Sapiens: THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLER Paperback – Big Book, 11 June 2015

BookReviewsFromHeart @ BloggerIt's quite rarely when you came across a person or a book which just amazes you and a part of it just housed into your mind and brain. By the way , What do know about Humans(us) ? I was taught,like many others, in school that Homo Sapiens is the scientific name for Humans. Homo Sapiens -the species Sapiens(Wise ) of the genus (Homo) and is the only living human species on earth but none of them debriefed us anything about the conditions in which we actually arose . Were there exist only Homo Sapiens or there exist other human species too ? 100,000 years ago,at least, six human species inhabited the earth. Today, there's just one. Us.And What injected in the minds of kids at a very young age , including me, is that it's the climate which causes the extinction of many animal species . But is it a complete truth ? Few tried to find . Honestly, I didn't but this book answered so many answers to the questions which were not even budded in our brain .Magnum Opus this book is a wide-ranging and bold work of non-fiction which challenges everything we thought we knew about being human from our thoughts to our actions and even our future . Sapiens tabled the answers of intricate questions raised from curiosity while studying the history of our own species. Book is divided into four major parts- The Cognitive Revolution, The Agriculture Revolution, The Unification of Humankind & The Scientific Revolution . Every Part is further divided into subparts & gives ample description on the mentioned topics. In the first section, The Cognitive Revolution , Author talks about the existence of other human species that exist before Homo Sapiens and how Homo Sapiens turned out to be the environment serial killer which had annihilated many species including his own siblings and many other animals.This section also reveals the way of living of our ancestors and the little myths they create to bind the humankind.Next comes , The Agriculture Revolution, which explains that how our ancestors who were foragers and had the only aim to hunt and live renounced their practice of living a nomadic life and settled to sow and grow . How this decision of settling at a place for farming turned out to be the most decisive moment in the history of humankind which changed the aberrated the history and most importantly how Agriculture turned out to be the biggest fraud of history . our ancestors who usually stay in a band of 15-20 eventually start living in a group of 100s when the agriculture flourished ,And after the agricultural revolution, human societies grew ever larger and more complex .Myths and fictions accustomed people, nearly from the moment of their birth, to think in a certain way and to observe certain rules. They thereby created artificial instincts that enabled millions to strangers to cooperate effectively and this network of artificial instincts is called 'Culture'. The Unification of Humankind holds the contents which were put into action many years ago to unite the mankind either with the help of 'Culture' or 'Religion' or 'Nations'. This section also enlightens about the crucial role played by different religions sprouted in the different part of the world to add more and more strangers in a community. Harari in this section depicts how Mythology helped in maintaining law & order while money gave us something we can really trust.And the last section , The Scientific Revolution, which stretched for about 2nd half of the book gave us a clear glimpse of the beginning of the scientific revolution which introduced humans to their actual capabilities of being the wisest species on earth. Samen which lands us on the moon to manufacturing weapons of mass destruction.So Sapiens is a must read , thrilling and breathtaking account of our extraordinary history - from insignificant apes to the rulers of the world.It's quite rarely when you came across a person or a book which just amazes you and a part of it just housed into your mind and brain. By the way , What do know about Humans(us) ? I was taught,like many others, in school that Homo Sapiens is the scientific name for Humans. Homo Sapiens -the species Sapiens(Wise ) of the genus (Homo) and is the only living human species on earth but none of them debriefed us anything about the conditions in which we actually arose . Were there exist only Homo Sapiens or there exist other human species too ? 100,000 years ago,at least, six human species inhabited the earth. Today, there's just one. Us.And What injected in the minds of kids at a very young age , including me, is that it's the climate which causes the extinction of many animal species . But is it a complete truth ? Few tried to find . Honestly, I didn't but this book answered so many answers to the questions which were not even budded in our brain .Magnum Opus this book is a wide-ranging and bold work of non-fiction which challenges everything we thought we knew about being human from our thoughts to our actions and even our future . Sapiens tabled the answers of intricate questions raised from curiosity while studying the history of our own species. Book is divided into four major parts- The Cognitive Revolution, The Agriculture Revolution, The Unification of Humankind & The Scientific Revolution . Every Part is further divided into subparts & gives ample description on the mentioned topics. In the first section, The Cognitive Revolution , Author talks about the existence of other human species that exist before Homo Sapiens and how Homo Sapiens turned out to be the environment serial killer which had annihilated many species including his own siblings and many other animals.This section also reveals the way of living of our ancestors and the little myths they create to bind the humankind.Next comes , The Agriculture Revolution, which explains that how our ancestors who were foragers and had the only aim to hunt and live renounced their practice of living a nomadic life and settled to sow and grow . How this decision of settling at a place for farming turned out to be the most decisive moment in the history of humankind which changed the aberrated the history and most importantly how Agriculture turned out to be the biggest fraud of history . our ancestors who usually stay in a band of 15-20 eventually start living in a group of 100s when the agriculture flourished ,And after the agricultural revolution, human societies grew ever larger and more complex .Myths and fictions accustomed people, nearly from the moment of their birth, to think in a certain way and to observe certain rules. They thereby created artificial instincts that enabled millions to strangers to cooperate effectively and this network of artificial instincts is called 'Culture'. The Unification of Humankind holds the contents which were put into action many years ago to unite the mankind either with the help of 'Culture' or 'Religion' or 'Nations'. This section also enlightens about the crucial role played by different religions sprouted in the different part of the world to add more and more strangers in a community. Harari in this section depicts how Mythology helped in maintaining law & order while money gave us something we can really trust.And the last section , The Scientific Revolution, which stretched for about 2nd half of the book gave us a clear glimpse of the beginning of the scientific revolution which introduced humans to their actual capabilities of being the wisest species on earth. Samen which lands us on the moon to manufacturing weapons of mass destruction.So Sapiens is a must read , thrilling and breathtaking account of our extraordinary history - from insignificant apes to the rulers of the world.

One of the rare books where:1. chapters keep you engaged2. you get overview of history3. get to know how how current world works4. life lessons based on reality

I tend to think of this book as a prequel to “Homo Deus,” simply because I happened to read them in the wrong order! In fact, “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” was written several years before “Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow.”Yuval Noah Harari, the author, is a professor of History and an intellectual polymath in the tradition of Bronowski, Issac Asimov and Carl Sagan. He has written several path-breaking books during the past ten years.This book is a sweeping dissertation on the history of mankind. On the very first page, we are told about the conceptual sequence of physics, chemistry, biology and history. Next, the author lists the three revolutions which have shaped the course of history: The Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution and the Scientific Revolution. The book is divided into four sections, one for each of the three Revolutions and one serving as a bridge between the Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions. Let us examine these sections one by one.The section on the Cognitive Revolution begins with a “disturbing secret” – for a long time, Homo Sapiens was not the only human species. In the author’s own words, “The earth of a hundred millennia ago was walked by at least six different species of man.” The author says that more than one human species had learnt the use of fire. Homo Sapiens originated in East Africa and entered Eurasia through the Arabian Peninsula about 70,000 years ago. There are two conflicting theories about the interaction between Sapiens and the other species, known as the Interbreeding Theory and the Replacement Theory. The author speculates that the truth lies in between these two theories, although there is a strong likelihood that violence and genocide had occurred, as “Tolerance is not a Sapiens trademark.”The Cognitive Revolution comprises new ways of thinking and communicating, which arose between 70,000 and 30,000 years ago. Sapiens bonded with “gossip” and formed bands with upto 150 members. Beyond this limit, says the author, human cooperation becomes possible only through common myths, or imagined reality, leading to trade and cultural evolution.Further, “The wandering bands of storytelling Sapiens were the most important and most destructive force the animal kingdom had ever produced… The settlers of Australia, or more accurately, its conquerors, didn’t just adapt, they transformed the Australian ecosystem beyond recognition.” The combination of climate change and human hunting changed not only Australia, but also Siberia, North America and South America.Coming to the next Revolution, agriculture began around 9500 – 8500 BC in south eastern Turkey, and simultaneously in other parts of the globe as well. The author surprisingly describes Agriculture as “history’s biggest fraud” and justifies it by saying that “the extra food did not translate into a better diet or more leisure. Rather, it translated into population explosions and pampered elites. The average farmer worked harder than the average forager, and got a worse diet in return.” As the population increased and animals were domesticated, the possibility of returning to a foraging lifestyle diminished. Rearing of animals involved (and still involves) extreme cruelty. Eventually, as trade began and data arose, some rudimentary forms of writing began. Next, hierarchies came up based on imagined orders. Simultaneously, gender discrimination arose in various societies.The third section of the book is titled “Unification of Mankind,” which covers human culture. The author identifies three universal orders: economic, or the monetary order; political, or the imperial order; and finally, religious order exemplified by religions such as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. There are detailed chapters on each of these.The fourth and last section of the book covers the Scientific Revolution. Beginning with the philosophical aspects of ignorance and the scientific temperament, the author presents another striking line of thought: “The feedback loop between science, empire and capital has arguably been history’s chief engine for the past 500 years.” The next few chapters are devoted to these topics. Subsequently, the author discusses the Industrial Revolution, along with energy, mass production and the social impact of technology. This is followed by a chapter focusing on the relationship between prosperity and happiness, followed by some speculations about the future.There can be no doubt that this book is a tour de force, which compels the reader to think. However, various criticisms can be levelled against Dr Harari. The foremost of these is that many speculations, theories and opinions of the author are presented as established facts. The other major potential for criticism lies in the selection of material and the relative emphasis on various topics. This reviewer, for example, feels that most of the chapters in the third and fourth sections of the book are too long and verbose.I cannot end this review without comparing this book with the author’s subsequent work “Homo Deus,” which I happened to read first. There is considerable overlap between the topics covered in the two books. The speculations about the past in this book are mirrored by speculations about the future in the other book. But there is an important difference: while this book leaves the reader with a sense of shame for belonging to Homo Sapiens, the other one gives hope that someday there will be a sense of pride arising out of being human. Finally, if one had to choose to read only one of these two books, I would unequivocally recommend “Homo Deus.”

Very very good book very pragmatic- made us realize the insignificance of religion.Liked the research which made me realize that detailed work is appreciated

The first few chapters are very engaging and make you wonder why history has never been taught like this before. The middle chapters, however, become somewhat redundant and technical, while the final chapters offer a much-awaited conclusion.”If you’re someone who consistently follows current events, the content is easier to follow. That said, there are parts—especially the geopolitical references—where the authenticity of the claims might raise questions, so it’s best to take them with a pinch of salt.This is my first book by the author, so I could be wrong. I plan to read more of his work and may update this review later.Nevertheless, it’s an interesting read. I’d recommend it to anyone passionate about history.