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Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Paperback | Diverse Reads

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

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A compelling read that looks at the triumphs and endurability of homo sapiens through the lens of both history and science. Harari offers insight into the constant evolution of humanity and what the future could possibly look like for homo sapiens.

 Official U.S. edition with full color illustrations throughout.

#1 New York Times Bestseller

The Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, now available as a beautifully packaged paperback

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, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem.

ISBN-13: 9780062316110

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Publication Date: 05-15-2018

Pages: 464

Product Dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.10(d)

Prof. Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and Sapiens: A Graphic History. His books have sold over 35 million copies in 65 languages, and he is considered one of the world’s most influential public intellectuals today. The Guardian has credited Sapiens with revolutionizing the non-fiction market and popularizing “brainy books”.In 2020 Harari joined forces with renowned comics artists David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave, to create Sapiens: A Graphic History: a radical adaptation of the original Sapiens into a graphic novel series. This illustrated collection casts Yuval Noah Harari in the role of guide, who takes the reader through the entire history of the human species, accompanied by a range of fictional characters and traveling through time, space and popular culture references.Born in Haifa, Israel, in 1976, Harari received his PhD from the University of Oxford in 2002, and is currently a lecturer at the Department of History, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He originally specialized in world history, medieval history and military history, and his current research focuses on macro-historical questions such as: What is the relationship between history and biology? What is the essential difference between Homo sapiens and other animals? Is there justice in history? Does history have a direction? Did people become happier as history unfolded? What ethical questions do science and technology raise in the 21st century?

Table of Contents

Timeline of History viii

Part 1 The Cognitive Revolution

1 An Animal of No Significance 3

2 The Tree of Knowledge 20

3 A Day in the Life of Adam and Eve 40

4 The Flood 63

Part 2 The Agricultural Resolution

5 History's Biggest Fraud 77

6 Building Pyramids 98

7 Memory Overload 119

8 There is No Justice in History 133

Part 3 The Unification of Humankind

9 The Arrow of History 163

10 The Scent of Money 173

11 Imperial Visions 188

12 The Law of Religion 209

13 The Secret of Success 237

Part 4 The Scientific Revolution

14 The Discovery of Ignorance 247

15 The Marriage of Science and Empire 275

16 The Capitalist Creed 305

17 The Wheels of Industry 334

18 A Permanent Revolution 350

19 And They Lived Happily Ever After 376

20 The End of Homo Sapiens 397

Afterword: The Animal that Became a God 415

Notes 417

Acknowledgements 429

Image credits 431

Index 433