Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
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- Create Date：2021-04-23 11:54:32
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Yuval Noah Harari
- ISBN：0062316117
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Daniel Cubides
，
An enjoyable summary of why we are what we are in this moment。
Kitaplararası Seyahat Eden Kız
，
Okuduğum en iyi antropoloji kitabı。
Madeleine
，
Fascinating book helped me to look at things in a very different way
Petter Lundqvist
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Väldigt intressant， bra och pedagogisk första halva， trots/tack vare bitvis gymnasieskolboks-ton。 Ganska bra andra halva， trots/tack vare detsamma。
Gina Snyder
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A lot to think about and discuss！
Angvil Rathee
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The one and only type of Book。。。。
Colleen Maillie
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I really enjoyed this fast-forward play-by-play of the progress of Homo Sapiens from its beginning to considering the possibilities of the future with regard to AI。 I don’t think Harari necessarily offers anything new per se， but he certainly packages his thinking in an accessible， thoughtful way and it is a useful reframing that can ease ones anxieties about the course of humanity and even current events by placing everything in context。 Don’t look for details here - there’s no getting lost in I really enjoyed this fast-forward play-by-play of the progress of Homo Sapiens from its beginning to considering the possibilities of the future with regard to AI。 I don’t think Harari necessarily offers anything new per se， but he certainly packages his thinking in an accessible， thoughtful way and it is a useful reframing that can ease ones anxieties about the course of humanity and even current events by placing everything in context。 Don’t look for details here - there’s no getting lost in weeds with regard to certain eras; this is a wide-lens overview that stays （in this readers opinion） fairly objective。 I especially enjoyed the Q&A section at the end。 I will confess I think he gets a little sidetracked （and I emphasize little） in his musings on Buddhism。 I think his bias shows to some degree， but overall I think his analysis of religions and their usefulness and evolution is reasonable。 。。。more
Jonathon Botts
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COMPELLING 。 VERY INSIGHTFUL。 this book draws a line between imagination and reality in our world as people。 the author carefully applies all important yet supportive evidence to make such claims on war 。 and agriculture。 furthermore， philosophy and science is discussed。 an even deep dive into race and class。 distinguishing between poor and poverty; rich and greed。 connections to homo sapiens。 more can be highlighted。 but to simplify。 great read and strongly reccomend。
Victor Schumann
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The book has two major flaws and one major success。Its success is also its flaw: it manages to cover a lot of ground， which feels great！ The variation of topics and connections feels rich and wonderful。 The cost， however， is depth。 If your first contact with， for example， the history of asian civilizations and religions was through this book， you might feel compelled to look further and find all of it interesting。 If you already has some background on it， you might feel bitter for the things tha The book has two major flaws and one major success。Its success is also its flaw: it manages to cover a lot of ground， which feels great！ The variation of topics and connections feels rich and wonderful。 The cost， however， is depth。 If your first contact with， for example， the history of asian civilizations and religions was through this book， you might feel compelled to look further and find all of it interesting。 If you already has some background on it， you might feel bitter for the things that the author chose to talk about and the ones left out。The second major flaw was the blaming of the victims of the colonizers。 There is a passage about how the aztecs were a failure for not reaching peak civilization before the colonizers arrive that just feels evil， for example。That being said， great book to learn introductory bits about many things about human history。 It's， after all， a brief history of human kind。 。。。more
Luu Anh
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Thay đổi hoàn toàn suy nghĩ của mình về một số vấn đề đồng thời giúp mình suy nghĩ thấu đáo hơn một số vấn đề khác
William
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Overall， this was a great bird's eye view of the history of humanity。 I was engrossed in all of the details， evidence， and discussion about human history as a species。 However， the book runs out of steam toward the end because， well， you're reading this， aren't you？ And as long as a human can read this， the history of humans isn't done yet。 A lot of the finale of the book is speculation。 Evidence fueled speculation， to be sure， but it is what it is。I liked it a lot and I highly recommend if you Overall， this was a great bird's eye view of the history of humanity。 I was engrossed in all of the details， evidence， and discussion about human history as a species。 However， the book runs out of steam toward the end because， well， you're reading this， aren't you？ And as long as a human can read this， the history of humans isn't done yet。 A lot of the finale of the book is speculation。 Evidence fueled speculation， to be sure， but it is what it is。I liked it a lot and I highly recommend if you want a history on， uh， everything。 。。。more
Nathan
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First couple of chapters are good but then he starts to make lots of baseless claims with very little evidence。 Frequently used anecdotal evidence like it means anything。 Frequently makes statements about other fields he clearly doesn't know much about。 First 2 chapters are good though。 First couple of chapters are good but then he starts to make lots of baseless claims with very little evidence。 Frequently used anecdotal evidence like it means anything。 Frequently makes statements about other fields he clearly doesn't know much about。 First 2 chapters are good though。 。。。more
Eric Leeson
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Absolutely fascinating！
Benita Sulaiman
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It's a MUST-READ for people who want to understand your existence as a human （Homo Sapiens）。 I used to be one of those who think history is boring but this book is SOMETHING。 The bridge between topics is so smooth that I could always see the connection， from the very first topic until the last topic。 I'm always amazed by how "Sapiens" could cover such knowledge， ranging from various topics， inside one book。 Evolution， civilization， religion， new religions， economics， politics， technology， and th It's a MUST-READ for people who want to understand your existence as a human （Homo Sapiens）。 I used to be one of those who think history is boring but this book is SOMETHING。 The bridge between topics is so smooth that I could always see the connection， from the very first topic until the last topic。 I'm always amazed by how "Sapiens" could cover such knowledge， ranging from various topics， inside one book。 Evolution， civilization， religion， new religions， economics， politics， technology， and the list goes on。 But the most impressive thing is critics to anthropocentrism， a belief that human is the most superior creature in Earth。 Yes， human is the most intelligent and the only species who can collaborate in a large number （even globally， since internet exists）。 But don't forget that we are also part of nature。 Yes， we could change the world but could we be responsible for the impacts？ This kind of contemplation happened a lot during reading this book。Sapiens is a very insightful book。 Even though you don't believe in Darwinism， I'm sure this book would still benefit you a lot。 I would bluntly say that this book might be awful for people who don't want to open their mind or who aren't ready to accept uncomfortable truths。 BUT， I think those people are the ones who needed it the most。 So， please be neutral when you read this。 。。。more
Corey J。 Davidson
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Well written and ambitious， but I found myself zoning out during several sections of the book that were not of personal interest。The book is basically a survey course in anthropology， history， science， technology and psychology， which is its biggest strength and biggest weakness。 Pick a lane！Honestly， I think the subject matter contained in this book should have been broken up into two or maybe three volumes。Very mildly recommended。
Isaac Chia
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Non-fiction titles often have to develop a compelling narrative from start to finish， or risk losing interest。 Whether or not you agree with the arguments， Sapiens manages to achieve the former - while reminding us that our timeline is a mere speck in the grand scheme of the world。Read during a shitshow of a semester in SMU， this book will be remembered for offering some respite during lunchbreaks at home。
Karen
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Eye opening and insightful。 Surprisingly easy to read。 It a must read for anyone interested in origins。
Andrew Holmes
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Thoughtful and entertaining。 A thoroughly good read。
Haider
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كتاب ممتع غير تقليدي يأخذك في جولة عميقة داخل كهوف التاريخ السحيق الى فضاءات المستقبل。 من لحظة خروج الانسان العاقل من افريقيا قبل الاف السنين الى تداعيات الثورة الزراعية وما خلفته من آثار على عقل الانسان وعلاقته بمحيطه الحيواني。 ثم نشأت الاديان والاقتصاديات والى الامبراطوريات وماجرته ويلات الاستعمار الحديث وأخيرا انفجار الثورة العلمية الجبارة والى أين ستسلك بعقولنا
Mariana
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Este libro es perfecto para cuando quieres tener una crisis existencial porque eso fue lo que me dejó después de leerlo。Disfrute mucho poder leer este libro， conocer más de la historia del ser humano y me ayudo también mucho a reflexionar y replantear mis creencias en todo。 Si hubo algo malo en este libro fue que me abrumaba un poco con tanta información y es por esto que me tome varios días para leerlo y no simplemente leerlo en dos días。 *AUDIOLIBRO*
Genevieve
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Peur être un peu moralisateur mais en général ca en vaut quand même la peine。 Le graphisme ne me plait pas particulièrement mais bon je me suis pas une habituée de bd
Evelina
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Everyone should read this book。
Paulus
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Extraordinary。 Clear， crisp， logical， thought-provoking and weirdly entertaining。 😀 Should be part of a high school curriculum。
Mark Crossen
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Read this book。。。 Please！！ The future of our species depends on it！ It also changed my concept of time， so there is that。
Parker
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Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind is equally depressing and hopeful， funny and tragic。 It does an excellent job detailing our advancements as a species， while not being exhaustive enough to lose the reader。 There is a fair amount of cynicism that goes into creating a book like this， and it shows， however it was never enough to drive me away。I'll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from the book， just to get you started。“You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promisin Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind is equally depressing and hopeful， funny and tragic。 It does an excellent job detailing our advancements as a species， while not being exhaustive enough to lose the reader。 There is a fair amount of cynicism that goes into creating a book like this， and it shows， however it was never enough to drive me away。I'll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from the book， just to get you started。“You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven。” 。。。more
Shai Sachs
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Sapiens is perhaps the best-known popular press work in a new academic field called Big History - an attempt to survey broad swathes of history， perhaps even to quantify it and study it with historical rigor。 Harari sets for himself the rather daunting task of surveying all of human history in five hundred pages and change。 Does he succeed？I suppose it depends on what success looks like！ If the idea is to make the point that history is subject to such an approach in the first place， that it's po Sapiens is perhaps the best-known popular press work in a new academic field called Big History - an attempt to survey broad swathes of history， perhaps even to quantify it and study it with historical rigor。 Harari sets for himself the rather daunting task of surveying all of human history in five hundred pages and change。 Does he succeed？I suppose it depends on what success looks like！ If the idea is to make the point that history is subject to such an approach in the first place， that it's possible to be a commercial success with such an outlandish mission statement。。。 then sure， I guess that's success。 I would even venture to say that Harari succeeded in illuminating some interesting comparisons across the ages， such as the notion that the deities which ruled Fertile Crescent city-states acted in many ways like today's corporations。 The notion that the development of agriculture was a fool's bargain， and so were all of the technologies which followed in its wake， is not exactly new but certainly eye-opening and worth considering。 （Though it seems to me that Harari carries the argument off with a needless helping of foolishly romantic， fictional prose about hunter-gatherers。）The whole text is shot through with an axe to grind， and not a very subtle one， which is what ultimately makes it a failure。 I think the Big Historians style themselves as an entirely new breed of academics， but it seems to me they are really just re-discovering the trail blazed by Marx long ago。 Sure， there is a different ideology at play: Harari is an anti-humanist， who writes with somewhat more erudition and verve than the high school sophomore who just finished skimming Atlas Shrugged。 But it's not clear to me that he adds a whole lot to the conversation which Marx did not add 150-some years ago。What's worse is that Big Historians have such a sharp inferiority complex with regards to their colleagues in the sciences。 That leads Harari to write that physics is the history of the universe， biology is the history of life， etc。 It's all cute and glib until Harari starts to opine about the sciences， and he does not appear particularly well-versed in them; in fact he seems to reify long-discredited scientific theories because they happen to fit in nicely with well-established historical argumentation。The footnotes are illuminating！ In one section Harari makes an outlandish claim drawn from the depths of outright junk evolutionary psychology and bolsters it with a fairly pedestrian retelling of the 1989 coup that took down long-time Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu。 The section on Ceaușescu is richly footnoted - I think there were about a dozen sources， because of course this episode in history was richly documented。 It happened in broad daylight during the modern era， and on TV no less。 The impossibly strong claim based in junk science， however， rested on a single citation， a study that demonstrates conclusively that monkeys like grapes。 It's just one small piece of the book as a whole， and I only noticed it because I find claims in evolutionary psychology to be so insanely repulsive - but I can't say it gave me a lot of respect for Harari's treatment of archaeology， evolutionary history， and similar topics at the edge of "traditional" history。On the whole I found the book pretty interesting， but it was a little suffocating to get through all of the ideological and pseudo-scientific junk masquerading as rigorous academic work。 。。。more
L
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Interesting read， recommended for people， who are interested about human’s history without any prejudice of religion， culture or stereotype books。Ending of the book might be a standard modern philosophical book but the writer tries his best to express the non-ending possibilities of why， how， and reasons of human existence
Carlos Gonzalez
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This book is amazing！！！ This book take the reader too all parts of human history， from the lands of east Africa to the modern day human and all in between。 This book is so good I bought the hard copy also！ Thanks Kristina for the recommendation 😝
Vanessa Dang
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It’s a shame that someone so intelligent and insightful completely missed the boat on topics related to the female experience， for example the role of rape in the subjugation of women。 （He merely shrugs at women’s longstanding mistreatment saying a small handful women are good generals so it’s unknown how women could be subjugated unless it’s some biological trait， since the existence of a few female generals obviously means men on the whole aren’t more aggressive or that their aggressions aren’ It’s a shame that someone so intelligent and insightful completely missed the boat on topics related to the female experience， for example the role of rape in the subjugation of women。 （He merely shrugs at women’s longstanding mistreatment saying a small handful women are good generals so it’s unknown how women could be subjugated unless it’s some biological trait， since the existence of a few female generals obviously means men on the whole aren’t more aggressive or that their aggressions aren’t extremely expensive to women。 As is obvious to nearly every woman， when five minutes of a stranger’s violent aggression can cost you twenty years of your life， if not killing you in childbirth， even the threat of such violence from one man in a hundred is more than enough to reduce half the population to chattel。 When choosing between subservience and death / destitution， who wouldn’t bow？ And， conversely， he misses the vital role of reproductive freedom in the liberation of women。） There are other examples but this is the one that stuck out the hardest for me。 If one fails to ask for help seeing their blind spots， they end up writing a book that is merely yet another American Man Telling It Like It Is。 Which is unfortunate， because it’s otherwise a fascinating book about what selfish pieces of trash humans are， have always been， and are likely to continue being for the rest of our species’ short duration。 。。。more
Nikki Ligan
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