Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
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We’re in a weird historical moment with the coronavirus, but if we zoom out, it’s just a blip in the span of human existence. I can’t decide if that makes me feel better (this too shall pass) or worse (this feels like a pretty big ass blip right now), but it is what it is. So, I turn to Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari for some perspective.
13.5 billion years ago, the Big Bang got things movin’ and groovin’ in the universe. 4.5 billion years ago, Earth formed. 2.5 million years ago, the Homo genus (“man”) evolved. 200,000 years ago, Homo Sapiens (“wise men”) evolved. Us. We’re very wise. Just look at our memes! In the 200,000 years since, we’ve gone through a Cognitive, Agricultural, Scientific, and Industrial Revolution. Harari is very skilled at distilling a message and conveying it in layman’s terms. So, in describing the history of humankind, he covers a lot of ground without making me incredibly confused.
Harari argues that Homo Sapiens were able to dominate because we started cooperating on a large-scale, maintained through shared myth. He calls out myths that we take for granted as reality. For example, human rights is a myth. It’s not an absolute truth that exists outside of our collective imagination, whereas gravity doesn’t stop working just because you stop believing in it. We’re currently in a time when capitalism is our ethos and consumerism is our religion. This section has a lot of interesting takes on how our myths lead to discrimination and harm.
And that’s kind of the gist of every section. He focuses on each Revolution, pointing out broad trends but also giving concrete examples. He makes modern comparisons to help contextualize. I mumble to myself, Huh, that’s interesting. The consistent zooming in and out gives me a lil vertigo, but I also learn cool facts and reexamine my existing assumptions. For instance, when we reflect on the 19th and 20th centuries, we might think about all of the war. However, Dickens was on to something when he said *It was the best of times; it was the worst of times*. We’re actually living in a very peaceful era; thousands of years ago, we would have experienced much more horror and violence. Aside from peace, Harari has truly fascinating musings on happiness. Throughout the book, he makes the argument that we would be happier as hunter-gatherers; so, it’s helpful to see him work through the evolution of biology and culture to figure out how we can attain happiness here and now.
Harari spends the majority of the book on the past, but it’s clear that his chief concern is the future. Culturally, Harari foresees a future ruled by one empire that addresses global problems (like global warming). Evolutionarily, Homo sapiens have already transcended limits of natural selection and are now replacing those laws with intelligent design. So, what’s next now that we’re like gods?
Overall, he explains things very well, but he explains a lot of stuff. It’s hard to synthesize it all and wrap my mind around the whole thing, so I mostly came away with small-picture stuff that stands out as interesting. Still, I finished the book much more knowledgeable. As I read, I was vaguely concerned that I was buying into everything Harari said as if he was God. There’s not a lot of data throughout, especially given the boldness of his claims. He favors narrative, which works well as a reader because I’m able to digest it much more easily. But it does make me pause. You have to buy into his narrative and assumptions. On the other hand, if it had had more data, I probably would complain that it’s boring and overstuffed. As a person who’s just trying to learn a little more about my past and use that understanding to inform my future-- yes, this did the trick and it entertained while doing so. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind receives 4 out of 5 flames.
One legitimate downside is the book’s weight. The pages are thicc (cardstock-y material) and there are 416 of them. Not ideal for traveling, but fine for chillin at home mid-quarantine.
