Book review: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

  “You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven.”- Sapiens 

Through Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari has tried to categorically convince readers that  the evolutionary wisdom considered incredible advantageous to Homo sapiens is not a wholesome story. Homo sapiens, the specie we modern humans belongs to means “wise man”  i.e Homo + sapiens : man which is wise.

If you ever had the question, if humans evolved from apes ? Is it true ? Or if we both evolved separately from common ancestors( who used to look alike ape but definitely not like modern apes ). If you have the curiosity to know about evolution of Homo sapiens and advancement of society(as we claim so) then the book is definitely for you. 

Moreover questions like ,We as humans are more civilised but are we more advanced too ? Do happiness we admire is  really a concept ? These questions drive a strong desire to read this book.

This book questions the very basic fundamentals of human existence and give a unique outlook to look at things. It narrates story from the early human existence as Hunter gatherers to Modern civilised man .

The book narrates how humans are shaped from their ancestors. What shaped our identity, agricultural revolution, invention of money and much more. It deeply reflects as how we shaped us into most successful species! Whether technological adaptation, formation of complex societies, or ability to form abstract ideas.

It dwells upon interesting facts like :Homo sapiens conquered the world rising from East Africa and became the most advanced species . It points to our language ,which itself evolved as a way of gossiping!!

While comparing the modern society with the earlier one , it also questions whether we as modern humans are affluent, happy, healthy compared to simple societies  ? 

“While people in today’s affluent societies work an average of forty to forty five hours a week, and people in the developing world work sixty and even eighty four hours a week, Hunter gatherers living today in the most inhospitable of habitats such as Kalahandi desert work on average for just thirty five to forty five hours a week. Foragers enjoyed a lighter load of household chores. They had no dishes to wash, no carpets to vacuum, no floors to polish, no nappies to change and no bills to pay. By early afternoon back at camp to make lunch. Have plenty of time to gossip,tell stories , play with children and just hang out. Foraging provide ideal nutrition , they were less likely to suffer from malnutrition or starvation , had varied diet and generally taller and healthier than their present descendants. Suffered less from infectious disease. Most of infectious disease have plagued agricultural and industrial societies .”

Thereby , it cites Agricultural revolution as history’s biggest fraud. The pursuit of an easier life resulted in much hardship, and not for the last time. It happens to us today!

“How many young college graduates have taken demanding jobs in high powered firms, vowing that they will work hard to earn money that will enable them to retire and pursue their real interests when they are thirty five? But by the time they reach that age, they have large mortgages,children to school, houses in the suburbs that necessitate at least two cars per family, and a sense that life is not worth living without really good wine and expensive holidays abroad. What are they supposed to do, go back to digging up roots? No, they double their efforts and keep slaving away.

One of history’s few iron laws is that luxuries tend to become necessities and to spawn new obligations. May be it wasn’t the search for an easier life that brought about the transformation .”

Secondly,The domestication of animals was founded on a series of brutal practices.In dairy common method of monopolising milk of cattle is to slaughter their claves and kids shortly after birth, milk the mother for all she was worth, and then get her pregnant again. It shows discrepancy between evolutionary success and individual suffering which went hand in hand . 

Moreover, the basic rights which we as humans seem to enjoy (as we call ‘human rights’) are being questioned. Human rights exists only in imagination. Homo sapiens has no natural rights, just as spiders, hyenas and chimpanzees have no natural rights. It’s just that large segments of population truly believe in it. For instance,The modern economic system would not have lasted a single day if the majority of investors and bankers failed to believe in capitalism. It is imagined order that shapes our desires . Similar way human rights have been an imagined order.

Yuval Noah Harari opines : Money is the most universal and most efficient system of mutual trust ever devised. We do not trust the stranger, or the next door neighbour , we trust the coin they held. If they run out of coins, we run out of trust. 

Next in Question is the “free will of man” as we used to call it. It argues  Human behaviour is determined by hormones, genes and synapses rather than free will- the same forces that determine the behaviour of chimpanzees, wolves and ants .

It argues for the notion of happiness:money, social status, plastic surgery, beautiful houses, powerful positions- none of these will bring you happiness. Lasting happiness is chemical happiness comes only from serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin.

Furthermore, “Writing” was born as the maid servant of human consciousness, but is increasingly becoming its master. Our computers have trouble understanding how Homo sapiens talks, feel, and dreams. So we are teaching Homo sapiens to talk, feel and dream in the language of numbers, which can be understood by computers.

Seeping into future through modern technology, such as genetic engineering ,ethical concern are high, as if humans going to establish themselves as creators. It argues that world is going to a new singularity. The real pathbreaking thought to introspect is what do we want to become? Dark side is ,We might be forced to love as alternative version of ourselves(human). 

The book sights for gloomy future of Homo sapiens as could be. The author never fails in the entire book to come up with a simple thought and leaves with a bang. It’s a great read to get insights into the very existence of “us”.