Is there anything more dangerous than dissatisfied and irresponsible gods who don’t know what they want?

It is currently several centuries before Christ and the world is untouched by human intervention. The laws of nature run rampant, there is no order of the law, the food chain is diverse and saber-tooth tigers, megalodons and mammoths are roaming the planet. The present moment seems to be eternal, captured in a still frame, no notion of time; (in fact, fixed international hours only gained relevance quite recently with the invention of rail transport, as we can learn from this book, alongside many other interesting general facts), however, any perceptive observer of life would know that change is inevitable and that primordial world was destined to transform. Enter Homo Sapiens, the sole species (as far as we know) that managed to very quickly position itself at the very top of the food chain and dominate the entire planet, irreversibly changing it and bringing about a new order.



Mass delusions became the bases of human progress, extremely valuable tools that allowed our species to tread on territory no other animal could.

A potentially offensive and disruptive idea, so take caution, if you have deeply held beliefs that mean much to you and you tend to react defensively when they are put into question and mercilessly dissected to imply innate meaninglessness, this book might not be for you. I've read a few reviews that were viciously attacking this book, giving several reasons as to why it's "trash", claiming it doesn't do a good job giving a thorough look at history and glosses over ideas just to push a certain narrative, but what I really see underneath these assertions is anger and offense at core beliefs these readers held that were "attacked" in this book, and by attacked, I mean nitpicked and analyzed to reach an underlying principle, the principle here being "things are inherently meaningless unless we assign meaning to them." Of course, this might rub many people off the wrong way, people holding any sort of belief. If you are religious, you will be reading about why the author believes your beliefs are delusions that you've convinced yourself to hold to give meaning to your life. If you support capitalism, the author will be quick to remind you that the notion of money and banking is equally fictitious. Human rights? Gender equality? Gender inequality? They are all delusions, nature doesn't care and nothing has inherent value. Could anything be more bleak and hope crushing?

But that's where the magic really begins. Homo Sapiens did what no other animal could. Homo Sapiens were the only creatures that created meaning where there was none. They plunged into the abyss and gave it the light of meaning. These delusions as he calls them were necessary for Sapiens to build the comfortable lifestyles most human beings are privileged to have today. Without the "myth" of a shared culture or religion, it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to have thousands of humans cooperating with each other to achieve a common goal. As Harari said, it's possible for a smaller group of humans to do so, just like we see in other species, but for thousands, hundreds of thousands and even millions of people to band together and live in harmony, a shared "myth" is necessary. He takes it a step further, claiming basic things like money and the economy are myths. He talks about how the entire current banking system is based on the imaginary future in which we will have enough money to repay loans the banks give us.

Whether you think his arguments are logical or not are up to you and your personal beliefs, but if you are going to enjoy this book, you must turn off personal sentiments and approach it from a detached perspective to avoid finishing it with anger.



The light of meaning created by Sapiens in the abyss of meaninglessness not only illuminated the world, but it also scorched many aspects of it in merciless fire.

Yuval Noah Harari doesn't shy away from describing all the treacheries Sapiens have committed during their tenure on planet earth. From possibly being the reason why Neanderthals went extinct, alongside the extinction of millions of other animals, to the genocides committed by certain nations against indigenous tribes, the hands of the human race are soaked in blood. A particularly touching story the author mentioned was the story of Truganini, the final indigenous Tasmanian woman whose life was turned into a living hell when the British invaded her country. Her story might be quite triggering so I am putting a trigger warning here. Her mother and uncle were killed, her sister abducted and her fiancé was brutally murdered and she was brutally raped by her husband's murderers. Truganini lived a difficult life and one would think that in death, her body had found peace. However, that was unfortunately not the case. Despite having asked the colonial authorities to give her a respectful burial and have her ashes scattered around a location of her choosing and not have her body be examined for scientific reasons, which was her main fear, her wishes were ignored and 2 years after her burial, her skeleton was placed on display. Only in 1976 were her remains burned and scattered according to her wishes, even though she had died a 100 years earlier. End of trigger warning.

The cruelty to which Truganini was subjected stands as one of the millions of examples of how much treachery Sapiens are capable of, even to members of their own species, who were arguably more impacted by this cruelty than other animals, even though animals are also viciously abused to this day. The daily suffering farm animals go through to this day is also mentioned.

This is a photo of Truganini.



With the power of technology at their fingertips, will Homo Sapiens ultimately put an end to their own species, perhaps creating a new genetically and technologically modified version of themselves?

After briefly exploring each distinct phase of human history, we end the book looking towards the uncertain future. The author puts out very odd possibilities, such as achieving a-mortality (not quite immortal, since in this state, humans can live indefinitely unless killed by an external source, an accident or a murder perhaps), having the ability to communicate with each other without speaking, through digital means implanted in their brains, creating highly intelligent inorganic life and permanently altering our species altogether. They truly do seem far fetched, but could we have predicted that we would be walking on the moon 600 years ago?



Let's make a distinction between what this book actually is and what it is not.

If you want a detailed historical account of the epochs mentioned in this book, you must look elsewhere, since the title itself states that it is a brief history of humankind. This book is an extended analysis of the author's view on humankind. Instead of reading about extensive historical facts, you will be reading about the most influential moments in history and their significance based on the author's point of view. You will be following his trail of logic. You might vehemently disagree, or nod your head in enthusiastic agreement. I was doing the latter, since the author's worldviews and perceptions coincidentally align with mine, but I do not promise the same experience to everyone else.

This is not an attack on any specific culture or an attempt to boast the superiority of one, though one might be tempted to think that it is. Remember, this work is detached from the subjective workings of human morality, it is an impersonal analysis, calling something as it is. I do agree that it is subjective analysis, one others might not agree with, but it is a logical one. By logical, I mean there is a logical thread that connects all his thoughts. Even though I personally agree with his views, that doesn't prevent you as a reader from finding his views irrational, so I'm not writing the review claiming what he says is a truth you will accept.

This was a refreshingly honest and informative read and I highly enjoyed it. I recommend this book and I do think it is highly likely that the reader will come out of this book more informed about general historical events and some scientific facts. The rich variety present in this book made it a precious read for me.

4 gladly given stars!