Total Pages: 466
Original Language: Hebrew
Originally Published: 2011
Genre: Non-Fiction
Introduction:
I usually try to read books from various genres since I don't want to limit myself to one. So, while I was browsing the internet, the well-known book 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind' by Yuval Noah Harari caught my eye. This book will enlighten you if you're interested in learning how our species came into existence 70,000 years ago, how we evolved over time, why things are the way they are now, and how we managed to live all these years while no other species did. It took me a while to read, absorb, and understand this book as it is loaded with information. But I'm pleased I read it.
Review:
The history of humanity is a fascinating thing to learn and I liked how the author explained so many concepts in a story-like format. The topic itself is so broad. It's tough to fit thousands of years of history into a 500-page book, but the author did a good job. He breaks the book into four sections, which take us through significant turning points in the history of life. The book explains how these revelations affected people and other living things.
Focusing on Homo sapiens, Harari examines the development of the early human species during the Stone Age up till the twenty-first century. He categorizes the development of Sapiens into four main sections:
- The Cognitive Revolution (when Sapiens evolved imagination).
- The Agricultural Revolution (the development of agriculture).
- The Unification of Mankind (the gradual consolidation of human political organizations towards one global empire).
- The Scientific Revolution (the emergence of objective science).
'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind' includes descriptions of a significant number of important turning points. The Cognitive Revolution, during which Humanity invented language, abstract reasoning, created gods, made art, and many other things we now recognize as ''being human', is one of the two events that the author continually mentions.
The other is the Agricultural Revolution, which appears straightforward but has enormous significance. An ever-decreasing proportion of the population produces food for the rest of society thanks to this revolution, freeing up the rest of the people to do other things like build iron, research, bake, and perform all the other tasks that go into a growing society. Around 70,000 years ago, the Cognitive Revolution took place, and 12,000 years ago, the Agricultural Revolution began. We lived as hunters and gatherers in the meantime.
In the past 2.5 million years, humans began to evolve. Homo Rudolfensis (East Africa), Homo Erectus (East Asia), and Homo Neanderthalensis were a few of our relatives. With a lifespan of 2 million years, Homo Erectus proved to be the most resilient member of the human species. About 200,000 years ago, Homo Sapiens first began kicking goals in East Africa. Homo Sapiens were able to quickly and significantly alter whatever environment they entered. Even before we developed the wheel, began writing, or produced iron implements, we were responsible for the demise of 50% of the Megafauna. In actuality, the first wave of our colonization was among the worst ecological catastrophes to ever strike the animal kingdom.
The author discusses the tricky concept of happiness. To be true, it seems like a difficult thing to measure, but he claims that historians have ignored this indicator over time. But he thinks that the Agricultural Revolution's increased complexity of human evolution has actually led to a decline in human 'pleasure'. I get what he's saying; it seems like we would have had leisure time to relax after 'hunting and gathering' back when we were hunters and gatherers.
We appear to be burdened with duties, jobs, deadlines, costs, and responsibilities as increasingly complex societies emerge. Our lives nowadays are surrounded by technology, financial obligations, change, screens, alerts, traffic, and the list goes on and on. It's not hard to make the case, in my opinion, that perhaps today's humans are busier, under greater pressure, and perhaps less content than before. Not to mention the suffering we have caused millions of people throughout the centuries through war, enslavement, and other types of oppression.
One must have the patience to finish such a long book. It discusses how things are currently and why things are the way they are in the world right now. The book ends at a time when homo sapiens will be extinct and perhaps a new kind of life, one that is brighter and stronger than humans - perhaps superhumans - will prevail on earth.
Final Verdict:
Although he makes clear when he's doing so, the author does include some of his own personal ideas. You can decide whether to accept it or not.
The book receives a perfect score for its clear writing, thorough topic knowledge, and comprehensiveness. Because of the subject's complexity, it is by no means an easy read. But you shouldn't pass up this book if you have even the slightest interest in the subject or are fascinated by the mysteries of human nature.
Our Rating: 9.5/10
