Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Written by Yuval Noah Harari

Narrated by Derek Perkins

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 we're going.

Sapiens is a thrilling account of humankind's extraordinary history - from the Stone Age to the Silicon Age - and our journey from insignificant apes to rulers of the world

'It tackles the biggest questions of history and of the modern world, and it is written in unforgettably vivid language. You will love it!' Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs and Steel

For more, visit www.ynharari.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House UK Audio
• Release date: Apr 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781473523784

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. 

Reviews for Sapiens

[ck31-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Audiobook: 4.5 Stars.
What an intetesting, eye opening story about humankind. A wonderful story which inspires and makes you think about life. Highly recommended it.

[moniquesnyman-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[dpevers_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

These were difficult reads, only because I had to stop and think so often about the questions he raised. Sapiens was the more difficult. I was a bit disappointed in Homo deus, as he reached the climactic discussion of Home deus and then there were more chapters on what might lie beyond.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harari talks about the history of homo sapiens, the development of our current world, and possibilities for the future.

[devatipan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[dwhatson-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have to admit that I have a liking for what I call history primers, and this is one such book. While this is a book that discusses history, Harari does not seem concerned with walking over old historical sites to recover facts that others had missed. Rather, the author shows how various events have affected the development of human culture: in some cases for the worst. Throughout the book, Harari's observations and commentary raise some issues that are worth further contemplation. If you enjoyed books like "Guns, Germs and Steel" or "A Short History of Nearly Everything" then you would most likely enjoy Harari's ideas on why humans have collectively agreed to make the world the way it is.

[renbedell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Non-fiction history of where humans came from to where they are going. It was a great look into human history. The author singles out aspects of human history that he finds important. He writes really well and makes it an easy and enjoyable read. He does have strong opinions, which some people may disagree with, but I enjoyed learning about his perspective.

[doingdewey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[ffortsa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this book, and one of the problems of doing that is that it is harder for me to leaf back, run through the table of contents, and get my overall thoughts together. The reviews already posted are pretty good, especially the longer ones, and contentious enough to represent a diversity of opinion.Personally, I found the book both fascinating and eye-brow-raising. Harari has some very clear opinions of such things as the transition from hunter-gatherer to agrarian society (bad based on values of freedom and happiness), the effects of monotheism (less tolerant by nature than polytheism, leading to much slaughter - well, yes), empire, especially the European empires, and the driving force of capitalism. His views of our modern world are particularly scornful, and his predictions - or fantasies - of our future are a bit hair-raising.But he asks some very good questions. Are we happier now than we were one hundred, five hundred, a thousand or fifty thousand years ago? Will we be able to see the destruction of our environment in time to limit the damage? Can we live happily without the traditional comforts of family and tribal identity? Some of the reviews refer (vaguely) to errors. He does repeat himself, especially at the beginning of chapters, which made sense once I realized that the book was produced in part from lectures he gives at university. He is sometimes amazingly snarky.The reader is British, which can enhance the snarkiness, but is very good, and easy to listen to. I have stopped awarding stars much, but as a 'popular' history of homo sapiens through history, I would award this 4 stars, considering the scope, the clear narrative personality, and the quality of the audio. Whether you will agree with him or not, this book raises questions worth thinking about.

[mbmackay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an impressive book: big and interesting thoughts, good writing, compelling topic - but at times I felt it lack something - context? Numerous times I wanted to know more about a topic, how the recent research fitted with other views of the topic. Harari credits Jared Diamond with encouraging him to think big. But Jared Diamond, possible the very best at science writing for the general audience never tried to put ALL of his big thoughts into one volume. I think the scope of this book is so large, that it has become impossible to make the content fully manageable.But these are minor quibbles - this is an excellent book and a great read. Maybe in his later books, Harari focusses on slices of this broad canvas, and is able to bring the reader along, without leaving drowing them in information.

[aevaughn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The prose is excellent and sharp, but I found his viewpoints rather pessimistic.

[knightlight777 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book had gotten a lot of acclaim for some time in the press and by celebrity endorsement. I was expecting interesting reading and it certainly delivered. I also was anticipating focus on the early anthropological angle. That was certainly there but so much more.The array of topics covered by Harari were dizzying and fascinating. There were very few slow spots in this evolving story as you tend to get in such books. Yuval Harari has a way of interjecting his personal insights and predictions that were thought provoking and intriguing. Just a captivating read and I look forward to his follow up book that is out there.

[liscarey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[datrappert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[osdolai · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A highly misleading title, as this book is neither brief nor a history. It starts off in a promising way, a summary of the latest discoveries in the field of evolutionary anthropology. For the sake of argument the author calls the transition to Homo sapiens a 'revolution', when in fact there are tons of evidence that the buildup to advanced abstract thought and complex linguistic skills was slow and probably took hundreds of thousands of years. Some revolution. But that´s forgivable given what comes next, the ´agricultural revolution´. Things really start getting messy from this point onward. For the second act of the story, the author recycles the very old and tired argument of a 'Golden Age' when bands of hunter-gatherers roamed the land. At this point all semblance of thoughtful consideration of contradictory evidence is angrily thrown away and the author begins pontificating in the most heavy-handed and condescending of tones you could imagine. There are barely any notes or references to back up some truly outlandish claims, and the logical structure of the arguments presented becomes shaky at best. The contradictions pile up so fast, it is difficult to make it past the halfway mark. Given that the likes of Desmond Morris, Jared Diamond, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Michael Pollan, Henry Hobhouse, Stephen Jay Gould, Carl Sagan, Jack Harlan and Bill Bryson, among others, have presented (or debunked) all of these arguments before in a truly scholarly and convicing manner, it is quite puzzling that this book should sell like hot cakes. Or sell at all. In summary. If you want a scholarly work, look elsewhere. If you want entertaining pop science, look elsewhere. All of the authors I have mentioned above are light years ahead of this painfully shrill and shallow piece of propaganda. However, if you want heavy-handed patronizing, opinion masquerading as fact, and half-baked postmodern relativism, this may be your cup of tea.

[caomhghin_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Shoddy generalisations, mistakes, ignorance, confusion and vagueness. An almost totally worthless book.

[bonnie_bailey-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Flimsily supported opinions and broad generalizations place this ambitious endeavor in a category better labeled as subjective nonfiction.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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)

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can't quite put my finger on it but many of his arguments feel like they are based on assumptions I find questionable. Despite this found it an engaging and interesting read from Harari.

[albertgoldfain · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[kishore_kumar-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[g.stoyanova · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Strong beginning with the dawn of the humankind tracking intriguing observations on co-relation between the physiological, sociological and psychological aspects of human nature and then a little disappointing second part where the focus is more on economy and "dry" historical facts. If I had read only the first half of the book, I would have given it the maximum score but that just because of my bias towards evolutionary psychology.

[infornographicmoto · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the most important books I've ever read.Quibbles: no serial comma (except in a few places...and that inconsistency makes it even more frustrating to my OCD), British spelling of words throws me off (e.g. 'faeces', 'oestrogen'), and use of BC & AD instead of BCE & CE

[dantarlin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[robertp_400354 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[farquhj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[neurodrew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[mathmaverick-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very interesting read. Harari make quite a few bold statements (which is not unexpected give the uncertainty of the material) and quite a few assumptions. However, he make many a good points and there is lots of "food for thought". I highly recommend this book, not because I agree or disagree with certain points, but because it makes me think about things a bit differently.

[stellarexplorer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[kimmyd76 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting read about humankind. I listened to this book on audible and quite enjoyed it! I chose it because it was a pick from Mark Zuckerberg's book club. A book that I thought would be a little boring but once I got into it I found it very interesting and hard to put down. I think everyone should pick this one up at some point.