Sapiens: THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLER

BookReviewsFromHeart @ Blogger It's quite rarely when you came across a person or a book which just amazes you and a part of it just housed into your mind and brain. By the way , What do know about Humans(us) ? I was taught,like many others, in school that Homo Sapiens is the scientific name for Humans. Homo Sapiens -the species Sapiens(Wise ) of the genus (Homo) and is the only living human species on earth but none of them debriefed us anything about the conditions in which we actually arose . Were there exist only Homo Sapiens or there exist other human species too ? 100,000 years ago,at least, six human species inhabited the earth. Today, there's just one. Us. And What injected in the minds of kids at a very young age , including me, is that it's the climate which causes the extinction of many animal species . But is it a complete truth ? Few tried to find . Honestly, I didn't but this book answered so many answers to the questions which were not even budded in our brain . Magnum Opus this book is a wide-ranging and bold work of non-fiction which challenges everything we thought we knew about being human from our thoughts to our actions and even our future . Sapiens tabled the answers of intricate questions raised from curiosity while studying the history of our own species. Book is divided into four major parts- The Cognitive Revolution, The Agriculture Revolution, The Unification of Humankind & The Scientific Revolution . Every Part is further divided into subparts & gives ample description on the mentioned topics. In the first section, The Cognitive Revolution , Author talks about the existence of other human species that exist before Homo Sapiens and how Homo Sapiens turned out to be the environment serial killer which had annihilated many species including his own siblings and many other animals.This section also reveals the way of living of our ancestors and the little myths they create to bind the humankind. Next comes , The Agriculture Revolution, which explains that how our ancestors who were foragers and had the only aim to hunt and live renounced their practice of living a nomadic life and settled to sow and grow . How this decision of settling at a place for farming turned out to be the most decisive moment in the history of humankind which changed the aberrated the history and most importantly how Agriculture turned out to be the biggest fraud of history . our ancestors who usually stay in a band of 15-20 eventually start living in a group of 100s when the agriculture flourished , And after the agricultural revolution, human societies grew ever larger and more complex .Myths and fictions accustomed people, nearly from the moment of their birth, to think in a certain way and to observe certain rules. They thereby created artificial instincts that enabled millions to strangers to cooperate effectively and this network of artificial instincts is called 'Culture'. The Unification of Humankind holds the contents which were put into action many years ago to unite the mankind either with the help of 'Culture' or 'Religion' or 'Nations'. This section also enlightens about the crucial role played by different religions sprouted in the different part of the world to add more and more strangers in a community. Harari in this section depicts how Mythology helped in maintaining law & order while money gave us something we can really trust. And the last section , The Scientific Revolution, which stretched for about 2nd half of the book gave us a clear glimpse of the beginning of the scientific revolution which introduced humans to their actual capabilities of being the wisest species on earth. Samen which lands us on the moon to manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. So Sapiens is a must read , thrilling and breathtaking account of our extraordinary history - from insignificant apes to the rulers of the world. It's quite rarely when you came across a person or a book which just amazes you and a part of it just housed into your mind and brain. By the way , What do know about Humans(us) ? I was taught,like many others, in school that Homo Sapiens is the scientific name for Humans. Homo Sapiens -the species Sapiens(Wise ) of the genus (Homo) and is the only living human species on earth but none of them debriefed us anything about the conditions in which we actually arose . Were there exist only Homo Sapiens or there exist other human species too ? 100,000 years ago,at least, six human species inhabited the earth. Today, there's just one. Us. And What injected in the minds of kids at a very young age , including me, is that it's the climate which causes the extinction of many animal species . But is it a complete truth ? Few tried to find . Honestly, I didn't but this book answered so many answers to the questions which were not even budded in our brain . Magnum Opus this book is a wide-ranging and bold work of non-fiction which challenges everything we thought we knew about being human from our thoughts to our actions and even our future . Sapiens tabled the answers of intricate questions raised from curiosity while studying the history of our own species. Book is divided into four major parts- The Cognitive Revolution, The Agriculture Revolution, The Unification of Humankind & The Scientific Revolution . Every Part is further divided into subparts & gives ample description on the mentioned topics. In the first section, The Cognitive Revolution , Author talks about the existence of other human species that exist before Homo Sapiens and how Homo Sapiens turned out to be the environment serial killer which had annihilated many species including his own siblings and many other animals.This section also reveals the way of living of our ancestors and the little myths they create to bind the humankind. Next comes , The Agriculture Revolution, which explains that how our ancestors who were foragers and had the only aim to hunt and live renounced their practice of living a nomadic life and settled to sow and grow . How this decision of settling at a place for farming turned out to be the most decisive moment in the history of humankind which changed the aberrated the history and most importantly how Agriculture turned out to be the biggest fraud of history . our ancestors who usually stay in a band of 15-20 eventually start living in a group of 100s when the agriculture flourished , And after the agricultural revolution, human societies grew ever larger and more complex .Myths and fictions accustomed people, nearly from the moment of their birth, to think in a certain way and to observe certain rules. They thereby created artificial instincts that enabled millions to strangers to cooperate effectively and this network of artificial instincts is called 'Culture'. The Unification of Humankind holds the contents which were put into action many years ago to unite the mankind either with the help of 'Culture' or 'Religion' or 'Nations'. This section also enlightens about the crucial role played by different religions sprouted in the different part of the world to add more and more strangers in a community. Harari in this section depicts how Mythology helped in maintaining law & order while money gave us something we can really trust. And the last section , The Scientific Revolution, which stretched for about 2nd half of the book gave us a clear glimpse of the beginning of the scientific revolution which introduced humans to their actual capabilities of being the wisest species on earth. Samen which lands us on the moon to manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. So Sapiens is a must read , thrilling and breathtaking account of our extraordinary history - from insignificant apes to the rulers of the world.

There's one striking feature of this book, that is the storyline it has maintained or the continuity of the thoughts. The book starts by giving us an insight on the dawn of humanity some 70000 years ago. It gives a very imaginative play of how we are all ancestors of that one ape that went beyond the cycle of evolution. It goes on explaining how our ancestors thousands of years ago survived, what was their life like, their food pattern, and every possible detail of their life. And also gave an insight on how alongside living, early man too had a thing for destructing every thing that came his way, even their distant cousins Neanderthals. It talked about the Agricultural Revolution and its consequences both in terms of economic and social. It also talked in great depth about the Industrial Revolution and how it changed lives forever. But the book specifically gave great importance to the Scientific Revolution as it changed the course of lives forever. Lastly, the book imagined a future based on the evolution cycle and feared the godlike intelligent creatures are next in line and maybe, we, the homo sapiens will be the one who will go extinct this time, the way Neanderthals went extinct by our hands. The book will make you understand how history is the best way to predict the future. As when you will see through your own eyes the astonishing evolution of homo sapiens, you too will have to believe in the future the book is talking about as it seems as impossible as our evolution into man of today seemed 70,000 years ago. It's a book written in 2014 and reading it today in 2023 makes much more sense than ever because a lot of things that have been talked about in the book as developments are now full-fledged reality. I guess it is a kind of book that will make much more sense every time you read it because every time you will be reading some history with some future insights. It's a must read for those who are fascinated with the image of the future but it is not for those who are scared of change. For this book will certainly teach you one thing that change is the only constant. The unimaginable kind of change!

About 13.5 billion years ago, matter, energy, time and space came into being what is known as the Bing Bang. The story of these fundamental features of our universe is called physics. About 300,000 years after their appearance, matter and energy started to coalesce into complex structures, called atoms, which then combined into molecules. The story of atoms, molecules, and their interactions is called chemistry. About 3.8 billion years ago, on a planet called Earth, certain molecules combined to form particularly large and intricate structures called organisms. The story of organisms is called biology. About 70,000 years ago, organisms belonging to the species Homo sapiens started to form even more elaborate structures called cultures. The author tells about three important revolutions that shaped the course of history: the Cognitive Revolution started about 70,000 years ago. The Agriculture Revolution sped it up about 12,000 years ago. The Scientific Revolution, which got underway only 500 years ago. This book tells the story of how these three revolutions have affected humans and their fellow organisms. It's an excellent book with all the facts and figures which we don't know. This book is thought-provoking and changes one's thoughts about history. The author tries to sum up as much as he can in this book but in my opinion, a single book is not enough for the brief history of humankind. It never will be. Although, the book is filled with the author's opinions. He believes that Earth is better off without humans. Some part of the book is very intriguing and some are so boring that you wish to stop reading. There is a lack of information about Neanderthals which made me unsatisfied. I like the scientific revolution part very much. This book tells how we evolve and about our genes and other interesting stuff. It's a must-read. This is the thrilling account of our extraordinary history - from insignificant apes to rulers of the world in which fire gave us power, gossip helped us cooperate, agriculture made us hungry for more, mythology maintained law and order, money gave us something we can really trust, contradictions created culture and science made us deadly.

The book delves into how abstract concepts like religion, money, and nations have enabled large-scale cooperation among humans. Harari challenges readers to reconsider commonly held beliefs about progress, happiness, and the future of our species, especially in light of advancements in technology and biotechnology. One of the strengths of "Sapiens" is its engaging narrative style, making complex historical and scientific concepts accessible to a broad audience. Harari's ability to connect past events with contemporary issues encourages readers to reflect on humanity's trajectory and the potential consequences of our actions. However, some critics argue that the book oversimplifies certain historical events or presents speculative ideas without sufficient evidence. Despite this, "Sapiens" offers a compelling overview of human history that stimulates reflection and discussion. In summary, "Sapiens" is an enlightening read that provides a sweeping perspective on the forces that have shaped humanity. It's a valuable book for anyone interested in understanding the origins of modern society and contemplating the challenges that lie ahead for our species.

Enjoying it and had it in a really good condition

Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens is one of those rare books that changes the way you see the world. It’s not just history — it’s a mirror that reflects who we are, why we live the way we do, and what it might mean to be human. What struck me most was Harari’s ability to strip away the familiar and reveal the strangeness of our everyday beliefs, values, and habits. Harari brilliantly distinguishes between natural orders and imagined orders. Natural laws, like gravity, exist whether or not you believe in them. But ideas like equality, freedom, or money are imagined — they only work if we all collectively believe in them. His example of money as a psychological construct — a system that “converts matter into mind” — was especially powerful. It forces you to see that much of civilization runs on shared stories rather than physical truths. The book also satirizes our modern consumer lives. On page 129 (Hardcover), Harari points out that vacations are a form of romantic consumerism — in ancient Egypt, no man would think of fixing a relationship by taking his wife on holiday to Babylon. Instead, he might build her a lavish tomb. Today’s pyramids aren’t stone monuments but suburban homes with lawns or glittering penthouses. We rarely question why we desire them, only that we do. Equally fascinating is his take on knowledge and exploration. Harari contrasts medieval certainty with the modern embrace of ignorance. Columbus thought he already knew the world, even when he stumbled on a new continent. The real breakthrough came with Amerigo Vespucci, who had the humility to admit, “We don’t know.” That simple admission of ignorance was the true dawn of modernity. Harari sees poetic justice in the fact that two continents bear Vespucci’s name, honoring not conquest but curiosity. The book also dives into faith, science, and morality with unforgettable examples. Biblical lines like “the poor you will always have with you” and “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” highlight timeless tensions in wealth and ethics. Meanwhile, Harari draws on Harlow’s famous monkey experiments to show how emotional bonds outweigh mere survival needs — even in animals. Toward the end, Harari asks the deepest questions: what is happiness? He rejects the idea that it’s simply a balance of pleasure over pain. Instead, happiness is about seeing life as meaningful. Our values shape whether we see ourselves as “slaves to a baby dictator” or as parents nurturing a new life. He draws on Nietzsche’s insight — “if you have a why to live, you can bear almost any how” — and Buddhism’s warning that suffering comes not from pain itself, but from the restless craving to prolong pleasure and avoid loss. Harari suggests that happiness may simply be synchronizing our personal illusions of meaning with the collective ones around us. Sapiens is extraordinary because it doesn’t just tell you history — it rewires your sense of history, meaning, and self. From pyramids to consumerism, from empires to money, from happiness to suffering, Harari invites us to question everything we take for granted. This is not just a book; it is a lens through which life itself looks different.

Quite often I get this thought, 'The universe is large. There are so many galaxies and our solar system is nothing more than a speck. Earth is even smaller. Yet, we are the only known living beings. The history of Earth is so vast and it has been there for millions of years. Humans have been there for significant part. Yet, we live in a space with so advanced technology and process complicated stuff out of a tiny little thing in our head known as Brain. Why are we destined to do this?' Yuval Noah Harari has tried to explain this in the book Sapiens. It is an attempt to explain how have Humans come to this stage. The author defines three main timelines in the history of Homo Sapiens 1. Cognitive Revolution (70000 years ago) 2. Agricultural Revolution (10000 years ago) 3. Scientific Revolution (500 years ago) When we co-existed with the animals out there in the wild, we were not on top of the food chain. The ancient stone tools discovered are not designed to kill animals. They were used to break bones and eat the marrows inside (So, the big Cats hunt and then lesser animals eat the rest and then scavengers scavenge and after all that humans broke the bone and ate the marrow). Being that weak, Sapiens had a lucky intervention in the form of Cognitive Revolution. Most animals can communicate in some form, but none as detailed and as sophisticated as a Human. This created knowledge and helped humans form groups and communities. It is interesting that Gossips form an important means of communication. It helps establish trust (and it continues till the day). This was the phase when we were Hunter-Gatherers and Foragers. The author defines this as the best period of Sapiens. They had a relaxed lifestyle, worked less and were fit as they ate a mix of all nutrients. Interestingly, our liking for Sweets has been hardwired from this age. Sweets were such a rarity then and evolution made Sapiens gorge on any sweet they find as it provides abundant energy. Accidents have always been an important cause of turnaround in Human history. Agricultural revolution was no less. A few Hunter Gatherers found that the wheat they gathered spilled on the way and new wheat sprouted. Thus started the domestication. The author further says that it was actually plants like Potato, Wheat and Rice that domesticated us than we domesticating them. Growing these required lot of energy - you had to settle down, plough, remove weed, water and it consumes lot of time. And you end up with one type of food as against the Hunter Gatherers. And due to settling down the human population arose significantly. Thus bigger societies were forming with a big hope of tomorrow, although the life of a farmer was worse than that of a Hunter Gatherer. Hence, the Author calls Agricultural Revolution as the 'Biggest Fraud' in Human History. And this curse continues to chase us today as he says, 'How many young college graduates have taken demanding jobs in high-powered firms, vowing that they will work hard to earn money that will enable them to retire and pursue their real interests when they are thirty-five? But by the time they reach that age, they have large mortgages, children to school, houses in the suburbs that necessitate at least two cars per family, and a sense that life is not worth living without really good wine and expensive holidays abroad. What are they supposed to do, go back to digging up roots? No, they double their efforts and keep slaving away.,' Agricultural Revolution led to unification of mankind in a way that could never happen with animals - we started having Fictional realities like Money, Country, Kingdom, God which doesn't exist in nature. The author digs deeply into three main factors that led to mass unification of Humans - Money, Empire and Religion. All of this leads to Trust and enable unification. As he writes, It is interesting how deep the author goes into each of them and analyze the pros of cons of each. He also touches upon and pity the domesticated animals that are treated in a very cruel way. 'Domesticated chickens and cattle may well be an evolutionary success story, but they are also among the most miserable creatures that ever lived. The domestication of animals was founded on a series of brutal practices that only became crueller with the passing of the centuries' In the final part, the author analyzes the reasons for Scientific Revolution starting out of Europe and how it changed the course of the world. He believes is started because the scientists accepted Ignorance in first place. They were ready to explore and gain knowledge. The kingdom supported them and eventually they conquered the world. He also explains the rise of capitalism and interlinking of capitalism and science. Finally, the author touches upon two aspects - the first one was something that I didn't expect the author would touch upon - Happiness. He tries to find out what exactly Happiness is and how do we define that. The last 50 years have infact been the best part of Homo Sapiens existence. In the entire past history, there was no such time of peace. Yet, does it impact happiness. We live longer than our ancestors. Are we more content? He feels that more research should be done in the field. The final concluding piece is the future of Homo Sapiens - Will we become Amortal? Will AI take over? Are we Cyborgs today? He looks into various possibilities that might become true. The depth and width of knowledge covered in this book is amazing. Every page has new information and he has tried to capture it as vividly as possible. Summarizing the book might provide some insights, but reading this book is something very different. Finally, there are few people who say our generation is the worst of the lot and our ancestors were close to nature. The author disagrees, '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.'

I tend to think of this book as a prequel to “Homo Deus,” simply because I happened to read them in the wrong order! In fact, “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” was written several years before “Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow.” Yuval Noah Harari, the author, is a professor of History and an intellectual polymath in the tradition of Bronowski, Issac Asimov and Carl Sagan. He has written several path-breaking books during the past ten years. This book is a sweeping dissertation on the history of mankind. On the very first page, we are told about the conceptual sequence of physics, chemistry, biology and history. Next, the author lists the three revolutions which have shaped the course of history: The Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution and the Scientific Revolution. The book is divided into four sections, one for each of the three Revolutions and one serving as a bridge between the Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions. Let us examine these sections one by one. The section on the Cognitive Revolution begins with a “disturbing secret” – for a long time, Homo Sapiens was not the only human species. In the author’s own words, “The earth of a hundred millennia ago was walked by at least six different species of man.” The author says that more than one human species had learnt the use of fire. Homo Sapiens originated in East Africa and entered Eurasia through the Arabian Peninsula about 70,000 years ago. There are two conflicting theories about the interaction between Sapiens and the other species, known as the Interbreeding Theory and the Replacement Theory. The author speculates that the truth lies in between these two theories, although there is a strong likelihood that violence and genocide had occurred, as “Tolerance is not a Sapiens trademark.” The Cognitive Revolution comprises new ways of thinking and communicating, which arose between 70,000 and 30,000 years ago. Sapiens bonded with “gossip” and formed bands with upto 150 members. Beyond this limit, says the author, human cooperation becomes possible only through common myths, or imagined reality, leading to trade and cultural evolution. Further, “The wandering bands of storytelling Sapiens were the most important and most destructive force the animal kingdom had ever produced… The settlers of Australia, or more accurately, its conquerors, didn’t just adapt, they transformed the Australian ecosystem beyond recognition.” The combination of climate change and human hunting changed not only Australia, but also Siberia, North America and South America. Coming to the next Revolution, agriculture began around 9500 – 8500 BC in south eastern Turkey, and simultaneously in other parts of the globe as well. The author surprisingly describes Agriculture as “history’s biggest fraud” and justifies it by saying that “the extra food did not translate into a better diet or more leisure. Rather, it translated into population explosions and pampered elites. The average farmer worked harder than the average forager, and got a worse diet in return.” As the population increased and animals were domesticated, the possibility of returning to a foraging lifestyle diminished. Rearing of animals involved (and still involves) extreme cruelty. Eventually, as trade began and data arose, some rudimentary forms of writing began. Next, hierarchies came up based on imagined orders. Simultaneously, gender discrimination arose in various societies. The third section of the book is titled “Unification of Mankind,” which covers human culture. The author identifies three universal orders: economic, or the monetary order; political, or the imperial order; and finally, religious order exemplified by religions such as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. There are detailed chapters on each of these. The fourth and last section of the book covers the Scientific Revolution. Beginning with the philosophical aspects of ignorance and the scientific temperament, the author presents another striking line of thought: “The feedback loop between science, empire and capital has arguably been history’s chief engine for the past 500 years.” The next few chapters are devoted to these topics. Subsequently, the author discusses the Industrial Revolution, along with energy, mass production and the social impact of technology. This is followed by a chapter focusing on the relationship between prosperity and happiness, followed by some speculations about the future. There can be no doubt that this book is a tour de force, which compels the reader to think. However, various criticisms can be levelled against Dr Harari. The foremost of these is that many speculations, theories and opinions of the author are presented as established facts. The other major potential for criticism lies in the selection of material and the relative emphasis on various topics. This reviewer, for example, feels that most of the chapters in the third and fourth sections of the book are too long and verbose. I cannot end this review without comparing this book with the author’s subsequent work “Homo Deus,” which I happened to read first. There is considerable overlap between the topics covered in the two books. The speculations about the past in this book are mirrored by speculations about the future in the other book. But there is an important difference: while this book leaves the reader with a sense of shame for belonging to Homo Sapiens, the other one gives hope that someday there will be a sense of pride arising out of being human. Finally, if one had to choose to read only one of these two books, I would unequivocally recommend “Homo Deus.”