Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
    Unavailable
    Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
    Unavailable
    Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
    Audiobook15 hours

    Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

    Written by Yuval Noah Harari

    Narrated by Derek Perkins

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Read the ebook instead

    About this audiobook

    One hundred thousand years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens. How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations, and human rights; to trust money, books, and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables, and consumerism? Bold, wide-ranging, and provocative, Sapiens integrates history and science to challenge everything we thought we knew about being human: our thoughts, our actions, our heritage . . . and our future.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Audio
    Release dateFeb 10, 2015
    ISBN9781494576905
    Author

    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. 

    More audiobooks from Yuval Noah Harari

    Related to Sapiens

    Related audiobooks

    Science & Mathematics For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Books | Come to Think of It

      Nov 8, 2019

      Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, a professor of history at the University of Notre Dame in the United States, has built on themes dispersed in many of his books to produce Out of Our Minds-a scholarly yet legible journey through history, science, religion,

      1 min read

    • Article

      Human History Gets a Rewrite

      Oct 18, 2021

      Human History Gets a Rewrite
      9 min read

    • Article

      Michael Wood On…

      Sep 1, 2022

      In my job, travelling the world making films on history and culture, I’ve spent a lot of time exploring religion in its many manifestations. Religion, after all, is a gift for the camera: full of colour, action and often moving rituals. It’s also a c

      3 min read

    • Article

      How Humans Evolved

      Aug 31, 2023

      How Humans Evolved
      3 min read

    • Article

      Professor Bill Sillar On The Legacy Of The Inca Empire

      Mar 16, 2023

      MEET THE EXPERT BILL SILLAR is professor of archaeology and technology in society at the UCL Institute of Archaeology. To hear Professor Sillar discuss the history of the Inca empire on the HistoryExtra podcast, scan the QR code shown here or visit h

      2 min read

    • Article

      Nature

      Jun 19, 2023

      In an article published last year in the Scientific American, contemplating developments in our search for extraterrestrial life, Andrea Gawrylewski writes, “Given the math, it seems impossible that we humans would be the only living things in the co

      3 min read

    • Article

      Creating God

      Jul 16, 2018

      Creating God
      1 min read

    • Article

      Michael Wood On...

      Jan 21, 2021

      I’m reading Camilla Townsend’s Fifth Sun, which won the 2020 Cundill Prize, the biggest literary prize anywhere for history. A boldly imaginative attempt to tell the story of the Aztecs from indigenous sources, it raises fascinating issues. The Spani

      3 min read

    • Article

      Usurpers Of The World

      Mar 17, 2021

      Usurpers Of The World
      5 min read

    • Article

      Ad Astra

      Mar 17, 2021

      Ad Astra
      1 min read

    • Article

      In Awe Of All Our Relations

      Aug 24, 2021

      Awe—it’s one of our most profound emotions. According to evolutionary psychologist Dacher Keltner, founder of the Greater Good Science Center, it happens when something vast stretches the limits of our frame of reference. Big vistas induce awe. So do

      2 min read

    • Article

      Anthropology

      Nov 20, 2023

      This time of year becomes a shopping paradise – and a shopping hell. The arrival of novel products with amazingly good deals amid the gift-giving holidays leads many people to ecstatic levels of consumption. End-of-year shopping also leads to packed

      3 min read

    • Article

      Stilling The Pendulum

      Feb 13, 2023

      Stilling The Pendulum
      5 min read

    • Article

      Mutual Learning Among Civilizations

      Jul 27, 2023

      Humanity has a history of civilization dating back millennia. While civilizations have arisen and developed on different continents and at different times, they have prospered and innovated through mutual exchanges and mutual learning. The ancient Si

      3 min read

    • Article

      On Hope

      May 3, 2020

      A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO I started sometimes asking, at the end of my conversations: “What makes you despair, and where are you finding hope?” It turns out that answers to the two parts of that question are more often conjoined than oppositional. The pu

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Origin Of Humans

      Dec 27, 2019

      The Origin Of Humans
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Age of Outrage

      Dec 17, 2017

      The Age of Outrage
      17 min read

    • Article

      A Guarantor Of Liberalism

      Aug 9, 2019

      An unfortunate trope among the global liberal elite is the demonisation of patriotism. Often, extremist nationalist groups of the 20th century, such as the Nazis, or the Italian Fascists, are used as examples to try and make us wary of patriotism and

      5 min read

    • Article

      1. The Brightside

      Jul 2, 2016

      1. The Brightside
      8 min read

    • Article

      How To Lose A Civilisation

      Jun 18, 2020

      How To Lose A Civilisation
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Past As Future

      Jan 4, 2020

      The Past As Future
      4 min read

    Reviews for Sapiens

    4/5

    2,200 ratings109 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 1/5
      Wie haben wir, Homo Sapiens, es geschafft, den Kampf der sechs menschlichen Spezies ums Überleben für uns zu entscheiden? Warum ließen unsere Vorfahren, die einst Jäger und Sammler waren, sich nieder, betrieben Ackerbau und gründeten Städte und Königreiche? Warum begannen wir, an Götter zu glauben, an Nationen, an Menschenrechte? Warum setzen wir Vertrauen in Geld, Bücher und Gesetze und unterwerfen uns der Bürokratie, Zeitplänen und dem Konsum? Und hat uns all dies im Lauf der Jahrtausende glücklicher gemacht?Vor 100 000 Jahren war Homo sapiens noch ein unbedeutendes Tier, das unauffällig in einem abgelegenen Winkel des afrikanischen Kontinents lebte. Unsere Vorfahren teilten sich den Planeten mit mindestens fünf weiteren menschlichen Spezies, und die Rolle, die sie im Ökosystem spielten, war nicht größer als die von Gorillas, Libellen oder Quallen. Vor 70 000 Jahren dann vollzog sich ein mysteriöser und rascher Wandel mit dem Homo sapiens, und es war vor allem die Beschaffenheit seines Gehirns, die ihn zum Herren des Planeten und zum Schrecken des Ökosystems werden ließ. Bis heute hat sich diese Vorherrschaft stetig zugespitzt: Der Mensch hat die Fähigkeit zu schöpferischem und zu zerstörerischem Handeln wie kein anderes Lebewesen. Und die Menschheit steht jetzt an einem Punkt, an dem sie entscheiden muss, welchen Weg sie von hier aus gehen will.
    • 5/5
      A phenomenal book on the history and structure of the world, detailing how we stand as humans. Harari manages to capture so many different disciplines, and so much terrain, with this endeavour. It is highly educational, logical, structured (in a good, appealing way) and detailed. I was WOWed by the book entirely and believe that it is among some of the greatest books that we have available to us today. I recommend it for anyone who wants to think and has an inquisitive mind.5 stars- fully earned!
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      The prose is excellent and sharp, but I found his viewpoints rather pessimistic.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      This is a winner. The author cuts across disciplines to explore the history of humankind. What emerges is a picture of an inherently clever and creative but ultimately destructive beast. Along the way he asks poignant questions, such as: what if Homo sapiens had not killed off its brother humanoid species i.e. Neanderthals, Homo erectus etc. Also he points to the possible ultimate destruction of mankind, yet gives some hope. History, biology, anthropology, sociology, psychology all come together in this wonderful book about us that everyone should read.
    • 4/5
      Harari talks about the history of homo sapiens, the development of our current world, and possibilities for the future.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 1/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 1/5
      Shoddy generalisations, mistakes, ignorance, confusion and vagueness. An almost totally worthless book.
    • 3/5
      Flimsily supported opinions and broad generalizations place this ambitious endeavor in a category better labeled as subjective nonfiction.
    • 4/5
      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)
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      A book that took me a while to read but never felt like a chore, and now I can't stop talking about it. Each chapter seemed to have some new idea, or a new way of presenting ideas. While generally serious and certainly not "uplifting", it was also very readable with bits of humour sprinkled around. "We study history not to know the future but to widen our horizons"
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.