Name: Vojtech's review of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Item: Sapiens
Rating: 3
Author: Vojtech

Yuval Noah Harari

scurtă istorie a omenirii

Sapiens

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?

A Brief History of Humankind

Amelia Pokorny

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.”

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Ludek Bukovsky

Fatih Arslan

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. *

Rayacak

**THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLER** What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us Sapiens? Yuval Noah Harari challenges everything we know about being human in the perfect read for these unprecedented times. Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it: us. In this bold and provocative book, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here and where we’re going. ‘I would recommend Sapiens to anyone who’s interested in the history and future of our species’ Bill Gates ‘Interesting and provocative... It gives you a sense of how briefly we’ve been on this Earth’ Barack Obama **ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY**

Dhrumil Patel

Mihai Nueleanu

Vojtech

Xin Ma

Joana Sá 

Surpreendeu-me! Seguiu por caminhos que não estava à espera, ensinou-me muito, embora seja uma "Breve História", gostei do facto do autor deixar em aberto a oportunidade de conhecer e investigar mais, dando-nos imensas referências bibliográficas.É um excelente livro que nos faz refletir, debater, mudar perspetivas! A escrita também está muito acessível, recomendo vivamente

Wynter

Magic Square Challenge 2018 - #5 - Nonfiction Book

Looking at my GR friends' reviews I can't help but notice the divisiveness of opinions on Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. Some love it, and some think it's a generalized and biased work. My personal experience, however, was very positive. You see, I agree with Harari on the viewpoint he often describes - that is the cultural world we live in mostly consists of our self-inflicted imaginary boundaries. The notions of national sovereignty, socioeconomic practices, satisfaction with life, etc. are all constrictions we are willingly participating in. Or I should say, thanks to generations of tradition and crowd psychology, we are now unable to escape even if we wanted to. The author's arguments on imagined order and romanticism influenced consumerism really resonated with me, mostly because they are part of my own philosophy. And that is what I think this book should be marketed as: a philosophical discussion of the author's worldview, rather than an anthropological textbook. 

I enjoyed the fact that Harari was not afraid to ague for both sides, often describing the good, the bad, and the ugly of the same controversial subject. I too like to play devil's advocate. The pages on negative consequences of agricultural revolution on quality of life and positive impact of imperialism (gasp, how rude for this polite society) were especially thought-provoking. 

Since the subject has been brought up in several books I've read, including Sapiens, I have to express my complete bewilderment at the fact that the likes of The Gilgamesh Project and Artificial Intelligence research is encouraged and heavily funded as they are currently. I can't imagine how the quest for a-mortality or a far superior, ever-improving intellect can benefit humanity. I don't understand scientists that treat death as something that needs to be cured or eradicated, considering we are already putting too much strain on the planet's resources, or the fact that only the rich elite would be able to afford it, further widening the gap between the haves and have nots. Once again, I think we should ask ourselves, if we can, does it mean we should? I can't wait to see what Harari has to say on the subject in his follow-up Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.

Sumayya Tsabitah

This book is quite broad and rich amount of information. I frankly enjoyed the read. A thought-provoking book with comprehensible writings. Though I conflicted some arguments, this book is a good exercise for critical thinking though.

Anthony

This might be the best book I've ever read. I haven't really read anything history related since high school; what a mistake that is!

Yuval is a captivating writer. The content is very accessible but no doubt fascinating. There is so much more I want to learn based on what is presented here. Not only will I revisit this book in the future, but I will use it to figure out where to go next.

If you are curious about humanity, biology, or our future, this is a must-read.

It's kind of interesting volume of essays about history of mankind. It's not history book. Those thoughts and views are interesting, but I wouldn't recommend it as a reliable source about history. 

Jakub Balawejder

Bouke van der Bijl

Wonderful exploration of the history and evolution of Homo Sapiens. It was a good addition to my favorite book from last year, Guns Germs and Steel, and explores more the 'why', meaning and consequences of man's constant change, instead of answering the question of how humanity became spread around the world as it did.

Recommended for anyone interested in history and biology

Lord Aragorn

An amazing read! An eye-opener that pushes you to think outside the box about the history and evolution of homo sapiens.

Beatrix Haase

Can't exactly remember the date that I read this book but it def was this year.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Planet Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it. Us. We are the most advanced and most destructive animals ever to have lived. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us Sapiens? In this bold and provocative book, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here and where weâe(tm)re going. Sapiens is a thrilling account of humankindâe(tm)s extraordinary history âe" from the Stone Age to the Silicon Age âe" and our journey from insignificant apes to rulers of the world âe~It tackles the biggest questions of history and of the modern world, and it is written in unforgettably vivid language. You will love it!âe(tm) Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs and Steel For more, visit www.ynharari.com

Philip Rosenbaum

Charlotte Dann

Did we domesticate corn or did corn domesticate us? Thoughtful reflections on the hows and whys of humankind up to now - aka Intro to SocioBioHistory. I particularly enjoyed the parts about the rise and fall of empires and meditations on the future of humanity, will have to pick up  Homo Deus for more of that.

Jacqueline Englund

Jimmy Cerone

The historical aspects near the beginning of the book are interesting and filled many gaps left by my high school history education. However, the real meat of this book is in the last 50 pages. Yuval presents questions I'd never considered and pulls together threads I'd never dream could be connected. Just on the basis of the last 50 pages, I'd say this is a must read.

Melad

Fantastically well written and consuming. Really hard to put down!

Madhuri jain

A thought-provoking book. It is the best book I have read so far. It answers all the questions related to human existence and they are so convincing and logical. If someone wants to read just one book in their entire life, then they should read this one.

Jamieson

“Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. But from a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural. Whatever is possible is by definition also natural. A truly unnatural behaviour, one that goes against the laws of nature, simply cannot exist, so it would need no prohibition.” 


This book was incredibly fucking interesting. Somehow Yuval Noah Harari is able to condense human history into 450 pages, and it's both concise enough to not drag, but detailed enough to feel like you're really developing knowledge. I love all the different threads this book bought together: history, science, culture, anthropology and philosophy all combined to create some really interesting discussions about Homo Sapiens. 

What I liked about this was that it was so educational, but also quite funny and entertaining. It was so easy to follow because of how the author infused it with jokes and funny comparisons. If you're someone like me who enjoys non-fiction but isn't a massive buff that balance between facts and humour was so nice. It's definitely a beginners, "I don't do this often" type book, but thats what I am so for me it was perfect. 

This book definitely blew my mind, multiple times. Can't tell you how many times I messaged friends and family like "did you know that scientists are going to inject Neanderthal DNA into a human so they give birth to a Neanderthal" and "did you know Homo Sapiens, Homo Erectus and Neanderthal's were alive at the same time?" and "Did you know that aluminium used to be worth more then gold so Roman kings served their favourite guests on aluminium plates and everyone else had to 'make do' with the gold plates" All the little trivia facts and things like that were fun to collect and I definitely remember a lot of the things that happened in here

I also found the discussion aspects illuminating and open-ended enough that I could debate it with myself. My perspective on some issues were challenged which was really nice. Some of the chapters though were definitely less interesting then others. The beginning was so interesting and my favourite part, early human civilisations were covered so well, but some of the discussions on economics and religion didn't engage me as much. Maybe because I hate math? regardless, the middle wasn't as exciting to me as the beginning and the end. 


  “You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven.” 



Overall, I definitely recommend this if you want a brief but educational book about history. It's easy to read despite it's subject matter, and definitely taught me a thing or ten. I actually listened to this on audiobook and I highly recommend that, the narrator was fantastic and actually had a really soothing tone that helped me fall asleep (in the good, this calmed me down way not the bad it was so boring I fell asleep way)

Will definitely check out the sequel, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

Félix

I have a hard time reviewing this book. On one hand, it's an enlightening book with lots of thoughts, ideas and knowledge worth spreading. Spending a few hours reading Sapiens isn't wasted time, it will somehow be an enriching experience. There is a lot of wisdom in almost every chapter, and it can help shatter many misconceptions about us, our history and probably our future too.

On the other hand, I loathe Harari's style. If you're somewhat interested in some kind of epistemic background in the things you read; and you aren't satisfied with books written in a style "Thus spoke Zarathustra." Sapiens will probably be a frustrating and enraging reading experience. 

Why? Because Harari doesn't care about convincing you, bringing clear and transparent arguments or, God forbid, give evidence for his claims. His style is clear: «Here is my knowledge brought to paper; eat it or die» 

He won't reference most of his thoughts, and the few times he does, it's more anecdotal than a true reference. You won't find any background information on sentences that go like:

 «Hunter-gatherers spent their time in more stimulating and varied ways, and were less in danger of starvation and disease. The Agricultural Revolution certainly enlarged the sum total of food at the disposal of humankind, but the extra food did not translate into a better diet or more leisure.»

You won't find any reference how he came to the knowledge how Hunter Gatherer used to live - it's just an assumption that will stay a thorn in the otherwise smart sounding paragraph. But the unfulfilling character of these claims makes the whole argumentation void of any credibility; and the whole book reads like this. Sure, it might be true - but you have to do your research about almost every claim he makes in his book, Harari will not reach you the hand to guide you through his beliefs.

As a reader, you just have to live with the fact that, hopefully, Harari has good reasons for his claims, you just have to trust him; but again he won't provide you with any information helping you to make your own epistemic judgement on his claims.

If your goal is to catch up with the trendiest ideas about human history from the hottest History TED speaker right now, go for it. It's fun, it's thrilling, it's somehow wise. But it's not good.

If credible background information, transparent argumentation and references mean something to you; skip it and instead, dig into The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom (from which Harari blatantly plagiarizes at least a section in my opinion), The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? (which provides much more insight into possible hunter-gatherer societies for example) and finally, for the evolution and the understanding of our mind - The Enigma of Reason.

On the other hand, if you have an academic degree and consider this book somehow convincing; I'd warmly suggest the above mentioned books as well as a refresher about how scientific, critical thinking is supposed to work. Ironically, Harari mentions it himself in his book, but he doesn't seem to care about it himself very much.

Alex Ker

Harari examines political, economic, and cultural systems organized consciously and unconsciously by humankind throughout the cognitive, agricultural, and industrial revolutions. Shows how evolution is heartless, and history is random; poses questions on what happiness and success of Sapiens as a species entails. Succinct, entertaining, thought-provoking, yet accessible in the best kind of way.

Vignesh Krishnamoorthy

Sanjay Krishna 

Interesting thoughts. Doesn't live up to the hype.

Irem

Kitabın başlarındaki bilimsel bilgi aktarımı, tarım devrimi işe subjektifleşmeye başlıyor. Farklı fikirler ve bakış açıları insanlar için gelişime destekçidir ancak burada "kötü olan sapiens onu iyileştirmeye çalılan barışçıl ve doğadan yana olan kapitalizmdir" gibi, yahut yazarın kendi cinsel yöneliminin, dini tercihlerinin ve kendi kültürünün doğruluğunu bu kadar evrensel bir konudan, bilim kitabı fikri altından verilmesi rahatsız edici. Bu tip konularda, farklı bakış açılarına sahip belli kültürel birikim ve objektif anlatıma sahip "üstat" statüsünde yazarlar varken böyle zorlama bir üslupla gelen kişisel görüşleri bu kitapta okumak sıkıcı geldi. Zaten bu yüzden okuması çok kolay ve basit bir dile sahip olmasına rağmen okuma süresi uzuyor.

McKlayne Marshall

Interesting read. Read more like a historical fiction.

Cindy Lieberman

A stellar discussion of how our aggressive and powerful species became dominant and what that means for the future, if we have one.

eliz

unlocked a lot of different things from all corners of my mind. informative and entertaining and mind-blowing overall. fascinating from start to end. easily one of the best books i've read.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the first third of this book which talks about origin of our kind (that is the beginning of the 

). This topic is put nicely together with clear focus.

Then, however, in the following parts he begins to wander into every possible problem to absurd extent. While Harari states that he does not have answers to everything, enough is enough. His wild "explain everything" attitude gets annoying pretty quickly. Whats the point of this?

I have thoroughly enjoyed the first third of this book which talks about origin of our kind (that is the beginning of the sapiens). This topic is put nicely together with clear focus.

Then, however, in the following parts he begins to wander into every possible problem to absurd extent. While Harari states that he does not have answers to everything, enough is enough. His wild "explain everything" attitude gets annoying pretty quickly. Whats the point of this?

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Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

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