And, indeed, compared to other animals, humans are born prematurely, when many of their vital systems are still under-developed.
I think Harari really could have used some inline citations or footnotes here. This is one of the criticisms that I see a lot in reviews of this book, and I’m starting — even this early on — to see why. The “Obstetrical Dilemma” that he’s talking about here (even though he doesn’t use that term) is a fascinating bit of evolutionary science and history (though the question is not quite as settled as he makes it seem). Without an inline reference, he makes the reader do too much work.
