Summary: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind By Yuval Noah Harari

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A Brief History of Humankind By Yuval Noah Harari

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Genres: Audiobook, History, The World, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Science

81 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2018

Reviews

[ash | songsforafuturepoet]

My first foray into politics and socioeconomics, as well as my first ever book club discussion. And for a very well-balanced and all-rounded introduction into the history and formation of the human society, this is a good book to read. There is a good mix of agreed-upon factual accounts of events, discussion of the public view of certain topics compared to what is considered the consensus of academics and scientists, and myth disproving.

We referred to Penguin's list of guiding questions for discussion for our book club:

Of all the human developments described in Sapiens, which one do you think was the most significant in the course of our history?
By what measures is homo sapiens the dominant species on planet earth?
Which was the most surprising fact or assertion that you came across while reading the book? Did you disagree with any of Harari’s arguments or interpretations?
Do you think that the major world religions are comparable to ‘shared mythologies’ such as nations, corporations and currency? When does a mythology become a reality?
Humankind has only been present for a minute fraction of planet earth’s existence – do you think that our civilization will retain its current position in centuries to come?
How can reading about history help us in the present day and the future?

I personally found that there were many points in the book that has facilitated shifts in my thinking. It's a valuable thing to have in any book. One of such particular instance happened when he said - and quite rightfully - that human rights is a shared imagined reality. A shared imagined reality, for those who have not read the book, lest you gasp in horror - is simply a collective, common belief in something that isn't physical or tangible, and along with it a trust that everyone else believes in that too.

"Yet the truly unique feature of our language is not its ability to transmit information about men and lions. Rather, it’s the ability to transmit information about things that do not exist at all. As far as we know, only Sapiens can talk about entire kinds of entities that they have never seen, touched or smelled... [the] most cherished desires of present-day Westerners are shaped by romantic, nationalist, capitalist and humanist myths that have been around for centuries."

He has also made some commentary on the state of romanticism today, which I found humbling and enlightening, because even though I believe in subjective reality and always tried to challenge my own worldviews, romanticism is all I know and I never thought it could have been any different:

"Romanticism tells us that in order to make the most of our human potential we must have as many different experiences as we can. We must open ourselves to a wide spectrum of emotions; we must sample various kinds of relationships; we must try different cuisines; we must learn to appreciate different styles of music. One of the best ways to do all that is to break free from our daily routine, leave behind our familiar setting, and go travelling in distant lands, where we can ‘experience’ the culture, the smells, the tastes and the norms of other people."

While the book can be said to be largely neutral in its stands and opinions, Harari also took it upon himself to direct the reader to things which I imagine he'd thought was important. It was clearly important to him that the reader was presented with and understood a range of opinions on issues, as well as challenged on existing views that were popular. I liked that he compared systems such as nationalism, humanism, etc. to religions, reiterating that they are no more 'valid' than Christianity or Buddhism. They are also born out of an imagined concept and they haven't been around forever although it certainly feels that way to most of us. And I think it's important to start thinking of ideas to be challenged, no matter how real they seem, in order to be critical thinkers and to progress.

I will be reading his next book, Homo Deus. And during the book club, someone also suggested Other Minds, which is about non-human animal intelligence, as a companion to the book. Very excited!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fascinating account of how certain social, cultural, and geopolitical movements molded humankind into our present day global community. As one can infer, this is not a light read. Consequently, and despite a terrific narrator, I cannot recommend listening to this story on audio, which is why I gave it a 3 star rating instead of 4 stars. Even when I spaced out for a second (I probably shouldn't admit this as I was driving, but we all do this at one point or another), I felt like I was missing an important point. While I had the option to rewind the audio, I was reluctant to do so too often as this was a 15+ hour narrative, so I forged ahead more often than I rewound. Bottom line: Read this book, but in print version.

[Shoba Bakhsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari Review — A Big Idea Book

Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens is a fascinating journey through the history of humankind. The book synthesizes anthropology, biology, and history in an accessible way that made me rethink what it means to be human.

The sections on cognitive and agricultural revolutions were especially enlightening and packed with memorable insights. Harari’s storytelling keeps complex ideas engaging, and I found myself pausing to reflect after many chapters.

This isn’t just a history book — it’s a book that challenges you to see our past, present, and future in a new light. Highly recommended for anyone interested in big ideas and human evolution.

[Abbas Moosajee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

This book is a great introduction to the history of Homo Sapiens from an anthropological, economical and scientific perspective. 

However, the author does overlook/misinterpret important facts and focus only on specific ideas, so do more research on a specific idea before finalizing your opinion on a particular topic. Nonetheless, it is a great introduction to the evolution of humans.

[Avogadro007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

This book is a great introduction to the history of Homo Sapiens from an anthropological, economical and scientific perspective. 

However, the author does overlook/misinterpret important facts and focus only on specific ideas, so do more research on a specific idea before finalizing your opinion on a particular topic. Nonetheless, it is a great introduction to the evolution of humans.

[Roel]

Dit boek heeft in grote mate mijn manier van kijken naar de geschiedenis veranderd. Ik zie de geschiedenis nu meer als een tragische, ongeordende reeks gebeurtenissen waarbij het verlaten van het jager en verzamelaars bestaan wel de meest tragische gebeurtenis was. Het is toeval dat we het nu in veel vlakken met wat beter hebben als toen.

[Nithya]

to-read

[Vin Addala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about our ancestors, covering biology, anthropology, psychology, sociology and more. Really interesting.

[Addison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly recommend!

[Maciej · Rating 4 out of 5]

read

[Bart-Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrated by: Derek Perkins | ASIN: B0741G911Q

[Phil Nadel · Rating 5 out of 5]

464 pages

[Reena]

Physical Shelf: Unit 5 - Bottom Shelf | Series/Universe: Harari Trilogy #1 | Category: Anthropology / Big History

[Aidan Coll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sapiens is so good and I reread when I can. Yes it simple and not like a history textbook but that’s what makes it good.