Sapiens : a brief history of humankind / Yuval Noah Harari ; translated by the author, with the help of John Purcell and Haim Watzman ; maps by Neil Gower

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

Object Details

translator
Harari, Yuval N.
Purcell, John
Watzman, Haim
cartographer
Gower, Neil
Translation of: Kitsur toldot ha-enoshut. 2011.
"First published in Hebrew in Israel in 2011 by Kinneret, Mora-Bitan, Dvir."--Title page verso.
"Previously published in a slightly different form in Great Britain in 2014 by Harvill Secker, a division of the Random House Group Ltd."--Title page verso.
Contents
Timeline of history -- Part One. The cognitive revolution -- An animal of no significance -- The tree of knowledge -- A day in the life of Adam and Eve -- The flood -- Part Two. The agricultural revolution. History's biggest fraud -- Building pyramids -- Memory overload -- There is no justice in history -- Part Three. The unification of humankind. The arrow of history -- The scent of money -- Imperial visions -- The law of religion -- The secret of success -- Part Four. 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 -- Afterword: The animal that became a god
Summary
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? 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?
2015
Type
Books
History
Physical description
[viii], 443 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), color maps ; 24 cm
Smithsonian Libraries
Topic
Civilization--History
Human beings--History
World history
Chronology, Historical
Technology and civilization--History
Cognition and culture
Record ID
siris_sil_1040479
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0