Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Yuval Noah Harari

feb 2015 · Verkocht door Harper Collins

Over dit e-boek

New York Times Bestseller

A Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg

From 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.”

One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?

Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. 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.

Dr. 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. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?

Featuring 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.

Beoordelingen en reviews

Although many people have promoted this book, it was a real disappointment to me. Well written but always with the same paradigm and, the same assumptions are being made at the beginning of each chapter: mankind still has a hunter-gatherer mind, the result of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. The end of each chapter is the conclusion of this assumption: mankind's brains aren't well suited to modern life. Therefore the only thing that remains is the history in the body of each chapter, which serves the purpose of concluding that human culture and technology has changed more rapidly than our brains. Harari is an excellent writer and this book therefore is pleasant to read. Unless... you were looking for a broad analysis of human history and are already aware of the historical facts and interpretations Harari presents. Hopefully Harari or someone else will use his paradigm together with half a dozen other scientific explanations to describe and explain humankind's behavior.

Clarifying and tought-provoking. Seizing the big picture with tangible examples. Leads to a better understanding of the history of our species, atleast for me.

Geweldig boek, zelfs als wiskundige weer geïnteresseerd in geschiedenis

Over de auteur

Prof. Yuval Noah Harari, bestselling historian and philosopher, is considered one of the world’s most influential intellectuals today. His popular books—including Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind; Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow; 21 Lessons for the 21st Century; and the series Sapiens: A Graphic History and Unstoppable Us—have sold more than 45 million copies in 65 languages. Harari co-founded Sapienship, a social impact company with projects in the fields of education and storytelling, whose main goal is to focus the public conversation on the most important global challenges facing the world today. Harari has a PhD in history from the University of Oxford and currently lectures in the department of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.