“Biology enables, Culture forbids.”
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
“Farmers tend to eat a very limited and unbalanced diet. Especially in premodern times, most of the calories feeding an agricultural population came from a single crop – such as wheat, potatoes or rice – that lacks some of the vitamins, minerals and other nutritional materials humans need. The typical peasant in traditional China ate rice for breakfast, rice for lunch, and rice for dinner. If she were lucky, she could expect to eat the same on the following day. By contrast, ancient foragers regularly ate dozens of different foodstuffs. The peasant’s ancient ancestor, the forager, may have eaten berries and mushrooms for breakfast; fruits, snails and turtle for lunch; and rabbit steak with wild onions for dinner. Tomorrow’s menu might have been completely different. This variety ensured that the ancient foragers received all the necessary nutrients.”
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
“Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. But from a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural. Whatever is possible is by definition also natural. A truly unnatural behaviour, one that goes against the laws of nature, simply cannot exist, so it would need no prohibition.”
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
“how long can we maintain the wall separating the department of biology from the departments of law and political science?”
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
“Hierarchies serve an important function. They enable complete strangers to know how to treat one another without wasting the time and energy needed to become personally acquainted.”
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
― Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Around the World
— 1884 members
— last activity 7 hours, 23 min ago
Each year we look at our to-be-read shelves and choose which countries of the world we want to travel through. Some of our members map their journeys ...more
Nitin’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Nitin’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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