. What I think could have been done better is more nuances and backing in Harari's claims. Oftentimes, I felt that his conclusions were hasty and assuming, which led me to question his claims and disagree with them. The latter half was more engaging, because it moved into determining why our society works the way it does in current times. This section covered concepts like religion and economics, and maybe because I never delved into these topics did I find them interesting. The book ends with all the wild possibilities that lie in front of the human race because of technological disruption, and Harari mixed these with all its philosophical, political and ethical consequences. The book covers a lot of ground, I will give it that. Definitely recommend it to anyone who wants an overview of the major happenings in our small time on earth as humankind, and all the possibilties which might mark our future!
It’s a good intro to Homo sapiens’ birth and history, with fascinating explanations on social systems, ideologies, and religions. It gets a bit dull towards the end though.
A book I think everyone should give a go... not because I agree with everything or because it is so great, but because it is a book that will really make you think. Think about your life, your surroundings, what you know, what you don’t know. Overall, it will challenge your perspectives on human existence, history, progress, beliefs, happiness, and beyond. And if there is something very lacking in this world of today, it is THOUGHT about oneself not as an individual, but as part of something bigger and more destructive than you could’ve ever imagined. Other reasons for reading this book: it reads almost like a conversation, includes quite a lot of sassy jokes, you’ll brush up on history you probably forgot or never learned, and you’ll probably have several existential crises, which are always great fun.
Terrific journey it has been. Took me too long to read but I've had fun!
I stopped reading this book at like 60% because it got way too depressing.
Very informative and interesting book. There was a bit in the middle where it got very slow and dense, but it was so worth it to continue.
It's a nice glance over the entire history of humanity with an in-depth look at the influences agriculture, capitalism, and money have had on the homosapien species, and how we in turn have created and influenced the former
One of the best books I've read so far! it is brilliant! A MUST READ book!
This is a must read. Very educational on how we came to be.
It reads just like a textbook, only a couple of times did I hear the authors voice. What I enjoyed about this was the facts, and looking at both sides of an argument or theory.
We have come far but not far enough and yet too far, if that makes sense.
Would I recommend? Yes!
Highlights
gto bored which is a shame
Humans are not created equal. In fact, they weren’t created at all but evolved. Born with different genetic code and exposed to different environmental influences. Leading to different qualities and different chances of survival. “Created equal” should to translated to “evolved differently.”
Wheat domesticated us.
Test
Dx
In Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel Brave New World, published in 1932 at the height of the Great Depression, happiness is the air che supreme value and psychiatric drugs replace the police and che ballot as the foundation of politics. Every day, each person takes a dose of 'soma', a synthetic drug which makes people happy without harming their productivity and efficiency. The World State that governs the entire globe is never threatened by wars, revolutions, strikes or demonstrations, because all people are supremely content with their current conditions, whatever they may be. Huxley's vision of the future is far more troubling than George Orwell's Nineten Eighty-Four. Huxley's world seems monstrous to most readers, but it is hard to explain why. Everybody is happy all the time - what gtl and nponer aher could be wrong with that?
So, monotheism explains order, but is mystified by evil. Dualism explains evil, but is puzzled by order. There is one logical way of solving the riddle: 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. *
Which better represents the world of the ancient foragers: the peaceful skeletons from Israel and Portugal, or the abattoirs of Jabl Sahaba and Ofnet? The answer is neither. Just as foragers exhibited a wide array of religions and social structures, so, too, did they probably demonstrate a variety of violence rates. While some areas and some periods of time may have enjoyed peace and tranquillity, others were riven by ferocious conflicts.
We assume that they were animists, but that's not very informative. We don't know which spirits they prayed to, which festivals they celebrated, or which taboos they observed. Most importantly, we don't know what stories they told. It's one of the biggest holes in our understanding of human history.
The heated debates about Homo sapiens natural way of life miss the main point. Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, there hasn't been a single natural way of life for Sapiens. There are only cultural choices, from among a bewildering palette of possibilities.
Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens have thus been living in a dual reality. On the one hand, the objective reality of rivers, trees and lions; and on the other hand, the imagined reality of gods, nations and corporations. As time went by, the imagined reality became ever more powertul, so that today the very survival of rivers, trees and lions depends on the grace of imagined entities such as the united states and google.
Perhaps this is exactly why our ancestors wiped out the Neanderthals. They were too familiar to ignore, but toe different to tolerate.
This ability to speak about fictions is the most unique feature of Sapiens language.
Today, a single affluent family generally has more timepieces at home than an entire medieval country. You need to make a conscious effort not to know what time it is.
A need shaped in the wild continues to be felt subjectively even if it is no longer really necessary for survival and reproduction. The tragedy of industrial agriculture is that it takes great care of the objective needs of animals, while neglecting their subjective needs.
It is an iron rule of history that what looks inevitable in hindsight was far from obvious at the time. Today is no different. Are we out of the global economic crisis, or is the worst still to come? Are we heading towards ecological disaster or technological paradise? There are good arguments to be made for all of these outcomes, but no way of knowing for sure. In a few decades, people will look back and think that the answers to all of these questions were obvious.
People pursue wealth and power, acquire knowledge and possessions, beget sons and daughters, and build houses and palaces. Yet no matter what they achieve, they are never content. Those who live in poverty dream of riches. Even the rich and famous are rarely satisfied. They too are haunted by ceaseless cares and worries, until sickness, old age and death put a bitter end to them. Everything that one has accumulated vanishes like smoke. Life is a pointless rat race. But how to escape it?
Money was created many times in many places. Its development required no technological breakthroughs - it was a purely mental revolution. It involved the creation of a new inter-subjective reality that exists solely in people's shared imagination.
Most sociopolitical hierarchies lack a logical or biological basis— they are nothing but the perpetuation of chance events supported by myths. That is one good reason to study history.
It is easy for us to accept that the division of people into ‘superior’ and 'commoners’ is a figment of the imagination. Yet the idea that all humans are equal is also a myth. In what sense do all humans eaual one another? Is there any objective reality, outside the human imagination, in which we are truly equal? According to the science of biology, people were not 'created'. They have evolved. And they certainly did not evolve to be 'equal'. The idea of equality is inextricably intertwined with the idea of creation. Evolution is based on difference, not on equality. ‘Created equal' should therefore be translated into 'evolved differently'.
The pursuit of an easier life resulted in much hardship, and not for the last time. It happens to us today. How many young college graduates have taken demanding jobs in high-powered firms, vowing that they will work hard to earn money that will enable them to retire and pursue their real interests when they are thirty-five? But by the time they reach that age, they have large mortgages, children to school, houses in the suburbs that necessitate at least two cars per family, and a sense that life is not worth living without really good Wine and expensive holidays abroad. What are they supposed to do, go back to digging up roots? No, they double their efforts and keep slaving away.
At the time of the Cognitive Revolution, the planet was home to about 200 genera of large terrestrial mammals weighing over fifty kilograms. At the time of the Agricultural Revolution, only about a hundred remained. Homo sapiens drove to extinction about half of the planet's big beasts long before humans invented the wheel, writing, or iron tools.
It’s common today to explain anything and everything as the result of climate change, but the truth is that earth's climate never rests. It is in constant flux. Every event in history occurred against the background of some climate change.
Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens has thus been living in a dual reality. On the one hand, the objective reality of rivers, trees and lions; and on the other hand, the imagined reality of gods, nations and corporations. As time went by, the imagined reality became ever more powerful, so that today the very survival of rivers, trees and lions depends on the grace of imagined entities such as gods, nations and corporations.
Telling effective stories is not easy. The difficulty lies not in telling the story, but in convincing everyone else to believe it. Much of history revolves around this question: how does one convince millions of people to believe particular stories about gods, or nations, or limited liability companies? Yet when it succeeds, it gives Sapiens immense power, because it enables millions of strangers to cooperate and work towards common goals. Just try to imagine how difficult it would have been to create states, or churches, or legal systems if we could speak only about things that really exist, such as rivers, trees and lions.
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