Nobody is capable of predicting the future. It is now beginning to break the laws of natural selection, replacing with the laws of intelligent design.' From this point, Harari starts to speculate on what that could mean. But as the twenty-first century unfolds, this is no longer true: Homo sapiens is transcending those limits. He may be right when writing 'Sapiens are incapable of breaking free of their biologically determined limits. My doubts start in part IV (The Scientific Revolution), especially at the end (Chapters 18-20), in which the books makes a step from historical research towards developing thoughts about the future. Rich detail, very well formulated and researched on the basis of innumerable good sources. I enjoyed parts I (Cognitive Revolution), II (Agricultural Revolution), and III (Unification of Mankind) very much. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?įeaturing 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.ĭr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us? Yet today there is only one-homo sapiens. One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. edition with full color illustrations throughout.Ī Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerbergįrom a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity's creation and evolution-a #1 international bestseller-that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be 'human.'

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari