[[Books Index]] # Sapiens. A brief history of humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari. ## Part 1 - The Cognitive Revolution ### An Animal of No Significant - Different species of humans have co-existed together during the same period. - Currently left with Homo sapiens - Evolution is a slow process. The ecosystem had time to adjust, checks and balances. However, humans moved to the Top of the food chain quickly, so the ecosystem didn't have time to adjust. - Fire-Fire enables cooking and hunting - nutrients and saves time. - Human control fire; technological advancement. - Two theories - Interbreeding Theory: Different Sapiens bred, and merged. Replacement Theory: Genetic gulf between different populations, and die off. - 1-4 % of modern human DNA in Middle East and Europe is Neanderthal DNA. - 6 % of the unique DNA of modern Melanesians and Aborignal Australians is Denisovan DNA - Not conclusive evidence. - Where are other Homo? - Sapiens multiplied and overtake other Homo. ? - Competition of resources - What if there are other species are living along side Sapiens? - How did homo sapiens become the only species of human left? ### The Tree of Knowledge - 150,000 years ago in East Africa - Sapiens populated in East Africa - 70,000 things ago, Sapiens left Africa - Reach Europe and East Asia, - 70,000 to 30,000 years ago saw the invention of boats, oil lamps, boats... - Researchers said that it's due to increasing cognitive abilities - Genetic mutation? - Tree of knowledge mutation ? - Something happen, increase sapiens ability to think? - Language - every animal have some kind of language. - (Ref [[🏠 030 Language and Psychology]]) - Animal have different calls to communicate. - What so special of human language? - - Ability to ingest, store, communicate information. - ( Language - Symbolism, going back in history or talking about future) - Ability to imagine, talk about things that does not exist - Gossip Theory - social animal. Relationships - Social network - 150. Self-organised based on gossip. - Any groups larger than 150, ... rooted in "common myths" (concepts, constructs, like "religion, beliefs, laws") - Man create myth and do rituals all the time - from church, law, creating companies.. - Over the years, people have woven an incredibly complex network of stories -- call "fiction", "social constructs", "imagined realities" - Ever since cognitive revolution, mankind exist on duel reality - objective (trees, river) and imagined reality (God, gods, nations, corporations). Imagined reality becoming more powerful, and affect objective reality. - Myths can change, drastically. Behavior can be revised. Cultural evolution. - DNA, genetic mutations affect cognition - the capacity to think differently. - Sapiens can transfer social structures, not because of environmental factors/pressure: Priesthood elites etc. - Summary: Sapiens became strong because of language; the power to create imagined realities, myth, constructs to organise themselves. --Create Culture - Trades - "trusts in fictional entities, e.g Dollars." - One to One, we are similar to chimpanzees, but over 150 numbers, the difference appears - can create institutions, to organise large numbers. - Biology ---> Cognitive Revolution ---> then we use History to describe human history ### A Day in the Life of Adam and Eve ### The Flood ## Part 2 - The Agricultural Revolution ### History's Biggest Fraud ### Building Pyramids ### Memory Overload ### There is no Justice in history ## Part 3 - The Unification of Humankind ### The arrow of history ### The scent of money ### Imperial Visions ### The law of religion ### The secret of success ## Part 4 - The scientific Revolution ### The discovery of ignorance ### The marriage of science and empire ### The Capitalist Creed ### The wheels of industry ### A permanent Revolution ### And they lived happily ever after ### The end of homo sapiens