Vikram’s Reviews > Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind > Status Update

Also I loved the part about the process of the kinder benevolent multi god universe who allowed locals to have their own gods compared to the religions with one god which al must worship. And how despite clashes money was the great equaliser. People would happily trade coins denouncing their own god as much as Osama loved his $US…

The uniquitous patriarchy, racial and caste based imagined orders explored thoroughly. A firm debunking of aggression, competitiveness, muscular superiority or aggression being able to be held as firm reasons for a patriarchy. The case made in point by citing that women should be far superior in organising wars and troops. Shows how crazy our concepts of equity can be when no one questions wealth being passed down

Sumerian’s inventing language. Indians inventing numbers and the pertinence of good organisation in finding what you need in the hordes of data in the meta verse

‘Homo sapiens has no natural rights, just as spiders, hyenas and chimps have no natural rights. But don’t tell that to our servants lest they murder us at night.’ ‘An imagined order is always in danger of collapse’.
‘You can do many things with bayonets. But it’s rather uncomfortable to sit on them’.
Overseas holidays are a modern invention. We spend most of our income on these experiences. pyramid

Fascinating passage comparing the American Declaration of Independence in 1776 and Hamurabi’s code 1776BC and the illusion of human rights. Hierarchical v Equality. No natural rights just as spiders n chimps have none. Just myths we commonly believe in to create order and more functional society.

Until recently more than 90% of humans were peasants who rose each morning and sweated all day. The extra they produced fed the elites who wrote history. Kings, soldiers, priests, artists and thinkers. History is something that very few people have been doing while everyone else was ploughing the fields and carrying the water buckets.

Arent we modern day peasants?

Does this explain my recent addiciton to weeding?

"Victims of the revoloution". How domesticated animals have won the evoloutionary race by having so many DNA copies around every corner of the globe. But they live the most miserable lives. The curious and aggressive slaughtered. New Guinean stories of prosperity measured by pigs led to the practices of noses getting cut off so it was difficult to breathe. Even eyes gouged out so it couldnt see. Cows even sadder...

Today I learned of Gobelki Tepe, a structure created by hunter gatherers around 9,500 BC at the birthplace of wheat cultivation, ironically about 2 weeks into giving up wheat. I’d love to visit one day as the agricultural revolution as told in ‘sapiens’ started here in Turkey. Hr at all time low of 53 and ran 7k in 38 min, can I reach 34?

The evolution of humans from hunters and gatherers to farming was flawed. happier as hunters and worked less. Are a more varied diet. And smarter. But our population grew much faster as did our domesticated buddies - cows chickens goats and sheep. But they are slaughtered at 3 years even through they can live 12- 20 years in the wild for economic reasons... they are miserable. Domesticated by killing the wildest ones

A varied diet was key tforagers survival, not dependent on any one food. Suffered less from infectious diseases as they are dispersed widely and most ID come from domesticated animals post agricultural rev. Learned the average forager was brutal and killed anyone who might be a liability to band at birth or old age. Animists vs human hierarchy of modern day diesis. Does the world revolve around man.