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Sapiens
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Sapiens: a brief history of mankind. BOTM June 2018
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I've already read this.. Hope you all like it
100 pages in, and I wasn't even aware of the number of human species that coexisted 50 thousand years ago. Fascinating stuff. Although along with proper archeological findings, there are some of the author's biases which bug me a little. This is quite apparent in the overall 'tone' of the first chapter. Almost like I'm reading a buzz feed article. But apart from a few speculative arguments, almost all claims are backed by a thorough reference list, which for any of you who can't stomach facts without evidence, will be a goldmine.
A cool thing I noticed was the use of the feminine pronoun when describing a general human and her activities. I don't want to be labeled a white knight but that's so freaking cool. It's refreshing to see. Further, it feels completely normal and almost trivial, which is a good thing.
One last thing; Prof. Harari repeats himself a lot. There will be times when you will feel that you're reading the same argument for the 4th or 5th time. But that's a minor nitpick because all of it is so interesting that I don't mind.
Am I supposed to post here? I'm not sure. I couldn't find any other place to share my thoughts on this book so I commented here. I apologize if I broke any posting rules.
Mod
I guess, I am going to give it a pass as am not much into non-fiction.Happy reading!!!
Mod
Mod
Please do continue... it is just that noone seems to be reading in earnest. I may start in next couple of months, if time permits.
I have completed this book,this book gives us chance to see how our ancestors lived their life, our ancestors were some way in the middle of the food chain,but eventually they reached at the top of food chain,human brain evolved very fast and leaving all other species behind,this progress is enormous. With every page on this book our perception to this world changes.
Finished it a while ago. Although the content is really interesting overall, I found that Harari's personal biases and opinions seethed through a little. Especially the way he described that Agriculture was the biggest mistake of the century. But a lovely read overall, if you keep these opinions in check. I especially loved the last few chapters where he paints a picture of the possibilities that lie ahead.
Siddhartha, I agree. You constantly have to work to not get carried away in Harera's rhetoric. I guess professors always tend to have strong opinions about stuff.
*Harari. I'm not sure why autocorrect even thought Harera was a word.
I have been seeing this book everywhere and it’s general popularity had me both a bit resistant to it but also intrigued by it. This is the first book I am reading as a part of this group! It was a coincidence that I logged in and saw this book as I was looking for a reason to read it!I have only read about 100 pages. Though I do see and sort of get many people’s perspective about parts of this book being ‘biased’ by the author. It doesn’t bother me personally however as I think it’s only one of the many ways to look at the theories of evolution. However I do find the book so far pretty thought provoking and that for me is probably the book’s biggest strength. For whether you agree or disagree with the authors perspective it does make you think about evolution in different ways. So far so good, I hope to finish the book soon! Look forward to hearing more thoughts.
Mod
Amazing book. I would recommend following it up with "Homo Deus" by the same author which in my opinion is even better.
Completed the book today. During the first few chapters, while I noticed some unintentional bias as I mentioned in my previous comment, the book picks up and really doesn't care about taking sides as much as it does about presenting them in a storied, structured manner. I was having so much fun with the book, I wish he would write a series of books on each of the revolutions he described. The ideas, so neutrally presented especially in the Scientific Revolution section changed my mind about some things like Capitalism and Communism (Of course, you need to pursue more in depth sources to further understand them).
It was a terrific summary of the history of sapiens, similar to the 20 minute video on YouTube 'The history of the entire world, I guess.' Great book of the month. Now will start with Circe.
This non fiction has been unanimously voted with a wide margin for this month's group read.
Though non fiction, I am sure that it will be better than reading a story as most of us are invariably interested in our roots and beyond.
Amol Nair is the discussion leader.
BLURB:
100,000 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? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come?
In Sapiens, Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical – and sometimes devastating – breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions. Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, paleontology and economics, he explores how the currents of history have shaped our human societies, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Have we become happier as history has unfolded? Can we ever free our behaviour from the heritage of our ancestors? And what, if anything, can we do to influence the course of the centuries to come?
Bold, wide-ranging and provocative, Sapiens challenges everything we thought we knew about being human: our thoughts, our actions, our power ... and our future.