People love Sapiens.  I am admittedly late to author Yuval Noah Harari’s party.  But I am glad to have finally arrived because this book asks the real questions of history – big, universal questions that others fail to address or consciously avoid. 

Many historians stay in their history lane.  Harari takes a holistic approach across disciplines, weaving in anthropology, political science, philosophy, along with other natural and social sciences.  He focuses on human purpose and motives, like a prosecutor trying a criminal case, intent on articulating a defendant’s mens rea so the jury (his readers) can understand human (homo sapien) behavior.  

This approach makes the book engaging and riveting for scholars and the general public alike.  That is not to say everyone liked it despite its mainstream success. John Sexton of The University of Chicago, for example, wrote in The New Atlantis that Sapiens is: 

[A] speculative reconstruction of human evolution, supplemented by the author’s thoughts on recorded history and the human condition. The book is fundamentally unserious and undeserving of the wide acclaim and attention it has been receiving.   

Harsh.  But in my view, unwarranted.  Whenever an author tries to tackle the big, universal questions about the entire human race in a “brief history of humankind”, some parts will inevitably feel glossed over.  While I think Harari could have been clearer about his sources at times and unsupported theories at others, overall the book does a remarkable job of analyzing history through an interdisciplinary lens. 

It is bold. Ambitious. And in my view, effective. It puts the rise of homo sapiens in context with other species of humans (e.g., Neanderthals and Denisovans) and helps the reader understand how and – most importantly – why we arrived at an industrialized, capitalist, and globalized world.  Harari also asks important questions about where we might be going as a species, and considerations for our journey given the rise of technology in life sciences and throughout society in general.     

Sapiens In Context 

Early on Harari states, “It takes a tribe to raise a human.”  As a new dad, boy can I relate.  While detailing the attributes of early homo sapiens, Harari puts everything in context.  

We had no biological advantage.  Our position in the food chain was “solidly in the middle.”  According to Harari, “We subconsciously still inhabit a hunter-gatherer world.”  One passage in particular struck me: 

Having so recently been one of the underdogs of the savannah, we are full of fears and anxieties over our position, which makes us doubly cruel and dangerous. Many historical calamities, from deadly wars to ecological catastrophes, have resulted from this over-hasty jump.

Although he doesn’t provide direct evidence or sources tied to each of these “historical calamities”, it makes sense.  It cannot be a coincidence that as homo sapiens gained power, animals died off in droves, particularly larger ones like Australian megafauna and giant sloths.  With that said, Harari does not dispel other potential causes like environmental factors.   

Asking Real Questions of the Agricultural Revolution

One of the most enlightening sections of the book is on the Agricultural Revolution.  If you grew up like me, you were probably taught that the Agricultural Revolution was a liberating feat for mankind.  Division of labor freed humans to specialize and increase productivity and efficiency, right? 

Wrong, according to Harari.  I won’t give too much away if you have yet to read Sapiens, but he basically views the Agricultural Revolution as “history’s biggest fraud.”  It led to “population explosions and pampered elites.”  For Harari, the “average farmer worked harder than the average forager and got a worse diet in return.”

Personally, I’m happy I don’t have to forage for my own food everyday.  I enjoy markets, grocery stores, and services like Instacart and Seamless, but I get Harari’s point.  Too many of us fall into the “trap of more”, or as Biggie would say, “Mo Money Mo Problems.”

Harari’s point is that ever since the Agricultural Revolution homo sapiens have pursued a better life that only results in more hardship.  We become slaves to corporations and 9 to 5 jobs so we can afford luxury lifestyles.  Then we wake up one day and realize we are unhappy.  Should we have remained hunter-gatherers though?  There must be a middle ground.   

The Power of Gossip, Myths, Empires, and Capitalism 

Homo Sapiens have unique abilities that other animals do not possess.  For Harari, some of the greatest powers are those of gossip, mythology, empires, and capitalism.  Myths and fictions were especially important as communities grew larger. 

Myths and fictions accustomed people, nearly from the moment of birth, to think in certain ways, to behave in accordance with certain standards, to want certain things, and to observe certain rules. They thereby created artificial instincts that enabled millions of strangers to cooperate effectively. This network of artificial instincts is called “culture.” 

I was surprised that Harari’s take on empires was relatively positive.  More often than not, I read about the social ills caused by empires or imperialism, which is often justified.  But we can easily forget that there have been many benefits of empire. 

Most importantly, they do not require rule by an autocratic emperor.  The British empire, which was the largest in history, was ruled by democracy.  Although they subjugated and colonized many people, they also spread democratic principles and the idea of self-government, which persists in many former British colonies today. 

To colour all empires black and to disavow all imperial legacies is to reject most of human culture. Imperial elites used the profits of conquest to finance not only armies and forts, but also philosophy, art, justice, and charity. A significant proportion of humanity’s cultural achievements owe their existence to the exploitation of conquered populations.

Harari also has interesting takes on the British empire’s treatment of India.  For example, he states:

The British may have killed, injured and persecuted the inhabitants of the subcontinent, but they also united a bewildering mosaic of warring kingdoms, principalities and tribes, creating a shared national consciousness and a country that functioned more or less as a single political unit. 

His takes on capitalism are equally interesting.

The economic pie of today is far larger than it was in 1500, it is distributed so unevenly that many African peasants and Indonesian laborers return home after a hard day’s work with less food than did their ancestors 500 years ago.  

Then Harari pivots to capitalism’s positive signs, namely increased life expectancy, reduced child mortality, and improved calorie intake.  As he states, “The standard of living of the average human today is significantly higher than it was in 1914, despite the exponential growth in humans.”  So while capitalism may not be perfect and requires controls, we cannot deny the fact it has lifted many homo sapiens out of impoverished lifestyles.  Look at China.  

Warning For the Future – Growing Gulf Between Liberalism and Life Sciences

Some of the heaviest chapters arrive toward the end of Sapiens.  Having recently read a biography on Jennifer Doudna, this point from Harari really resonated with me: 

A huge gulf is opening between the tenets of liberal humanism and the latest findings of life sciences, a gulf we cannot ignore much longer. 

As life sciences advance and our ability to manipulate the human genome grows, the tenets of liberal humanism must keep pace.  With CRISPR technology practically mainstream, the time is now for governments and international bodies to address the growing gulf between liberalism and life sciences.  Harari noted this almost ten years ago now, and unfortunately, we have not made much progress since.

It is not an area where we can afford to “move fast and break things.” 

Are We Happier?

This was the most interesting section of the book for me.  I have read many history books and taken many courses in history and other liberal arts at all levels of academia.  Never once was this question posed.  Perhaps I received a poor education.

The true end for most people is happiness.  Why doesn’t our examination of the past and outlook for the future focus on this end if that’s the case?  

It is hard to be happy in the modern world.  Take a stroll through social media or expose yourself to modern day advertising.  I probably don’t have to tell you that you will experience hate, ridicule, and feelings of inferiority.  

People yearn for meaning and purpose.  Soma pills as in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World can only take you so far.  Harari does a great job of incorporating these concepts into the final sections of the book.  I wish he had woven them in more throughout.  

Takeaway

When you pick this book up to read, remember that it is a brief universal account of humanity.  It is a big and bold undertaking for a work of nonfiction less than 500 pages. You will not get details of every event that shaped humanity and brought us to where we are today.

What you will get are unique questions that most historians do not ask.  For me, they are the real questions of history that help us understand the present and the future.  History repeats itself.  If we can understand the flaws of the Agricultural Revolution, the benefits of empire and capitalism amidst their faults, and the dangers to future homo sapiens without adequate input from liberal humanism, we can hopefully create a better world.

And hopefully it’s happier too.  Without the soma pills.