Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari - Book Summary: A Brief History of Humankind

Important note: This is not the original book. This is a book summary of the following book:

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Our species, Homo sapiens, started out as just another insignificant animal—among countless others. But at some point, homo sapiens made a rapid jump to domination over all other species. This rapid rise has left humanity anxious, destructive, and often miserable—despite all our efforts to be happy. Yuval Noah Harari's book 'Sapiens,' traces the origins and effects of what we think of as “human progress” from small bands of hunter-gatherers 100,000 years ago to the present-day global network through which our species has come to dominate the Earth. This bird's-eye view of human history delves into the development of sapiens' social organization and the structural features of human cultures through which our species has spread and evolved, including breakthroughs like human language, the use of human imagination, and the rise of the concept of a better future that lies just beyond the horizon. Through these mechanisms, our species has evolved into a species that's increasingly in control of our own destiny. This book considers how this evolution has occurred, whether this progress has been beneficial, and what the future might hold for our species.

Here's what you'll learn about in this summary:

—How our species has evolved, not just biologically, but socially.

—How history, overall, is moving in the direction of global unity of humankind.

—How none of the outcomes of history have been inevitable, and the flexible nature of the social order may mean that our species can control its destiny.