Traversing from Homo sapiens to cyborgs, the narrative explores audacious and profound inquiries embedded within the tapestry of human history.
Introduction
Summary
Impressive Passages
Review
Conclusion
Introduction
Have you ever pondered how our Homo sapiens, once mere foragers on the fringes, rose to become the apex predators of the Earth? Have you ever wondered how our ancestors, who were once hunter-gatherers, managed to construct cities and foster civilizations as we know them today? In this book "Sapiens," by the then relatively unknown Israeli scholar Yuval Noah Harari, the author offers his own answers.
Through traversing the vast expanse of human history, Harari identifies three major revolutions that have shaped the course of humanity: the Cognitive Revolution approximately 70,000 years ago, the Agricultural Revolution about 12,000 years ago, and the Scientific Revolution around 500 years ago. While the Scientific Revolution continues to unfold and the Agricultural Revolution is still revealing new facts, the Cognitive Revolution remains shrouded in mystery to a significant extent. With a narrative that unfolds in a remarkably rational and seamless manner, supported by ongoing discoveries and scanty evidence, Harari's imaginative language keeps readers engaged throughout.
Coupled with a comprehensive view of history, intricate storytelling, remarkable theories, surprising insights, and subtle humor, this book defied my expectations of being a dry academic read, captivating me with its readability even without extensive background knowledge.
Summary
The book is divided into a total of ten chapters, with the Cognitive Revolution, Agricultural Revolution, and Scientific Revolution each occupying one chapter, and three chapters in the middle dealing with the unification of humanity. It extensively recounts the process of our humble Homo sapiens, once mere foragers, becoming the rulers of the Earth and shaping the course of history. It portrays the grand flow of the species Homo sapiens, showcasing the vast sweep of human history.
While most books on history often narrate history to seek the meaning of human life, this book pays little attention to such microscopic aspects. Instead, it narrates human history entirely from a global perspective, focusing on the scientific evolutionary process.
The author, Yuval Noah Harari, asserts that among the six species of human "kinds" that existed 100,000 years ago, only one kind, Homo sapiens, is the ancestor of all humanity living on Earth today. This makes Homo sapiens the father of all humanity. The other five species have all become extinct, implying that Homo sapiens may have exterminated them. Moreover, the author attributes the emergence of history to the unique language of Homo sapiens. With this starting point, Homo sapiens, who once wandered Africa 70,000 years ago, became the ultimate conqueror through the Cognitive Revolution, Agricultural Revolution, and Scientific Revolution.
The Cognitive Revolution refers to the emergence of a new way of thinking and communicating between 70,000 and 30,000 years ago. While the exact trigger for this cannot be proven, the most common answer is the remarkable flexibility of our language. While animal languages only convey facts, humans can gossip and tell lies. Gossip, even though it is a malicious ability, is essential for cooperation among large numbers of individuals. Moreover, imagination allows us to collectively imagine beyond simple fantasies. The accumulation of many fantasies has given rise to unprecedented abilities for large groups to cooperate, enabling the construction of cities with populations exceeding tens of thousands and the establishment of empires ruling over millions.
The Agricultural Revolution dates back to approximately 12,000 years ago. The animals hunted and the plants gathered by humans for 2.5 million years grew and reproduced on their own without human intervention. This way of life changed completely around 10,000 years ago with the Agricultural Revolution. When Homo sapiens began sowing seeds and cultivating the land, they surely expected increased yields to feed their children well and go to sleep without hunger. However, Homo sapiens encountered an unexpected development: as the harvest increased, the population skyrocketed.
Far from bringing better meals and more leisure time, the Agricultural Revolution instead led to a population explosion, the emergence of profligate elites, social hierarchies, exploitation, and the onset of patriarchy. The average farmer worked harder than the average forager and, in return, had a poorer diet. The Agricultural Revolution was the greatest fraud in history.
Since the Agricultural Revolution, human societies have become larger and more complex. To sustain complex societies, human imagination had to create highly sophisticated myths. During the first millennium BCE, three candidates emerged as universal orders that could dominate the vast human race: money, empires, and religions. These great myths formed the basis of a revolutionary world that defied the laws of nature.
The Scientific Revolution occurred roughly 500 years ago. The author argues that the greatness of the Scientific Revolution lies in the 'discovery of ignorance.' In most traditional cultures, people believed they already had answers to important questions in life. They thought the answers lay in the Bible or the Quran. In contrast, modern people realized their ignorance about many questions and understood that new observations and investigations were necessary to find answers. Even today, unlike clergy, scientists acknowledge their ignorance about many important questions.
Science, imperialism, and capitalism are mutually reinforcing. Science and capitalism supported imperial expansion by providing tools and funding. Furthermore, imperialism and science were essential for the emergence of capitalism. The continuous growth of capitalism was facilitated by imperial expansion and scientific advancement. Empires provided markets and raw materials, while science expanded new sources of energy and production efficiency. Recent rapid economic growth cannot be explained without scientific advancement.
All of this was made possible by the emergence of a new religion: 'capitalism.' Humanity believes in a single god like never before in history. Thanks to this mighty god, humanity will usher in a world that was unimaginable in the past.
Impressive Passages
"The Cognitive Revolution refers to a new way of thinking and communicating that emerged between approximately 70,000 and 30,000 years ago... The most widely accepted theory suggests that a fortuitous genetic mutation in Homo sapiens' brain occurred, altering its internal wiring. This enabled thinking in a way that had not been possible before and allowed for communication using an entirely new type of language."
"In contrast, humanity rose to the top too quickly, leaving no time for ecosystems to adapt. Furthermore, humans themselves failed to adapt. The Earth's apex predators are mostly confident beings, filled with the assurance of having dominated for millions of years. In contrast, Homo sapiens resemble dictators of backward countries in Central America. Humans have been, until recently, losers on the savannah, and therefore, they are filled with fear and anxiety about their status, making them twice as cruel and dangerous. Many of the catastrophic historical tragedies, from deadly wars to ecological destruction, have originated from such a rapid leap."
"One of the few iron laws of history is that luxury becomes a necessity and spawns new obligations."
"So why study history? Unlike physics or economics, history is not a means of making accurate predictions. Studying history is not to know the future but to broaden our horizons. It's to understand that our current situation is neither natural nor inevitable. It's to understand that there are more possibilities in front of us than we imagine."
"But Europeans came to believe that acquiring new knowledge was always good."
Review
Sometimes, I wonder what kind of life our ancestors lived in the past. Of course, I know they must have roamed mountains and fields, gathering fruits and hunting animals for survival. However, through this book, I was able to vividly imagine the lives of ancient humans in a more tangible way. It doesn't just list historical events but offers a fresh perspective on human history, introducing new ideas that I hadn't previously considered.
Reading the book, I constantly experienced shifts in thinking or discoveries of new facts. The author vehemently challenges existing concepts and knowledge that we took for granted. Particularly, his argument about the Agricultural Revolution was more than just novel; it was shocking. I was taught that the significance of the Agricultural Revolution lies in enabling human settlements and fostering cultural development through stable food supplies.
However, Yuval Noah Harari argues otherwise. He calls the Agricultural Revolution the greatest fraud in history. It feels unsettling to have what I know contradicted. Deep down, I want to refute the author's opinion, but my knowledge is limited, so I can only mutter in disagreement. As I read through his arguments and evidence, I find myself gradually persuaded by him.
The author discusses the shift in working hours before and after the Agricultural Revolution. During the hunting and gathering era, Homo sapiens had shorter working hours and longer leisure time. However, with the advent of agriculture, they had to wake up early to tend crops, raise livestock, and weed fields. They also had to prepare for next year's crops during winter.
Secondly, he mentions the issue of overpopulation. With agriculture, the population exploded, and humans had poorer diets. They consumed minimal calories from a handful of crops, and inevitably, during times of famine, the mortality rate soared.
Another aspect that greatly surprised me is how Yuval Noah Harari challenges what I knew about the evolutionary development of early humans. Before reading the book, I thought it would be a straightforward depiction of human evolution, like those linear narratives from Homo erectus to Neanderthals and then to Homo sapiens, as taught in school. However, astonishingly, many human species coexisted concurrently, and it was just the dominant Homo sapiens that eventually conquered the Earth.
This raises questions. Why were Homo sapiens dominant over other species? How did they manage to exterminate or outcompete the physically stronger and larger Neanderthals? Debates still linger on whether it was genocide or other reasons that led to their demise, and why Homo sapiens came to dominate the planet. The answer to these questions, in a word according to Harari, is "belief." The reason Homo sapiens could overpower Neanderthals was the power of cooperation, driven by shared imagination and trust, which other species lacked. Belief in gods enabled immense cooperation among humans, granting them immense power. And now, believing in capitalism, humans are building kingdoms in the realm of imagination, pursuing eternal life through human cloning and artificial intelligence, almost as if humans have become gods themselves.
Harari argues that in human history, there is no progress, just a series of coincidences. Humans transitioned from hunter-gatherers to settled agriculturalists, and through the scientific revolution, they are now moving towards the era of "humans aspiring to be gods." He explains this process of human history with remarkable insight and audacity, while posing ultimate questions to all of humanity. "Then, are humans truly happy? Have we become happier since the era of the Agricultural Revolution? Were we happier in the hunter-gatherer lifestyle than in the agricultural one? Are we tolerating the greed of capitalism for the sake of happiness? Even in ancient Athens and now, it seems no one has found a universal answer to these questions yet. Studying history, living life, pursuing what humanity should strive for, and how individuals should live? Amidst the vast discourse, feeling like one is standing in front of their mirror, Sapiens is such a book."
It's a must-read for modern Homo sapiens, allowing us to glance through the path humans have walked, reflecting on human evolution and history in a single book, prompting much contemplation and thought.
Conclusion
Throughout millions of years, Homo sapiens have undergone remarkable evolution compared to other species. However, in the relatively minuscule span of the last few centuries, humanity has demonstrated unprecedented and incomparable advancements. Amidst this whirlwind of change, it is essential to reflect on past history to ensure that we do not repeat the same mistakes, all while not losing other valuable virtues besides the sole pursuit of "technological advancement." Yuval Noah Harari's 'Sapiens' serves as an invaluable reminder, pinpointing these considerations clearly, and will undoubtedly serve as an exceptional guidepost for humanity.
