Harari sought to understand the history of humankind’s domination of the earth and its development of complex modern societies. But if you write a history of the whole world you can’t do this. I was taught that if you’re going to study something, you must understand it deeply and be familiar with primary sources. But in order to do so, you have to give up the most cherished tools of historians. It made me realize that you can ask the biggest questions about history and try to give them scientific answers. It’s not surprising, then, that Harari, a history professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has noted Diamond’s contributions to his thinking. Readers will easily recognize the influence of Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel, The Third Chimpanzee, and other similarly broad-yet-scientific works with vast synthesis and explanatory power. It’s new and fresh, but not based on any new primary research. It’s written for a popular audience, but never feels dumbed down. Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens is one of those uniquely breathtaking books that comes along but rarely. Why did Homo sapiens diverge from the rest of the animal kingdom and go on to dominate the earth? Communication? Cooperation? According to best-selling author Yuval Noah Harari, that barely scratches the surface.
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