Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

If you fear death DO NOT read this book

If you fear the past and future of the human species DO NOT read this book

If your mind is open, curious and challenging read this book

The first night I opened this book I couldn't sleep all night because my mind wouldn't stop turning, the second night I read this book again I couldn't sleep and after that I realized this book was not meant for bedtime reading but meant for deep thought.

Sapiens discusses topics that have never before been examined in the the way Harari approaches them. He examines what we think we believe to be truths of the human race with a scientific eye. So much of what we know about the human race and what we believe is through history books, religious stories, myths, and various academic opinions. That does not mean that these are correct (or incorrect) or that these beliefs are the limits of our species. “Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. But from a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural. Whatever is possible is by definition also natural. A truly unnatural behavior, one that goes against the laws of nature, simply cannot exist, so it would need no prohibition.”

My favorite point of all in this whole book is the idea of the myth. Every cultural belief we have whether it is religious, the idea of money, or various cultural norms are all a very well constructed story. Why does money work? Is it because some genetic code implanted in all people describes what money is and how to use it? No, it is because we all hold the same belief in the value and importance of money. Myth is how we all believe certain things and agree upon believing them.

One thing that separates Homo sapiens so much from other species is our ability to tell stories. We can create common beliefs and myths within a group of humans that structures what we hold to be true. Homo sapiens have the ability create something that doesn't biologically exist. Some common truths are small like those believed in communities, some beliefs span several communities like governments or few beliefs span the overall human race.

The many topics discussed in this book are the impact of European expansion, the impact and significance of money, what the agricultural revolution meant for humans, the future of AI, human place in the span of time, and that is only a few of the subjects. Sapiens dives into the biggest points in human history and future that have drastically altered the course of homo sapiens versus other species.

The final topics of this book talk about the future of the human species. Humans think that we are the end-all be-all of the Earth, but Earth did not start with us and you can bet it won’t end with us. Whether you believe that AI will be the destroyer of humans, that an asteroid will hit, that Nuclear bombs will be our end, or one of the many other theories that are out there you can bet the Earth itself will last longer than homo sapiens. There is no answer because you cannot predict what will happen in a day or one thousand years. We can speculate but there are too many factors in play to know what the future of homo sapiens will look like.

If you are interested in different perspectives this is a must read. Yuval approaches the topic of Homo sapien revolution in such a bold way. He doesn’t fill the book with his opinions he fills it with provable facts. Some many strongly argue this statement, but look back at the book. He talks about each topic in a scientific researchable way that makes such a bold book more acceptable. Open your mind and explore your own beliefs with Sapiens.

Memorable Quotes

"How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order is imagined.”

- The idea of myths and stories

“The romantic contrast between modern industry that “destroys nature” and our ancestors who “lived in harmony with nature” is groundless. Long before the Industrial Revolution, Homo sapiens held the record among all organisms for driving the most plant and animal species to their extinctions. We have the dubious distinction of being the deadliest species in the annals of life.”

“Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. But from a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural. Whatever is possible is by definition also natural. A truly unnatural behaviour, one that goes against the laws of nature, simply cannot exist, so it would need no prohibition.”

“money is the most universal and most efficient system of mutual trust ever devised.”

- Harari's discussion of how money came about is very eyeopening

“in order to change an existing imagined order, we must first believe in an alternative imagined order.”

- In order to do that you must be willing to accept everyone else thinking you are a lunatic

- People throughout history have done things at the time that would put them in an institution

but today are heralded as great influencers

“We study history not to know the future but to widen our horizons, to understand that our present situation is neither natural nor inevitable, and that we consequently have many more possibilities before us than we imagine.”