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Unbound: How Eight Technologies Made Us Human, Transformed Society, and Brought Our World to the Brink
Although we usually think of technology as something unique to modern times, our ancestors began to create the first technologies millions of years ago in the form of prehistoric tools and weapons. Over time, eight key technologies gradually freed us from the limitations of our animal origins.
The fabrication of weapons, the mastery of fire, and the technologies of clothing and shelter radically restructured the human body, enabling us to walk upright, shed our body hair, and migrate out of tropical Africa. Symbolic communication transformed human evolution from a slow biological process into a fast cultural process. The invention of agriculture revolutionized the relationship between humanity and the environment, and the technologies of interaction led to the birth of civilization. Precision machinery spawned the industrial revolution and the rise of nation-states; and in the next metamorphosis, digital technologies may well unite all of humanity for the benefit of future generations.
Synthesizing the findings of primatology, paleontology, archeology, history, and anthropology, Richard Currier reinterprets and retells the modern narrative of human evolution that began with the discovery of Lucy and other Australopithecus fossils. But the same forces that allowed us to integrate technology into every aspect of our daily lives have also brought us to the brink of planetary catastrophe. Unbound explains both how we got here and how human society must be transformed again to achieve a sustainable future.
“The deliberate modification of any natural object or substance with forethought to achieve a specific end or to serve a specific purpose.”
The fabrication of weapons, the mastery of fire, and the technologies of clothing and shelter radically restructured the human body, enabling us to walk upright, shed our body hair, and migrate out of tropical Africa. Symbolic communication transformed human evolution from a slow biological process into a fast cultural process. The invention of agriculture revolutionized the relationship between humanity and the environment, and the technologies of interaction led to the birth of civilization. Precision machinery spawned the industrial revolution and the rise of nation-states; and in the next metamorphosis, digital technologies may well unite all of humanity for the benefit of future generations.
Synthesizing the findings of primatology, paleontology, archeology, history, and anthropology, Richard Currier reinterprets and retells the modern narrative of human evolution that began with the discovery of Lucy and other Australopithecus fossils. But the same forces that allowed us to integrate technology into every aspect of our daily lives have also brought us to the brink of planetary catastrophe. Unbound explains both how we got here and how human society must be transformed again to achieve a sustainable future.
“The deliberate modification of any natural object or substance with forethought to achieve a specific end or to serve a specific purpose.”
416 pages, Hardcover
First published August 4, 2015
843 people are currently reading
1967 people want to read
About the author
Richard L. Currier
16 books29 followersRichard L. Currier earned his BA and PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley and conducted ethnographic field research for his doctorate on the Greek island of Ios in the Southern Cyclades, where he spent fifteen months studying patterns of social interaction in traditional Greek island society.
His latest book, UNBOUND: How Eight Technologies Made Us Human, Transformed Society, and Brought Our World to the Brink, was published in August of 2015 by Arcade Publishing, New York, NY.
As an Instructor in Anthropology at U.C. Berkeley and a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, and the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Currier taught introductory courses in both physical and cultural anthropology as well as upper division courses in cultures of contemporary Latin America, cultures of the Mediterranean, cultures of Mesoamerica, human evolution, peasant societies, primate social behavior, religion and culture, sexuality and culture, and world ethnography. More information can be found on his personal website at www.RichardLCurrier.com.
Richard L. Currier has published numerous feature articles, columns and book reviews in national publications, and--working with scholars at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem--he co-authored a ten-volume archeology series for young adults.
A pioneer in the design and development of interactive learning technologies, Dr. Currier has won numerous awards for his work.
A native New Yorker, Richard Currier lives in Oceanside, California.
His latest book, UNBOUND: How Eight Technologies Made Us Human, Transformed Society, and Brought Our World to the Brink, was published in August of 2015 by Arcade Publishing, New York, NY.
As an Instructor in Anthropology at U.C. Berkeley and a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, and the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Currier taught introductory courses in both physical and cultural anthropology as well as upper division courses in cultures of contemporary Latin America, cultures of the Mediterranean, cultures of Mesoamerica, human evolution, peasant societies, primate social behavior, religion and culture, sexuality and culture, and world ethnography. More information can be found on his personal website at www.RichardLCurrier.com.
Richard L. Currier has published numerous feature articles, columns and book reviews in national publications, and--working with scholars at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem--he co-authored a ten-volume archeology series for young adults.
A pioneer in the design and development of interactive learning technologies, Dr. Currier has won numerous awards for his work.
A native New Yorker, Richard Currier lives in Oceanside, California.
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September 9, 2020
To say that these discoveries made us “human” requires a qualifier, because many people equate human with Homo sapiens, and some of these technologies were introduced by our hominin ancestors a very long time before modern humans walked the Earth. Fire, for instance, is documented in Homo erectus sites dating from 1.7 to 2.0 million years ago. That is not to underestimate its impact on human evolution, just putting it into perspective. Cooking meat makes it more nutritious and easier to chew, which may have helped develop those big brains we are so proud of, not to mention the benefits which fire provided of warmth and protection from animals.
Fire is the second item on this book’s list. The first, even older technology, is sticks. In this case, sticks as tools, for things like digging up roots and tubers, and weapons for fending off the other predators out there. Sticks allowed us to leverage our bipedal gait, although they did not cause bipedalism. In fact, while it is still debated, our last common ancestors with chimps and bonobos 5-7 million years ago could already have been walking upright for millions of years.
Not long ago I read Nick Lane’s Life Ascending, about what he considers the ten greatest inventions of evolution, such as vision, locomotion, and sex. Unbound is similar to that book in that it is Richard Currier’s list of social and cultural discoveries. As with Lane’s book, the list is well thought out, and Currier makes a strong case for the things he has chosen. He also does a good job examining second and third order effects, showing not just the discoveries themselves but they way they changed people. Fire, for instance, wasn’t just fire. It was also a social tool for bringing people together after dark, to talk, sing, and pass along stories and myths. It had an educational function as well, as people needed to be taught how to make the tools to make the fire. Much later, of course, it would become heat for smelting metals, an essential component of civilization for creating weapons, tools, and jewelry.
And so the long march to the present was on. With the invention of clothing and shelter our ancestors were poised to leave the cradle of Africa and spread around the world. Once again, Homo sapiens were not the first to do this. Homo erectus had left Africa around 1.8 million years ago, and Homo heidelbergensis around 600,000 years ago, later splitting into Neaderthals and the Denisovans; none of these early humans could have survived in the colder climates without an understanding of clothing and some form of shelter for when there were no caves available. Homo sapiens was a latecomer to this migration, having evolved about 300,000 years ago, and leaving Africa only in the past 50,000 years.
Just listing the full titles of this book’s chapters gives a good appreciation for the subjects covered:
1. The Primate Baseline: Tools, Traditions, Motherhood, Warfare, and the Homeland
2. The Technology of Spears and Digging Sticks
3. The Technology of Fire: Cooking, Nakedness, and Staying Up Late
4. The Technologies of Clothing and Shelter: Hats, Huts, Togas, and Tents
5. The Technology of Symbolic Communication: Music, Art, Language, and Ethnicity
6. The Technology of Agriculture: Permanent Villages and the Accumulation of Wealth
7. The Technologies of Interaction: Ships, Writing, the Wheel, and the Birth of Civilization
8. The Technology of Precision Machinery: Clocks, Engines, and Industrial Society
9. The Technology of Digital Information: The World Wide Web of Human Interaction
Each chapter weaves its way through paleontology, anthropology, and history, as one discovery influences and enhances another and sets the stage for still further advances. Hunter-gatherer societies had art, but it was when sedentary people could build up surpluses of food that they could use their free time to enrich their lives. Similarly, there was no point building clocks until civilization had a need to tell time in units more precise than days and seasons.
There is an interesting game you can play with this list: pick any technology from the chapter titles and imagine what our lives would be like without it. As I see it we could do without our historical and current focus on ethnicities, and embrace a vision of humanity beyond the standard pigeon-holes of race, religion, and nationality. As for the others, though, they seem like indispensable building blocks of civilization, and it is hard to imagine life without them until you get to the World Wide Web. We could live without it, as people did until quite recently, but it has become so much a part of our lives that we would be greatly diminished if it was taken away.
This is a fun book to read, full of moments where you look up and think, “Hmm, interesting.” The style is discursive, casual, and goes off on occasional tangents, but it is never dull. We tend to see the pieces of technology without appreciating how they are connected and self-reinforcing. It got me thinking about what the next major advance will be that people won’t be able to imagine ever having lived without.
Fire is the second item on this book’s list. The first, even older technology, is sticks. In this case, sticks as tools, for things like digging up roots and tubers, and weapons for fending off the other predators out there. Sticks allowed us to leverage our bipedal gait, although they did not cause bipedalism. In fact, while it is still debated, our last common ancestors with chimps and bonobos 5-7 million years ago could already have been walking upright for millions of years.
Not long ago I read Nick Lane’s Life Ascending, about what he considers the ten greatest inventions of evolution, such as vision, locomotion, and sex. Unbound is similar to that book in that it is Richard Currier’s list of social and cultural discoveries. As with Lane’s book, the list is well thought out, and Currier makes a strong case for the things he has chosen. He also does a good job examining second and third order effects, showing not just the discoveries themselves but they way they changed people. Fire, for instance, wasn’t just fire. It was also a social tool for bringing people together after dark, to talk, sing, and pass along stories and myths. It had an educational function as well, as people needed to be taught how to make the tools to make the fire. Much later, of course, it would become heat for smelting metals, an essential component of civilization for creating weapons, tools, and jewelry.
And so the long march to the present was on. With the invention of clothing and shelter our ancestors were poised to leave the cradle of Africa and spread around the world. Once again, Homo sapiens were not the first to do this. Homo erectus had left Africa around 1.8 million years ago, and Homo heidelbergensis around 600,000 years ago, later splitting into Neaderthals and the Denisovans; none of these early humans could have survived in the colder climates without an understanding of clothing and some form of shelter for when there were no caves available. Homo sapiens was a latecomer to this migration, having evolved about 300,000 years ago, and leaving Africa only in the past 50,000 years.
Just listing the full titles of this book’s chapters gives a good appreciation for the subjects covered:
1. The Primate Baseline: Tools, Traditions, Motherhood, Warfare, and the Homeland
2. The Technology of Spears and Digging Sticks
3. The Technology of Fire: Cooking, Nakedness, and Staying Up Late
4. The Technologies of Clothing and Shelter: Hats, Huts, Togas, and Tents
5. The Technology of Symbolic Communication: Music, Art, Language, and Ethnicity
6. The Technology of Agriculture: Permanent Villages and the Accumulation of Wealth
7. The Technologies of Interaction: Ships, Writing, the Wheel, and the Birth of Civilization
8. The Technology of Precision Machinery: Clocks, Engines, and Industrial Society
9. The Technology of Digital Information: The World Wide Web of Human Interaction
Each chapter weaves its way through paleontology, anthropology, and history, as one discovery influences and enhances another and sets the stage for still further advances. Hunter-gatherer societies had art, but it was when sedentary people could build up surpluses of food that they could use their free time to enrich their lives. Similarly, there was no point building clocks until civilization had a need to tell time in units more precise than days and seasons.
There is an interesting game you can play with this list: pick any technology from the chapter titles and imagine what our lives would be like without it. As I see it we could do without our historical and current focus on ethnicities, and embrace a vision of humanity beyond the standard pigeon-holes of race, religion, and nationality. As for the others, though, they seem like indispensable building blocks of civilization, and it is hard to imagine life without them until you get to the World Wide Web. We could live without it, as people did until quite recently, but it has become so much a part of our lives that we would be greatly diminished if it was taken away.
This is a fun book to read, full of moments where you look up and think, “Hmm, interesting.” The style is discursive, casual, and goes off on occasional tangents, but it is never dull. We tend to see the pieces of technology without appreciating how they are connected and self-reinforcing. It got me thinking about what the next major advance will be that people won’t be able to imagine ever having lived without.
March 26, 2016
If you are a Jared Diamond fan (which I am), you will love this as well. Al and I went to a lecture on evolutionary psychology just a week before, and I swear the lecturer must have just read this too. Anyway, the author traces the impact technologies, such as use of fire, writing, precision manufacturing, etc, had on our evolving bodies, minds, and civilizations. Our ability to annihilate ourselves with our current technology is highlighted. In addition to the threat of nuclear obliteration, we are destroying the only biosphere we will ever have. "The majority of biologists believe that more than half of all living things will become extinct within the next century or two." However, the author ends with optimism about the future of our species, believing that globalism spurred by commerce and social media will eventually result in a global community that acts for the common good of humanity.
August 27, 2016
Very good, until the final chapter. The detatched perspective is lost and the book becomes opinionated and strident. 4* for book, 2* for final chapter.
December 3, 2021
كتاب على قدر عالي من الأهمية، يلخص فيه ريتشارد كورير أهم الخروقات الثقافية والبيولوجية السلوكية التي حققها الإنسان وكيف ساهمت بدفعه سريعا لارتقاء سلم الهيمنة حتى تربعنا على عرش الكوكب وأصبحنا أهم وأخطر ما عليه.
ستمر باختراع النار والزراعة والتعدين وكذلك الرقمنة، وبينها ستعرف الكثير الكثير من المحطات التي قد لم تكن خطرت على ذهنك.
كتاب دسم، غني بالمعارف.
ستمر باختراع النار والزراعة والتعدين وكذلك الرقمنة، وبينها ستعرف الكثير الكثير من المحطات التي قد لم تكن خطرت على ذهنك.
كتاب دسم، غني بالمعارف.
November 25, 2017
Um livro na linha de Aço, Armas e Germes, Informação, A História do Corpo Humano ou outras coletâneas do tipo. Acertou em cheio o que gosto de ler. É um compêndio das tecnologias que nos fizeram humanos, da língua a ferramentas, ao transporte, fogo e mais várias outras. Vai da evolução da espécie humana até os tempos recentes e mistura evolução com história, antropologia e palentologia com muita pesquisa e bastante informação relevante.
Um pouco da linha de Sapiens, no sentido de ter um fio condutor para falar da história da humanidade, mas com bem menos reflexões sobre nós e o que nos trouxe até aqui.
Um pouco da linha de Sapiens, no sentido de ter um fio condutor para falar da história da humanidade, mas com bem menos reflexões sobre nós e o que nos trouxe até aqui.
September 22, 2021
This book should be called "Sapiens". Nothing against Yuval, but... as a read something in the reviews... "Yuval got the marketing, and Currier did not", really makes a stablishment. Yuval specializes in medieval history, with a doctorate on that, so that's good. But, our author here, is a PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology; he exposes in a brilliant way our evolution as a species. Just like Yuval, who explained three major revolutions, Currier, explains 8 technologies that shaped the world (even before we were human beings). So, this one is a real jaw-breaker when it comes to detailed information about us, our family members in the evolutionaty tree and our cultural evolution.
"Sapiens" was a hit, and a bestseller and many of us loved it, including myself. But I deeply feel that this book is a bit more mature. It even reminded me of Carl Sagan when he mentions even nuclear annihilation. What I mean by mature, is that, after you read "Sapiens", you even feel a bit bad about yourself for being human, because Yuval during the whole books says that we can be considered a plague that was unleashed to nature, BUT, here, Currier states almost the same arguments but not in a persuasive kinda way, but explaining our flawed (biological) nature. Thus, you finish the book, you feel deeply informed and you do not feel bad for being part of the human species.
To the author, "technology" does not only mean "microchips" or "max Planck satellite", but everything than can be transformed for a purpose. So, a spear created by a hominid using organic materials can be mentioned as technology. This word is the essence of the book.
To me, personally, as someone who loves science and has read a lot about evolution and evolutionary psychology, this book encircles a lot of information, and has become one of my favorites.
"Sapiens" was a hit, and a bestseller and many of us loved it, including myself. But I deeply feel that this book is a bit more mature. It even reminded me of Carl Sagan when he mentions even nuclear annihilation. What I mean by mature, is that, after you read "Sapiens", you even feel a bit bad about yourself for being human, because Yuval during the whole books says that we can be considered a plague that was unleashed to nature, BUT, here, Currier states almost the same arguments but not in a persuasive kinda way, but explaining our flawed (biological) nature. Thus, you finish the book, you feel deeply informed and you do not feel bad for being part of the human species.
To the author, "technology" does not only mean "microchips" or "max Planck satellite", but everything than can be transformed for a purpose. So, a spear created by a hominid using organic materials can be mentioned as technology. This word is the essence of the book.
To me, personally, as someone who loves science and has read a lot about evolution and evolutionary psychology, this book encircles a lot of information, and has become one of my favorites.
December 17, 2021
كتاب ممتع بحق،رغم كونه متخم بمعلومات متنوعة إلا أن أسلوب الكاتب لطيف وساحر، أحببت أنني استطعت تخيل "تقنيات" منذ آلاف السنين وعوالم لم يكن قد وطأها الإنسان بعد، حتى وصلنا إلى عالمنا الذي نعيش فيه الآن.
رحلة ممتعة ومشاعر مختلطة اتجاه البشرية والحياة بأثرها.
أفضل أن يكون في مكتبتي، وأن يكون بداية لقراءات أخرى بنفس المجال.
لست مختصة لأراجعه من ناحية علمية،لكنه بداية جيدة لإثارة الخيال والشعور بالرغبة في معرفة وبحث أكثر.
شكرا لمؤسسة هنداوي على إتاحته.
رحلة ممتعة ومشاعر مختلطة اتجاه البشرية والحياة بأثرها.
أفضل أن يكون في مكتبتي، وأن يكون بداية لقراءات أخرى بنفس المجال.
لست مختصة لأراجعه من ناحية علمية،لكنه بداية جيدة لإثارة الخيال والشعور بالرغبة في معرفة وبحث أكثر.
شكرا لمؤسسة هنداوي على إتاحته.
January 22, 2024
Čovek je počeo da se kreće na dve noge zbog koplja, smatra autor. Zvuči uvrnuto, ali... Dugo se smatralo da je do uspravnog kretanja došlo kako bi lakše prenosili plen u 'rukama'. Ali, onda bi se isto desilo i sa ostalim primatima, koji su ipak nastavili da za to koriste zube. Ova hipoteza kaže da je korišćenje koplja za lov i iskopavanje podzemnih plodova, nateralo naše pretke da se isprave - ali ne samo da stoje, već i da hodaju i trče na dve noge - objašnjava i činjenicu da je vilica počela da nam se smanjuje otprilike u isto vreme. Koplje za ubijanje i ruke za prenošenje - šta će nam onoliki zubi?
Meni je ovo fascinantno objašnjenje evolucije, a koplje je i prva tehnologija o kojoj priča. U nastavku, objašnjava i kako su se na osnovu te promene menjali kičma, vrat, ramena, kukovi, kolena (primati nikad ne stoje ili hodaju ravnih nogu, uvek su povijeni u kolenima), ali i šta je učinilo korišćenje vatre (koja se koristila mnogo ranije nego što smo dugo smatrali) i zašto se ljudske bebe rađaju prerano.
“The Laetoli footprints provided direct, indisputable evidence that full bipedal locomotion—the ability to stand, walk, and run for long periods of time and cover long distances using only the hind legs—had emerged millions of years earlier than had once been assumed.”
“Cooking allowed the hominids to satisfy their energy requirements with smaller digestive organs and consequently to support increasingly larger brains.”
Zapravo je razvoj čoveka do nastanka poljoprivrede i najinteresantniji deo knjige; uživao sam u povezivanju uzroka i posledica i ponovo se zaljubio u evoluciju kao teorije koja može da objasni toliko toga.
“The Stone Age was not a distinct period or age at all, since it includes the entire evolutionary history of the hominids, from their earliest appearance several million years ago to the fully modern humans of today’s world. This immense period of time encompasses many of the technologies described in this book, including the domestication of fire, the invention of clothing and dwellings, the development of symbolism, the adoption of agriculture, and the beginnings of urban civilization. In fact, the Stone Age technically began to end only when the techniques of metallurgy were first developed a few thousand years ago.”
U pojašnjenju kasnijih tehnologija, bavi se društvenom evolucijom. Smanjenje broja dece u porodici ne treba objašnjivati (samo) kontracepcijom i padom mortaliteta dece, već i time da su deca prelaskom u industrijsko društvo, prestala da budu a) besplatna radna snaga koja će da radi u njivi ili da čuva životinje i b) neko ko će brinuti o nama kad ostarimo.
“And as financial support in old age has gradually become an obligation of government throughout the industrialized world, children have lost their importance even as a source of security for the parents in their old age. Since the children of modern urban society have become a net economic burden to their families, it is not surprising that families have become smaller with each generation of urbanization, and that many married couples have chosen to have no children at all.”
Svaka od ovih osam tehnologija izazvala je prilične promene u društvu ali često i u samom čoveku kao vrsti - za neke su bile potrebne stotine hiljada godina, a neke su se desile u roku od par decenija. Možda Harari jeste bolji pisac i zna svoje ideje da prepriča na uzbudljiviji način, ali i ovo je mnogo lepo putovanje kroz našu (pra)istoriju.
“The technology of spears and digging sticks transformed us from quadrupedal into bipedal animals. The technology of fire and cooking resulted in the loss of our body hair, a massive expansion in the size of our brains, and the disappearance of our tree-climbing anatomy. The technology of clothing and shelter enabled us to migrate out of the tropics and made it possible for our 'premature' newborns to survive in cold climates. And the technology of symbolic communication involved significant changes in our brains, freeing us from the slow pace of biological evolution and enabling us to take advantage of the speed and flexibility of cultural evolution.”
Meni je ovo fascinantno objašnjenje evolucije, a koplje je i prva tehnologija o kojoj priča. U nastavku, objašnjava i kako su se na osnovu te promene menjali kičma, vrat, ramena, kukovi, kolena (primati nikad ne stoje ili hodaju ravnih nogu, uvek su povijeni u kolenima), ali i šta je učinilo korišćenje vatre (koja se koristila mnogo ranije nego što smo dugo smatrali) i zašto se ljudske bebe rađaju prerano.
“The Laetoli footprints provided direct, indisputable evidence that full bipedal locomotion—the ability to stand, walk, and run for long periods of time and cover long distances using only the hind legs—had emerged millions of years earlier than had once been assumed.”
“Cooking allowed the hominids to satisfy their energy requirements with smaller digestive organs and consequently to support increasingly larger brains.”
Zapravo je razvoj čoveka do nastanka poljoprivrede i najinteresantniji deo knjige; uživao sam u povezivanju uzroka i posledica i ponovo se zaljubio u evoluciju kao teorije koja može da objasni toliko toga.
“The Stone Age was not a distinct period or age at all, since it includes the entire evolutionary history of the hominids, from their earliest appearance several million years ago to the fully modern humans of today’s world. This immense period of time encompasses many of the technologies described in this book, including the domestication of fire, the invention of clothing and dwellings, the development of symbolism, the adoption of agriculture, and the beginnings of urban civilization. In fact, the Stone Age technically began to end only when the techniques of metallurgy were first developed a few thousand years ago.”
U pojašnjenju kasnijih tehnologija, bavi se društvenom evolucijom. Smanjenje broja dece u porodici ne treba objašnjivati (samo) kontracepcijom i padom mortaliteta dece, već i time da su deca prelaskom u industrijsko društvo, prestala da budu a) besplatna radna snaga koja će da radi u njivi ili da čuva životinje i b) neko ko će brinuti o nama kad ostarimo.
“And as financial support in old age has gradually become an obligation of government throughout the industrialized world, children have lost their importance even as a source of security for the parents in their old age. Since the children of modern urban society have become a net economic burden to their families, it is not surprising that families have become smaller with each generation of urbanization, and that many married couples have chosen to have no children at all.”
Svaka od ovih osam tehnologija izazvala je prilične promene u društvu ali često i u samom čoveku kao vrsti - za neke su bile potrebne stotine hiljada godina, a neke su se desile u roku od par decenija. Možda Harari jeste bolji pisac i zna svoje ideje da prepriča na uzbudljiviji način, ali i ovo je mnogo lepo putovanje kroz našu (pra)istoriju.
“The technology of spears and digging sticks transformed us from quadrupedal into bipedal animals. The technology of fire and cooking resulted in the loss of our body hair, a massive expansion in the size of our brains, and the disappearance of our tree-climbing anatomy. The technology of clothing and shelter enabled us to migrate out of the tropics and made it possible for our 'premature' newborns to survive in cold climates. And the technology of symbolic communication involved significant changes in our brains, freeing us from the slow pace of biological evolution and enabling us to take advantage of the speed and flexibility of cultural evolution.”
July 27, 2018
INTERESTING, INFORMATIVE, IMPORTANT, ILLUMINATING AND INSIGHTFUL.
“We humans are no longer a species of simple hunter gatherers living within the constraints of a stable natural world. Instead, freed from many of our natural limitations by the relentless progress of technology, we have become the unbound masters of the biosphere.” (p. 9)
Richard L. Currier’s excellent book: Unbound: How Eight Technologies Made Us Human, Transformed Society, and Brought Our World to the Brink is an interesting, informative, important, illuminating and insightful compliment to the books of Jared Diamond (Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Societies, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail of Succeed) and Yuval Noah Harari (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow); and, like their’s, has left me wishing I had been a better student in earlier times so I might have a better grasp of the exciting and extensive material he presents. I’m beginning think that Social and Cultural Anthropology might just be very interesting subjects.
Recommendation: Pamper the social, cultural, anthropological, nerd in you: Read this book (as well as the others mentioned above).
“In the modern world, the threat to human life and safety now comes almost exclusively from other human beings.” (p. 204)
”…the doomsday machine is real. It is active, operational, and ready to destroy all of humanity—and it could be activated a matter of minutes by any of the world’s nuclear powers.” (p. 246)
Barnes & Noble NOOKbook edition, 359 pages
“We humans are no longer a species of simple hunter gatherers living within the constraints of a stable natural world. Instead, freed from many of our natural limitations by the relentless progress of technology, we have become the unbound masters of the biosphere.” (p. 9)
Richard L. Currier’s excellent book: Unbound: How Eight Technologies Made Us Human, Transformed Society, and Brought Our World to the Brink is an interesting, informative, important, illuminating and insightful compliment to the books of Jared Diamond (Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Societies, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail of Succeed) and Yuval Noah Harari (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow); and, like their’s, has left me wishing I had been a better student in earlier times so I might have a better grasp of the exciting and extensive material he presents. I’m beginning think that Social and Cultural Anthropology might just be very interesting subjects.
Recommendation: Pamper the social, cultural, anthropological, nerd in you: Read this book (as well as the others mentioned above).
“In the modern world, the threat to human life and safety now comes almost exclusively from other human beings.” (p. 204)
”…the doomsday machine is real. It is active, operational, and ready to destroy all of humanity—and it could be activated a matter of minutes by any of the world’s nuclear powers.” (p. 246)
Barnes & Noble NOOKbook edition, 359 pages
September 2, 2017
Currier is an anthropologist and an excellent narrator. In this book he builds a case that eight technologies shaped human cultural evolution and even had some feedback to biological evolution. I am not entirely convinced by all of his arguments, but they are thought provoking and the first half of the book was, in my opinion, particularly strong. For example, consider the first technology, which centers on the use of sticks. We know contemporary primates use them so there is every reason to assume our ancestors, even say Homo erectus from 2 million years back used them. What could this technology facilitate? With weapons we no longer needed to sleep in trees but could hunt and protect ourselves from carnivores, especially if we lived in small groups. With this tool, biological evolution might now select for traits consistent with ground dwelling and upright posture. The use of fire is the second big breakthrough and there is archeological evidence our pre modern ancestors lived in caves guarded by fire, and cooked food. Most experts agree that cooking improved the availability of nutrients, diminished the need for huge canine teeth, and allowed for a shorted digestive tract that ultimately facilitated the high metabolism needed for brain development. You get the idea. I found this a most fascinating read even if the last chapters got a bit speculative.
June 16, 2017
A fascinating overview of various phases of technological development, from the first tools to the internet, and how each has affected the social (and in some cases, physical) evolution of humanity. Currier's approach is fairly broad in terms of how it defines and groups together technologies, but also does an excellent job of tracing the cross-connections between disparate fields, and the uneven distribution of "progress" across the world. A great place to start a journey into our past as a people.
August 24, 2022
كتاب رائع
يتحدث عن اهم الثورات التقنية بتاريخ البشرية
من الرماح والاسلحة البدائية مرورا باللغة والزراعة والالات الدقيقة منتهيا بالثورة الرقمية
الكتاب يتحدث عن كل تقنية بشرية باسهاب وكيف اكتشفت وماهي الظروف وقتها والدوافع
وينتهي بالتحديات المستقبلية كالمناخ والاسلحة الفتاكة ولانفجار السكاني
مايعيب على الكتاب هو انه في بحثه يقتدي بالاسلوب الماركسي والاقتصادي في تفسير الاشياء
ويبتعد عن بعض الامور المعنوية التي لها اثر كبير في تطور وتدرج المجتمعات البشرية
يتحدث عن اهم الثورات التقنية بتاريخ البشرية
من الرماح والاسلحة البدائية مرورا باللغة والزراعة والالات الدقيقة منتهيا بالثورة الرقمية
الكتاب يتحدث عن كل تقنية بشرية باسهاب وكيف اكتشفت وماهي الظروف وقتها والدوافع
وينتهي بالتحديات المستقبلية كالمناخ والاسلحة الفتاكة ولانفجار السكاني
مايعيب على الكتاب هو انه في بحثه يقتدي بالاسلوب الماركسي والاقتصادي في تفسير الاشياء
ويبتعد عن بعض الامور المعنوية التي لها اثر كبير في تطور وتدرج المجتمعات البشرية
May 26, 2023
لا زالت النظريات العلمية والبحوث الأركيولوجية عن الإنسان القديم تؤكد على أننا نحن بني البشر لم نختلف في مشيتنا على أربع قوائم عن المخلوقات الأخرى، قبل أن نتطور ونصبح ممشوقي الأجسام ونمشي على قدمين اثنتين، ولم يكن الإنسان الغابر يختلف جذرياً في حياته اليومية عن المفترسات والضواري الأخرى التي تدور حياتها حول افتراس الأضعف ومحاولة البقاء على قيد الحياة قدر الإمكان، ولم تكن أدمغتنا تفكر بأفضل من الرئيسيات الأخرى إلا بمقدار ضئيل، ولكن ما الذي حصل ؟ يجيب ريتشارد إل كوريير في كتابه (بلا قيود: تقنيات حررت البشر ودفعتهم لحافة الهاوية) أن البشر القدامى دفعتهم الطفرات المتوالية إلى تغير جذري عن بقية المخلوقات الأخرى و إلى الأبد، هذه الطفرات لم تكن لتوجد لولا خضوع البشر القدامى للمتغيرات البيئية والمناخية القاسية والحاجة الملحة للبقاء على قيد الحياة كسائر المخلوقات الأخرى، التي على ضوئها ظهرت أجناس أخرى بشرية اكتشفت تقنيات جديدة حررتها من قيودها المرتبطة بعالم الحيوانات بالمقام الأول، من هذا الباب تحديدا يركز ريتشارد في الفصول الأولى للكتاب على أن التقنيات الجديدة المكتشفة لدى أسلافنا من البشر الغابرين مثل النار والعصي والحراب والملابس وغيرها من ما يسميها المؤلف التقنيات، هي من نقلت البشرية إلى ما تسمى اليوم الحضارة الإنسانية بكل صخبها و ضجيجها وربما دمارها، ويذكر ذلك في كتابه (لم نعد نحن البشر نوعا من الصيادين وجامعي الثمار البسطاء الذين يعيشون داخل حدود عالم طبيعي مستقر، وإنما صرنا بعد تحرُّرنا من الكثير من عقباتنا الطبيعية بفضل التقدم التقني المستمر، سادة الغلاف الحيوي المحررين من القيود)
فمنذ بدأ الإنسان الغابر رسم الرسومات و كتابة الرموز على الكهوف التي استوطنها خوفاً من المفترسات التي تحيط به وصناعة أدوات الصيد البدائية استطاع البشر فهم ما يدور حولهم وتناغمت الأفكار وتلاقحت وتطورت لتكون الرسومات والرموز على الكهوف مع اكتشاف فكرة النار وبقية التقنيات من أهم العوامل التي أسهمت في بزوغ الوعي البشري واكتشاف عوالم غير العوالم الضيقة التي كان يخضع لها. ويرى ريتشارد أن التقنيات التي حررت البشرية من قيودها المرتبطة بالطبيعة لم تتوقف حتى اللحظة بل إن هذه التقنيات أو الأفكار وصلت أو سوف تصل إلى مرحلة هلاك البشرية جمعاء، فالإنسان الغابر وما تلاه من تحولات كبرى على مستوى الأفكار و الأجساد والتحليل الآني والبعيد لم يكتف بالانسلاخ من محدودية تحركاته ومجتمعه البدائي بل سيطر على جغرافيا واسعة من هذا الكوكب محدثاً تغيرات هائلة على المنظومة البيئية ككل، هذه المنظومة التي يبدوا أنها تتقدم نحو تحولات كبرى ستنتج بالنهاية صراعات أكبر على الموارد الطبيعية المتاحة للبشر، وتدمر ما زال قائما من تنوع بيئي وحيواني على مدى يبدو أنه حسب تحذيرات علماء الأحياء والجيولوجيا أقرب من أي وقت مضى، حيث قال (غيرت ثماني تقنيات العلاقة بين الجنس البشري والبيئة الطبيعية تغييرًا بالغا محررةً إيانا من قوى الطبيعة التي تحد حريات كل مجموعات الكائنات الحية الأخرى. وتدريجيًا أحدثت كلُّ من هذه التقنيات تحولا أو انسلاخًا كبيرًا في حياة البشر والمجتمع، فطورت هذه التحولات بنية أجسادنا، ووسعت قدرات عقولنا، وأثمرت عن مجتمعات بشرية ليس لها مثيل في حجمها وقوتها)
ويلخص إل كوريير في مقدمته الأحوال التي كان عليها أسلافنا وكيفية انبثاقنا من تلك البوتقة الضيقة إلى عالم أرحب رأى فيه الإنسان أنه قادر على صنع المعجزات فيه وتجاهل ضريبة كل ما يصنعه على هذا الكوكب، حيث يقول:
(سيطر الجنس البشري في العصر الحديث على جميع بيئات الأرض الطبيعية تقريبا وأحدث تحولاً جوهريا في الكوكب بأسره ليُصبح وحدة إنتاج هائلة من أجل منفعته وحده. وأثناء هذا استولى الجنس البشري حديث التحرر من قيوده على جزء كبير من البيئة الطبيعية، ولؤث تربة الأرض ومحيطاتها وغلافها الجوي، وجعل عالمنا على حافة كارثة)
ويكمل إل كوريير (يتفرد الجنس البشري بين كل كائنات الأرض في قدرته على الاستيعاب والتخطيط للمدى الطويل، إلا أننا ما زلنا نتحرك مدفوعين بغرائز حيوانية قديمة، من بينها التوسع والتكاثر لأقصى حد ممكن. أما الكائنات الأخرى فهي محدودة في قدرتها على التكاثر بطبيعة علاقتها الثابتة نسبيًا مع البيئة، لكن التكنولوجيا جعلت استمرارية تكاثرنا أمرًا ممكنا من خلال تمكيننا من الفرار من قيود قدرنا الحيوي، حتى بعد أن جعلنا العالم قاب قوسين أو أدنى من مستقبل مبهم وربما كارثي. منذ خمسة ملايين سنة شجعنا استخدام أسلافنا الشبيهين بالقرود الجراب المصنوعة وعصي الحفر على الوقوف والسير والركض ونحن مُنتصبو القامة. أثمر هذا التطور في النهاية عن إعادة هيكلة جذرية في تشريح الثدييات حرَّرت القوائم الأمامية من مسؤوليات الحركة. استطاع أسلافنا باستخدام قوائمهم الأمامية القوية وأياديهم الماهرة أن يُسيطروا على النار ويُصمموا الملابس ويُشيدوا المساكن وحرَّرتنا هذه التقنيات من الحاجة للعيش في البيئات المدارية حيث نشأنا، وسمحت لنا بأن نسكن المناطق المعتدلة الشاسعة في أوروبا وآسيا، منذ مائة ألف عام أو أكثر حين بدأنا استخدام الرموز اللفظية والمرئية للتواصل، حررنا أنفسنا من حدود التجربة الشخصية المباشرة، واكتسبنا القدرة على مشاركة المعلومات عبر الزمان والمكان، ما مكننا من تجميع معرفتنا مع الآخرين وتنمية الثقافات التي توارثتها الأجيال في تراث شفهي من الأ��اني والحكايات والأساطير، منذ عشرة آلاف عام حرَّرتنا تقنية الزراعة من البحث الدائم عن الغذاء الذي يشغل اهتمام كل الأنواع الحيوانية الأخرى. وفي أثناء ذلك لم نعد مُجبرين على التجوال بلا نهاية الذي طالما كان مصيرنا حين كنا صيادين وجامعي ثمار، فبدأنا نزرع غذاءنا، ونعيش في قرى، وتكدس كلا من الثروة المادية والمعرفة والحكمة التي أورثناها إلى نسلنا. منذ خمسة آلاف سنة خلت اخترعنا تقنيات جديدة قوية للنقل والاتصال، شملت هذه التقنيات سفنًا كبيرة عابرة للبحار وعربات تجرُّها الدواب، وأشكالا من الكتابة مكنتنا من تدوين المعلومات للأجيال القادمة ومن التواصل مع الآخرين عبر مسافات بعيدة. أتاحت لنا تقنيات التواصل هذه بناء المدن وتكوين الحضارات واستحداث أشكال متزايدة التطور من الفن والعلوم والتجارة والحروب والدين التي سرعان ما رفعت البشرية إلى موقع جديد من التفوق على كل أشكال الحياة الأخرى. منذ خمسمائة سنة عتقتنا الآلات الدقيقة من ساعات وسدسيات وبوصلات ومجاهر وتلسكوبات من قيود أعضائنا الحسية المجردة، ومنذ أكثر من مائتي عام بقليل حررتنا تقنية المحركات المترددة من اعتمادنا القديم على القوة البدنية للجسد الإنساني ولدوابنا ونتيجة لهذا أخضعنا العالم بقوى العلم وآلات الصناعة، وأنشأنا أممًا واسعة حيث يعيش ملايين الناس ويعملون معًا بوصفهم أعضاء في مجتمع إنساني واحد. ويُجرى الآن تحول ثامن تقود إليه تقنية المعلومات الرقمية المهمة، التي جعلت من الممكن لكل البشر التزاور والاتصال بعضهم ببعض في أي مكان على وجه الأرض، وهو ما مكننا من إقامة ثقافة ومجتمع عالميين يتخطيان الحدود القومية. سيكون التحدي الذي سيواجه البشرية هو تبني هذه الحضارة العالمية دون التضحية، سواء بالحريات الشخصية أو الهويات العرقية التي نحتاجها جميعًا لتحقيق أهدافنا في الحياة والانتماء إلى شيء أكبر من أنفسنا)
إن هذا الكتاب يريد أن يوصل رسالة واضحة للقارئ العزيز مفادها أن البشر رغم تفردهم عن باقي المخلوقات من خلال ما أوجدوه من تقنيات ساعدتهم على الرقي فكرياً و علمياً على مدى ملايين السنين، إلا أنهم الآن في طريقهم لما يسمى الانقراض السادس، هذا الانقراض لن يكون بسبب ظروف مناخية طبيعية مثل أغلب الأنقراضات الخمسة التي حصلت بتاريخ كوكبنا الأزرق، بل سيكون نتاجا طبيعيا لما يقترفه البشر اليوم من أفكار أسهمت بإنتاج تقنيات لم تحررهم من بدائيتهم فحسب، بل تقودهم بطريق مختصر جدا لفنائهم في ظل طغيان الأفكار المؤيدة على حتمية الصراع المقبل على هذا الكوكب بسبب الأفكار التي نطورها خدمة لجنسنا البشري فقط على حساب باقي الكائنات التي تشاركنا هذه البيئات التي قمنا بتلويث تربتها ومياهها، ولا زلنا ننتج افكاراً تساعدنا على تفوقنا و اعتزازنا بفرادتنا التي يرى المؤلف أن ثمنها فناء هذا الكائن المسمى بالإنسان.
فهد الجهوري
فمنذ بدأ الإنسان الغابر رسم الرسومات و كتابة الرموز على الكهوف التي استوطنها خوفاً من المفترسات التي تحيط به وصناعة أدوات الصيد البدائية استطاع البشر فهم ما يدور حولهم وتناغمت الأفكار وتلاقحت وتطورت لتكون الرسومات والرموز على الكهوف مع اكتشاف فكرة النار وبقية التقنيات من أهم العوامل التي أسهمت في بزوغ الوعي البشري واكتشاف عوالم غير العوالم الضيقة التي كان يخضع لها. ويرى ريتشارد أن التقنيات التي حررت البشرية من قيودها المرتبطة بالطبيعة لم تتوقف حتى اللحظة بل إن هذه التقنيات أو الأفكار وصلت أو سوف تصل إلى مرحلة هلاك البشرية جمعاء، فالإنسان الغابر وما تلاه من تحولات كبرى على مستوى الأفكار و الأجساد والتحليل الآني والبعيد لم يكتف بالانسلاخ من محدودية تحركاته ومجتمعه البدائي بل سيطر على جغرافيا واسعة من هذا الكوكب محدثاً تغيرات هائلة على المنظومة البيئية ككل، هذه المنظومة التي يبدوا أنها تتقدم نحو تحولات كبرى ستنتج بالنهاية صراعات أكبر على الموارد الطبيعية المتاحة للبشر، وتدمر ما زال قائما من تنوع بيئي وحيواني على مدى يبدو أنه حسب تحذيرات علماء الأحياء والجيولوجيا أقرب من أي وقت مضى، حيث قال (غيرت ثماني تقنيات العلاقة بين الجنس البشري والبيئة الطبيعية تغييرًا بالغا محررةً إيانا من قوى الطبيعة التي تحد حريات كل مجموعات الكائنات الحية الأخرى. وتدريجيًا أحدثت كلُّ من هذه التقنيات تحولا أو انسلاخًا كبيرًا في حياة البشر والمجتمع، فطورت هذه التحولات بنية أجسادنا، ووسعت قدرات عقولنا، وأثمرت عن مجتمعات بشرية ليس لها مثيل في حجمها وقوتها)
ويلخص إل كوريير في مقدمته الأحوال التي كان عليها أسلافنا وكيفية انبثاقنا من تلك البوتقة الضيقة إلى عالم أرحب رأى فيه الإنسان أنه قادر على صنع المعجزات فيه وتجاهل ضريبة كل ما يصنعه على هذا الكوكب، حيث يقول:
(سيطر الجنس البشري في العصر الحديث على جميع بيئات الأرض الطبيعية تقريبا وأحدث تحولاً جوهريا في الكوكب بأسره ليُصبح وحدة إنتاج هائلة من أجل منفعته وحده. وأثناء هذا استولى الجنس البشري حديث التحرر من قيوده على جزء كبير من البيئة الطبيعية، ولؤث تربة الأرض ومحيطاتها وغلافها الجوي، وجعل عالمنا على حافة كارثة)
ويكمل إل كوريير (يتفرد الجنس البشري بين كل كائنات الأرض في قدرته على الاستيعاب والتخطيط للمدى الطويل، إلا أننا ما زلنا نتحرك مدفوعين بغرائز حيوانية قديمة، من بينها التوسع والتكاثر لأقصى حد ممكن. أما الكائنات الأخرى فهي محدودة في قدرتها على التكاثر بطبيعة علاقتها الثابتة نسبيًا مع البيئة، لكن التكنولوجيا جعلت استمرارية تكاثرنا أمرًا ممكنا من خلال تمكيننا من الفرار من قيود قدرنا الحيوي، حتى بعد أن جعلنا العالم قاب قوسين أو أدنى من مستقبل مبهم وربما كارثي. منذ خمسة ملايين سنة شجعنا استخدام أسلافنا الشبيهين بالقرود الجراب المصنوعة وعصي الحفر على الوقوف والسير والركض ونحن مُنتصبو القامة. أثمر هذا التطور في النهاية عن إعادة هيكلة جذرية في تشريح الثدييات حرَّرت القوائم الأمامية من مسؤوليات الحركة. استطاع أسلافنا باستخدام قوائمهم الأمامية القوية وأياديهم الماهرة أن يُسيطروا على النار ويُصمموا الملابس ويُشيدوا المساكن وحرَّرتنا هذه التقنيات من الحاجة للعيش في البيئات المدارية حيث نشأنا، وسمحت لنا بأن نسكن المناطق المعتدلة الشاسعة في أوروبا وآسيا، منذ مائة ألف عام أو أكثر حين بدأنا استخدام الرموز اللفظية والمرئية للتواصل، حررنا أنفسنا من حدود التجربة الشخصية المباشرة، واكتسبنا القدرة على مشاركة المعلومات عبر الزمان والمكان، ما مكننا من تجميع معرفتنا مع الآخرين وتنمية الثقافات التي توارثتها الأجيال في تراث شفهي من الأ��اني والحكايات والأساطير، منذ عشرة آلاف عام حرَّرتنا تقنية الزراعة من البحث الدائم عن الغذاء الذي يشغل اهتمام كل الأنواع الحيوانية الأخرى. وفي أثناء ذلك لم نعد مُجبرين على التجوال بلا نهاية الذي طالما كان مصيرنا حين كنا صيادين وجامعي ثمار، فبدأنا نزرع غذاءنا، ونعيش في قرى، وتكدس كلا من الثروة المادية والمعرفة والحكمة التي أورثناها إلى نسلنا. منذ خمسة آلاف سنة خلت اخترعنا تقنيات جديدة قوية للنقل والاتصال، شملت هذه التقنيات سفنًا كبيرة عابرة للبحار وعربات تجرُّها الدواب، وأشكالا من الكتابة مكنتنا من تدوين المعلومات للأجيال القادمة ومن التواصل مع الآخرين عبر مسافات بعيدة. أتاحت لنا تقنيات التواصل هذه بناء المدن وتكوين الحضارات واستحداث أشكال متزايدة التطور من الفن والعلوم والتجارة والحروب والدين التي سرعان ما رفعت البشرية إلى موقع جديد من التفوق على كل أشكال الحياة الأخرى. منذ خمسمائة سنة عتقتنا الآلات الدقيقة من ساعات وسدسيات وبوصلات ومجاهر وتلسكوبات من قيود أعضائنا الحسية المجردة، ومنذ أكثر من مائتي عام بقليل حررتنا تقنية المحركات المترددة من اعتمادنا القديم على القوة البدنية للجسد الإنساني ولدوابنا ونتيجة لهذا أخضعنا العالم بقوى العلم وآلات الصناعة، وأنشأنا أممًا واسعة حيث يعيش ملايين الناس ويعملون معًا بوصفهم أعضاء في مجتمع إنساني واحد. ويُجرى الآن تحول ثامن تقود إليه تقنية المعلومات الرقمية المهمة، التي جعلت من الممكن لكل البشر التزاور والاتصال بعضهم ببعض في أي مكان على وجه الأرض، وهو ما مكننا من إقامة ثقافة ومجتمع عالميين يتخطيان الحدود القومية. سيكون التحدي الذي سيواجه البشرية هو تبني هذه الحضارة العالمية دون التضحية، سواء بالحريات الشخصية أو الهويات العرقية التي نحتاجها جميعًا لتحقيق أهدافنا في الحياة والانتماء إلى شيء أكبر من أنفسنا)
إن هذا الكتاب يريد أن يوصل رسالة واضحة للقارئ العزيز مفادها أن البشر رغم تفردهم عن باقي المخلوقات من خلال ما أوجدوه من تقنيات ساعدتهم على الرقي فكرياً و علمياً على مدى ملايين السنين، إلا أنهم الآن في طريقهم لما يسمى الانقراض السادس، هذا الانقراض لن يكون بسبب ظروف مناخية طبيعية مثل أغلب الأنقراضات الخمسة التي حصلت بتاريخ كوكبنا الأزرق، بل سيكون نتاجا طبيعيا لما يقترفه البشر اليوم من أفكار أسهمت بإنتاج تقنيات لم تحررهم من بدائيتهم فحسب، بل تقودهم بطريق مختصر جدا لفنائهم في ظل طغيان الأفكار المؤيدة على حتمية الصراع المقبل على هذا الكوكب بسبب الأفكار التي نطورها خدمة لجنسنا البشري فقط على حساب باقي الكائنات التي تشاركنا هذه البيئات التي قمنا بتلويث تربتها ومياهها، ولا زلنا ننتج افكاراً تساعدنا على تفوقنا و اعتزازنا بفرادتنا التي يرى المؤلف أن ثمنها فناء هذا الكائن المسمى بالإنسان.
فهد الجهوري
May 7, 2023
If I only had one word to describe this book, it would be “fascinating.” It was definitely one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read. What can I say? I’m a total history nerd. This book, written by an anthropology professor, explains how eight different technologies have shaped humanity. Those technologies are the developments of: Tools, Fire, Clothing & Shelter, Symbolic Communication, Agriculture, Interaction (due to wheels, ships, travel), Precision Machinery and Digital Information. Professor Currier explains how these developments have changed human society and culture right from the time when we were still living in trees. I learned so much from this book that I never knew. I don’t often re-read nonfiction books, but I’m keeping this one to eventually read again. It was that interesting. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in our world and humanity’s place in it.
April 27, 2025
Am I getting old? Why did I find this book so interesting? I didn’t realize how much this book would be an anthropological book rather than a report on inventions. But that last chapter has got me depressed. “Our world on the brink”? Yeah. Our world on the brink of collapse. Hearing how unlikely it is for us to find and access another habitable planet and then hearing about the destructive power and prevalence of nuclear bombs. Just like fuck, man. Why do us humans have to go absolutely destroying our planet when we have nothing left and hold in our pocket an instant end to it all? Now I’m just depressed. But hey, the book was really interesting.
May 10, 2021
With Unbound, Richard Currier fixes the mess Yuval Harari unleashed when he published Sapiens. I loved the start of as Harari delivered a fascinating narrative on the early development of human civilization. But as I discussed in my one-star review of that work, Harari went off the rails at the agricultural revolution, having determined that it was a bad thing and that humans should not have progressed further because, well, to sum it up, humans suck (Harari’s sentiments although not his words).
The early portions of Unbound march along a track parallel to that of Sapiens and both works were equally engaging. The separation came at the agricultural revolution. While Harari lost his mind over it, and lost his credibility throughout the rest of is book, Currier, on the other hand, stays non-judgmental through that phase of history and keeps on going, from one phase to the next, all without casting judgment.
The framework of Unbound is interesting. Currier attributes the progress of humanity to eight major ‘technological” developments: (1) Spears and Digging Sticks; (2) Fire; (3) Clothing and Shelter; (4) Symbolic Communication; (5) Agriculture; (6) Interaction; (7) Precision Machinery; and (8) Digital Information.
Some of these labels are broadly applies, others are more focused. All have various subdivisions. Arguably, Currier’s treatment of the early developments was much more comprehensive and thorough — and continually relating the broad theme to specific developments —than was the case with the latter stages, where details often felt rushed and more a matter of checking boxes than nailing down relationships. This isn’t the first time I encountered something like that and I don’t expect it will be the last: The closer we get to the present, the harder it is to keep things in perspective. I suspect the analysis of the last few topic would look very different if revised 500 years from now. That’s natural. Distance is important and when we don’t have, we just do the best we can.
Clearly, anyone can quibble over whether these are the best possible divisions, or whether one might want to apply a different schema. But that’s not necessarily a negative against the book. As I wondered about such questions, it occurred to me that by motivating me to think about them, Currier did his job and did it well. In other words, don’t read this as dogma. Read it as an invitation to think for yourself.
The last chapter sums up where we are and wonders aloud where we might go. It’s not all sunshine and roses. Currier, while not the raging crank Harari is, pulls no punches when it comes to pointing out the contemporary dangers that have been so widely discussed; nuclear annihilation, climate change, the possibility of a “sixth extinction” (dinosaurs were part of the fifth; there were actually four others before that), etc. But unlike Harari, Currienr doesn’t just rant. The concerns he puts forth flow logically from all that went before, are presented non-judgmentally, and include potential scenarios in which disaster is averted.
Harari got the better title and thanks to copyright laws, Currier couldn’t take it. So Unbound will have to do. But Currier definitely put forth the better book; way, way, way better.
The early portions of Unbound march along a track parallel to that of Sapiens and both works were equally engaging. The separation came at the agricultural revolution. While Harari lost his mind over it, and lost his credibility throughout the rest of is book, Currier, on the other hand, stays non-judgmental through that phase of history and keeps on going, from one phase to the next, all without casting judgment.
The framework of Unbound is interesting. Currier attributes the progress of humanity to eight major ‘technological” developments: (1) Spears and Digging Sticks; (2) Fire; (3) Clothing and Shelter; (4) Symbolic Communication; (5) Agriculture; (6) Interaction; (7) Precision Machinery; and (8) Digital Information.
Some of these labels are broadly applies, others are more focused. All have various subdivisions. Arguably, Currier’s treatment of the early developments was much more comprehensive and thorough — and continually relating the broad theme to specific developments —than was the case with the latter stages, where details often felt rushed and more a matter of checking boxes than nailing down relationships. This isn’t the first time I encountered something like that and I don’t expect it will be the last: The closer we get to the present, the harder it is to keep things in perspective. I suspect the analysis of the last few topic would look very different if revised 500 years from now. That’s natural. Distance is important and when we don’t have, we just do the best we can.
Clearly, anyone can quibble over whether these are the best possible divisions, or whether one might want to apply a different schema. But that’s not necessarily a negative against the book. As I wondered about such questions, it occurred to me that by motivating me to think about them, Currier did his job and did it well. In other words, don’t read this as dogma. Read it as an invitation to think for yourself.
The last chapter sums up where we are and wonders aloud where we might go. It’s not all sunshine and roses. Currier, while not the raging crank Harari is, pulls no punches when it comes to pointing out the contemporary dangers that have been so widely discussed; nuclear annihilation, climate change, the possibility of a “sixth extinction” (dinosaurs were part of the fifth; there were actually four others before that), etc. But unlike Harari, Currienr doesn’t just rant. The concerns he puts forth flow logically from all that went before, are presented non-judgmentally, and include potential scenarios in which disaster is averted.
Harari got the better title and thanks to copyright laws, Currier couldn’t take it. So Unbound will have to do. But Currier definitely put forth the better book; way, way, way better.
March 20, 2018
I found this book fascinating, though sometimes repetitive. As I have thought about how to compress and express what I learned, I go back to the author's own summary.
I enjoyed the way Currier walked the reader through each of his eight transforming technologies, broke down the details, and showed why they were so revolutionary. I was quite convinced by most of his reasoning. I also appreciated his more hopeful analysis of our future. Yes, climate change is real and an escalating number of species fall extinct each year, but we are already doing something about it, and our Earth is amazingly resilient. There is so much more I could say, but I would just recommend this book to anyone who finds anthropology and human physical and cultural evolution interesting.
"The technology of spears and digging sticks transformed us from quadrupedal into bipedal animals. The technology of fire and cooking resulted in the loss of our body hair, a massive expansion in the size of our brains, and the disappearance of our tree-climbing anatomy. The technology of clothing and shelter enabled us to migrate out of the tropics and made it possible for our 'premature' newborns to survive in cold climates. And the technology of symbolic communication involved significant changes in our brains, freeing us from the pace of biological evolution and enabling us to take advantage of the speed and flexibility of cultural evolution... When the technology of agriculture made it possible for humanity to produce its own food and store it for the future, our species cast off a burden that it had borne, along with all other animals, since its beginning.
Unbound from the daily search for food, our ancestors settled down in permanent settlements composed of hundreds and even thousands of people, learned to specialize in arts and crafts, and began to multiply. New and powerful technologies of transportation and communication enabled us to build cities and multiply still more, creating enormous civilizations composed of hundreds of thousands of people. The technology of precision machinery made it possible for us to create modern industrial nation-states composed of millions, and as a result we have multiplied so fast that our long-term future is now at risk. And the recent development of digital technology - which enables us to trade, visit, and communicate with all members of the human species - has made it possible, for the first time in our history, for humanity to fuse into a single global society."
I enjoyed the way Currier walked the reader through each of his eight transforming technologies, broke down the details, and showed why they were so revolutionary. I was quite convinced by most of his reasoning. I also appreciated his more hopeful analysis of our future. Yes, climate change is real and an escalating number of species fall extinct each year, but we are already doing something about it, and our Earth is amazingly resilient. There is so much more I could say, but I would just recommend this book to anyone who finds anthropology and human physical and cultural evolution interesting.
June 11, 2022
كتاب مثري إلى الحد الذي لا يوصف خصوصاً في ظل ضعفنا في العالم العربي معرفياً بهذا الجانب من الدراسات الأنثروبولوجية. بالإضافة إلى سيطرة العقلية الأسطورية لفي الذهنية العربية والإسلامية عن نشأة الكون وبداية الإنسان.
••••••••••••••••
الإنسان الحديث لم يوجد هكذا من فراغ ولم ينزل من السماء وهو عليم مكين .
إن ما وصل إليه الجنس البشري اليوم من قدرة جبارة على التعلم وحفظ ما تعلمه ونقله للآخرين بغض النظر عن عوامل الزمان والمكان لهو نتاج لمرحلة طويلة من التطور البيولوجي والثقافي امتدت لملايين السنين ، فهو سليل لأسلاف آخرين من الكائنات البشرية ( أشباه البشر الأوائل و البشر الناشئون وأخيراً الإنسان الحديث) قد وجدت على الأرض يوماً ثم منذ مئات الملايين من السنين ثم انقرضت.
مقدرة الإنسان وتمكنه في الأرض هو نتاج تراكم تعليم أرضي بحت وليس سماوي - سيرورة متصلة من العوامل البيئية و الجيولوجية مكنته من تطوير تقنيات ( التقنية بمفهومها الأوسع ) ساهمت في تطور تكوينه البيولوجي التشريحي ( دماغياً وجسمانيا ) و أساليب معيشته ثقافياً إلى أن وصل إلى ما وصل إليه اليوم.
••••••••••••••••
في هذا الكتاب يطرح الكاتب أن ثمة ثمانية ( تحولات ) وهي تغيرات جذرية في كل مناحي حياة الإنسان وأدت إلى وجوده على النحو الذي هو عليه الآن. بدءَ من السؤال الأول لماذا اتخذ أشباه البشر الوضعية المنتصبة؟. وهو تحول خطير ومحوري إذ أن الإنسان حينما انتصبت قامته قد تحررت يداه وبات بإمكانه مع تطورات بيولوجية إضافية صناعة وابتكار بعض التقنيات.
الفصل الأول من الكتاب المعنون بـ ( منطلق الرئيسيات ) يشرح فيه الكاتب أوجه الاشتراك والاختلاف بين جماعية الرئيسيات وهي الجنس البيولوجي الذي ينتمي إليه البشر مع بعض الكائنات الأخرى. ثم يذهب مع بقية فصول الكتاب بالحديث عن التقنيات وكيف أحدثت هذه التقنيات التحولات في حياة البشر مع التفسيرات العلمية لذلك ( تقنية الحراب وعصي الحفر ، تقنية النار ، تقنية المأكل والملبس ، تقنية التواصل الرمزي ، تقنيات الزراعة ، تقنيات التفاعل ، تقنية الآلات الدقيقة ، تقنيات المعلومات الرقمية)
وفي الفصل الأخير المعنون به عالمنا على حافة الهاوية يشرح فيه الكاتب أبرز المخاطر البيئية والسلوكيات البشرية التي تهدد حقيقة وجودنا على الكوكب.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CeqY1rRrv...
••••••••••••••••
الإنسان الحديث لم يوجد هكذا من فراغ ولم ينزل من السماء وهو عليم مكين .
إن ما وصل إليه الجنس البشري اليوم من قدرة جبارة على التعلم وحفظ ما تعلمه ونقله للآخرين بغض النظر عن عوامل الزمان والمكان لهو نتاج لمرحلة طويلة من التطور البيولوجي والثقافي امتدت لملايين السنين ، فهو سليل لأسلاف آخرين من الكائنات البشرية ( أشباه البشر الأوائل و البشر الناشئون وأخيراً الإنسان الحديث) قد وجدت على الأرض يوماً ثم منذ مئات الملايين من السنين ثم انقرضت.
مقدرة الإنسان وتمكنه في الأرض هو نتاج تراكم تعليم أرضي بحت وليس سماوي - سيرورة متصلة من العوامل البيئية و الجيولوجية مكنته من تطوير تقنيات ( التقنية بمفهومها الأوسع ) ساهمت في تطور تكوينه البيولوجي التشريحي ( دماغياً وجسمانيا ) و أساليب معيشته ثقافياً إلى أن وصل إلى ما وصل إليه اليوم.
••••••••••••••••
في هذا الكتاب يطرح الكاتب أن ثمة ثمانية ( تحولات ) وهي تغيرات جذرية في كل مناحي حياة الإنسان وأدت إلى وجوده على النحو الذي هو عليه الآن. بدءَ من السؤال الأول لماذا اتخذ أشباه البشر الوضعية المنتصبة؟. وهو تحول خطير ومحوري إذ أن الإنسان حينما انتصبت قامته قد تحررت يداه وبات بإمكانه مع تطورات بيولوجية إضافية صناعة وابتكار بعض التقنيات.
الفصل الأول من الكتاب المعنون بـ ( منطلق الرئيسيات ) يشرح فيه الكاتب أوجه الاشتراك والاختلاف بين جماعية الرئيسيات وهي الجنس البيولوجي الذي ينتمي إليه البشر مع بعض الكائنات الأخرى. ثم يذهب مع بقية فصول الكتاب بالحديث عن التقنيات وكيف أحدثت هذه التقنيات التحولات في حياة البشر مع التفسيرات العلمية لذلك ( تقنية الحراب وعصي الحفر ، تقنية النار ، تقنية المأكل والملبس ، تقنية التواصل الرمزي ، تقنيات الزراعة ، تقنيات التفاعل ، تقنية الآلات الدقيقة ، تقنيات المعلومات الرقمية)
وفي الفصل الأخير المعنون به عالمنا على حافة الهاوية يشرح فيه الكاتب أبرز المخاطر البيئية والسلوكيات البشرية التي تهدد حقيقة وجودنا على الكوكب.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CeqY1rRrv...
February 20, 2017
Richard Currier’s book “Unbound” takes us back millions of years in order to lead us back through eight technologies that contributed to the world we inhabit today. Once completed, he delves into a ninth, tackling the digital information age and discussing the impact it has had and will continue to have on our lives as well as those who follow us.
While this book could easily have been a myriad of technical terms, Mr. Currier has written it in an educational as well as entertaining manner. Many interesting facts are contained on nearly every page (As an example, that strong grip a newborn exhibits at birth is actually a hereditary requirement from the days when infants needed to grasp its mother’s fur with both hands and feet so the mother could use her hands and feet to keep the two of them alive. Our current set of toes, of course, do not allow for grabbing, and humans have long outgrown the need to live in trees).
In fact, the descriptions of how and why humans evolved – such as I mentioned in the above paragraph – are amazing and yet make so much sense due to the author’s wonderful commentary. Most of us realize that fire was a game-changer, but the consideration of how bipedal locomotion affected females in the gathering of food or the reasons why man HAD to be making clothes a million years ago are also monumental steps in our progression to the 21st century. His detailed explanation on how agricultural societies impacted man and helped create villages, trade, and eventually city-states are enlightening. Lastly, Mr. Currier touches on the potential for a planetary catastrophe of our own making as man demonstrates a disregard for the danger signs that nature keeps erecting in our path.
Bottom line: Entertaining and educational, “Unbound” just might cause you to read it in one or two sittings. Highly recommended. Five stars.
While this book could easily have been a myriad of technical terms, Mr. Currier has written it in an educational as well as entertaining manner. Many interesting facts are contained on nearly every page (As an example, that strong grip a newborn exhibits at birth is actually a hereditary requirement from the days when infants needed to grasp its mother’s fur with both hands and feet so the mother could use her hands and feet to keep the two of them alive. Our current set of toes, of course, do not allow for grabbing, and humans have long outgrown the need to live in trees).
In fact, the descriptions of how and why humans evolved – such as I mentioned in the above paragraph – are amazing and yet make so much sense due to the author’s wonderful commentary. Most of us realize that fire was a game-changer, but the consideration of how bipedal locomotion affected females in the gathering of food or the reasons why man HAD to be making clothes a million years ago are also monumental steps in our progression to the 21st century. His detailed explanation on how agricultural societies impacted man and helped create villages, trade, and eventually city-states are enlightening. Lastly, Mr. Currier touches on the potential for a planetary catastrophe of our own making as man demonstrates a disregard for the danger signs that nature keeps erecting in our path.
Bottom line: Entertaining and educational, “Unbound” just might cause you to read it in one or two sittings. Highly recommended. Five stars.
January 23, 2019
Interesting
The writing/editing could have been tighter. Almost every technology grouping featured a repeat of the writer's original statement of the impact of that tech. That was the biggest problem.
The second was a decided bias against the humanity of every "non-modern" early human. The term "modern human" itself began to feel like a political term, not an anthropological one. I have read differing and contradictory views of human development, just in passing and maybe my perception is inaccurate.
What I did notice was that he doesn't make a stab at guessing at the behaviors of other branches of humanity, though other social scientists have. He only refers to the great apes and it just seems that there is a weird gap between them and modern human. He can't cover everything but implying that Neanderthal and others were not up to snuff (hence extinct), while mentioning the close genetics of chimpanzees to humans is strange. I got the impression that the writer wasn't aware that most human beings carry 1% to 4% Neanderthal genes.
Those were my only issues with the book. It's interesting if you want a quick survey study of humans and technology. It reads more like a doctoral thesis than a popular science work, so it might seem dry and thin at the same time.
The writing/editing could have been tighter. Almost every technology grouping featured a repeat of the writer's original statement of the impact of that tech. That was the biggest problem.
The second was a decided bias against the humanity of every "non-modern" early human. The term "modern human" itself began to feel like a political term, not an anthropological one. I have read differing and contradictory views of human development, just in passing and maybe my perception is inaccurate.
What I did notice was that he doesn't make a stab at guessing at the behaviors of other branches of humanity, though other social scientists have. He only refers to the great apes and it just seems that there is a weird gap between them and modern human. He can't cover everything but implying that Neanderthal and others were not up to snuff (hence extinct), while mentioning the close genetics of chimpanzees to humans is strange. I got the impression that the writer wasn't aware that most human beings carry 1% to 4% Neanderthal genes.
Those were my only issues with the book. It's interesting if you want a quick survey study of humans and technology. It reads more like a doctoral thesis than a popular science work, so it might seem dry and thin at the same time.
September 11, 2018
An interesting book full of well-written information and anecdotes and illustrations of his theses. The reason I could not rate it higher is that his enthusiasms led him off onto too many interesting but not-quite-to-the-point side trails, and I kept wanting him to get back on point. Also he often was way too repetitious: "OK, I got your point. Move on!"
January 16, 2021
كتاب ياخذك لرحلة رايعة منذ ظهور الحياة والي يومنا هذا..
كتاب غني ورايع
كتاب غني ورايع
August 25, 2024
Well meant history writing in the 'big history' tradition but the narrative is rather dull, rehashing well worn stories and details only very occasionally surprising the reader with something approaching the notion of a fresh insight; instead turn to the classics; Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity.
November 1, 2023
يأخذنا الكتاب في رحلة حول تطور البشرية واستخدامها لتقنيات التي ساعدت البشر على السيطرة على كوكب الأرض بأكمله، يبدأ كوريير بتقنية الحراب وعصي الحفر والنار ويتدرج حتى يصل لتقنية الآلات الدقيقة والمعلومات الرقمية، يشرح كوريير كل الثورات التقنية بإسهاب مفصل والدور الذي لعبته في تحولنا إلى سادة الأرض.
في الفصل الأخير يتحدث الكاتب عن الجانب السلبي للتطور البشري سواء على البشر أو الكائنات الحية أو كوكب الارض ككلّ.
في الفصل الأخير يتحدث الكاتب عن الجانب السلبي للتطور البشري سواء على البشر أو الكائنات الحية أو كوكب الارض ككلّ.
April 19, 2022
The first two thirds of this book basically boils down every human achievement to being naked and wanting to have sex - only got the second star because it goes fairly informative about the industrial revolution on *don’t worry it’s still because of being naked and having sex* but when he talks about the history and origin of technology it’s cool.
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February 5, 2024علم ع د
و غ
تقاة، عبد، نفس
هي
و غ
تقاة، عبد، نفس
هي
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2019
I was not expecting the exhaustive crash course in evolutionary theory. Be forewarned, that is the dominant flavor. However, there are plenty of fascinating observations along the trajectory of each reviewed technology that make one pause and think-isn't that why we read anyway? Here is the premise of the work:
The author takes a deceptively "cool as a cucumber" tone as he narrates our collective history from its earliest appearance in the fossil record to us teetering precariously on the precipice of extincting ourselves. (that should be a verb, if it isn't)
There is a wonderful thread of human behavior discussed that is anomaly to evolutionary biology, which I enjoyed immensely.
Here's a gem that is new to me: "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." That seems like a road that runs both ways . . .
The author does not try to convince of any particular course of action. He seems to express confidence in our verifiable ability to continue to solve problems with technology. It is a very interesting read, pleasingly diverse, and I think the reader will bring to it what you will.
LINKS: The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World
Culture and Commitment: The New Relationships Between the Generations in the 1970s
The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory: Why Did Foragers Become Farmers?
The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?
History of the Hour: Clocks and Modern Temporal Orders
The Coming of the Book: The Impact of Printing 1450-1800
"We humans are no longer a species of simple hunters and gatherers living within the constraints of a stable natural world. Instead, freed from many of our natural limitations by the relentless progress of technology, we have become the unbound masters of the biosphere."
The author takes a deceptively "cool as a cucumber" tone as he narrates our collective history from its earliest appearance in the fossil record to us teetering precariously on the precipice of extincting ourselves. (that should be a verb, if it isn't)
"The full story of the sixth mass extinction is still to be written. We may yet hope for a happy ending."
There is a wonderful thread of human behavior discussed that is anomaly to evolutionary biology, which I enjoyed immensely.
Here's a gem that is new to me: "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." That seems like a road that runs both ways . . .
The author does not try to convince of any particular course of action. He seems to express confidence in our verifiable ability to continue to solve problems with technology. It is a very interesting read, pleasingly diverse, and I think the reader will bring to it what you will.
LINKS: The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World
Culture and Commitment: The New Relationships Between the Generations in the 1970s
The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory: Why Did Foragers Become Farmers?
The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?
History of the Hour: Clocks and Modern Temporal Orders
The Coming of the Book: The Impact of Printing 1450-1800
June 5, 2017
I really enjoy narrative histories that synthesise the details around themes. In this instance I found the author's 'symbolic communication' theme especially interesting: this theme linked the function of language and art together in a way I had never considered. All up an interesting and worthwhile read
September 24, 2018
He looks at technology is its broadest sense: that which allows hominids to accomplish more than they could with just their bare hands. Starting with primates such as chimpanzees and bonobos, he sees historical turning points that moved humans further and further away from their evolutionary beginnings. So: 1) tools, traditions that get passed down to new generations, protective motherhood, and the concept of a homeland, some place that belongs to us and not to them; 2) upright posture and bipedal movement that allowed further development of tools and weapons, such as digging sticks and spears; 3) the control of fire, which allowed both cooking and the ability to live and interact at night, around the fire; 4) clothing and shelter that allowed early humans to live in colder environments; 5) language and other forms of symbolic communication; 6)agriculture and the establishment of permanent villages, and the expansion of the idea of the tribe or family to larger collections of people living and working together; 7)the development of writing, the wheel and building of ships, which allowed history to begin, and humans to travel further; 8) precision machinery, which led to the industrial revolution; 9)and the digital world of today.
A well-written overview of human history, focused on those developments that allowed history to happen. A bit quick in places, as he goes on, there is a lot of skimming along the surface, but that is acceptable in view of the larger vision of what he is trying to do, which is to summarize the various stages of what has made us human, and the situation we find ourselves in today. Fun to read, and good to have on the shelf for future reference.
I will remember his serious and no-nonsense survey at the then of where we could conceivably go if we fuck up the earth totally. His clear answer is: no place. We are here, and have to find ways to keep it livable for all.
A well-written overview of human history, focused on those developments that allowed history to happen. A bit quick in places, as he goes on, there is a lot of skimming along the surface, but that is acceptable in view of the larger vision of what he is trying to do, which is to summarize the various stages of what has made us human, and the situation we find ourselves in today. Fun to read, and good to have on the shelf for future reference.
I will remember his serious and no-nonsense survey at the then of where we could conceivably go if we fuck up the earth totally. His clear answer is: no place. We are here, and have to find ways to keep it livable for all.
Read
June 28, 2018Very much enjoyed this very analytical, wide-ranging, pull-it-all-together history. I did not pick up on a few points that I think he missed: no discussion of trade in pre-urban (e.g., Neolithic) society; no discussion (sort of a hint of an implication) of the extinction of megafauna as a factor in the advent of agriculture; no acknowledgement of the cash-earning tradition ("butter and egg money", servant work, truck farming) of rural women while possibly overstating their perceived value in an agricultural society (although maybe it's more that as long as men and especially women conform, there will be at least lip service to female value). I think there's an implied overstatement of how much time hunter-gatherers spend getting food, compared to agriculturalists' work of getting food and protecting property. He also talks about Charles Babbage and the difference and analytical engines without saying anything about Ada Lovelace. But especially in the first half of the book or so, a great read.
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