SUMMARIZING THE BOOK: SAPIENS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMANKIND
AUTHOR: YUVAL NOAH HARARI (2011)
Brinda Shrestha, Architect/Urban planner, Nepal.
Tracing the trajectory of development through connections between past, present, and future way forward, the book presents the comprehensive journey of human from insignificant animal species to divinely power hunger super species. It initiates its historical timeline of human evolution dating as back as 13.5 billion years ago. From foragers, hunter gatherers evolving with time through cognitive revolution, followed by Agricultural, Industrial, Modern and Bio intelligence and biochemical phases of the journey. Each chapter attempts to radiate deeply researched intellectual information, that echoes powerful clarity of complex domain of human development process in simplified, referential, and logical justifications from the author. While, at the end of each of his chapter, the author strongly holds back the reader to take a pause and be courageous enough to question the different domain of those major revolutions, departing from the straightforward conventional narrations. While offering the analytical aspect on the relation between history, biology, environment and science, the book is structured in four major parts: (1) The cognitive Revolution (2) The Agricultural Revolution (3) The Unification of Humankind (4) The Scientific Revolution.
1. Part One: The Cognitive Revolution: (Pg. 3-70)
2. Part Two the Agricultural Revolution (12000 years ago) ( pg. 87-149 )
Agricultural Revolution was history’s biggest fraud. ( pg. 90)…….Road to Prosperity of Predation?
Towards Organization of complex social order brought by Agricultural Revolution…….
3. Part Three the Unification of Humankind:
Unification of Humankind through Economic Order: (Money)
Unification of Humankind through Political Order (Imperial Order):
Unification of Humankind through Religious Order (Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Muslim)
4. Part Four the Scientific Revolution:
The willingness to admit ignorance has made modern science more dynamic, supple, and inquisitive than any previous tradition of knowledge. (pg. 282) …… “Knowledge is power “. The real test of knowledge is not whether it is true but whether it empowers us. (pg. 289, 1620, Francis bacon)
Synergies of science, power, and politics:
Capitalist creed:
Towards ecological disaster or technological paradise…….
Befell towards humankind thereafter…..
The present and the Future ahead… Did we evolve to be happier?
While humans moreover attempted to transform into self-made gods, so is there anything more dangerous than dissatisfied and irresponsible gods who don’t know what they want? ( pp. 466 )
Note: These are just the synopsis of the overall summarised version of the book. If anyone is interested to read in detail, please correspond with me through your email id.