Will I love Sapiens?

I recommend Sapiens because it gave me the universal timeline I still use.

Harari starts from first principles and describes the human species without the usual tribal flattery. After I read it, I stopped treating every company crisis as a unique drama.

It sits inside a much longer pattern of how we invent stories, then live inside them. That context is what I reach for when I have to hold science, people, and a P&L in the same room.

As in my second recommendation, Harari adds the historical perspective to humanity’s survival.

The coming battle with AI is just the latest for humans. One hundred thousand years ago, at least six humanoid species inhabited the Earth and battled for survival. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens.

Harari does a beautiful job of explaining how our species succeed in the battle for dominance. He describes how our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms; how did we come to believe in gods, nations, and human rights; to trust money, books, and laws; and to be enslaved… show more.

Why is it that looking at the past, reading our history, studying ancient ruins, makes me feel better about facing today’s world?

I think about connection, a feeling that, despite having lived hundreds or thousands of years ago, there are still shared goals and commonalities between myself and them. 

Harari is one of those rare authors who can distill enormous amounts of information into a single sentence and hold your attention at the same time. Early in the book, Harari explains that as humans evolved to walk upright, the narrowing of the pelvis and hips made childbirth more treacherous. His… show more.

This fresh, well-written, and well-researched outlook and overview of history made me think about our ancestors and our world and provided a lot of discussion and conversation material.

It was a fascinating book full of enlightening facts and insights about the course of human civilization. The author’s strong opinions may offend some readers, but his clear-eyed view of our shared humanity kept me reading.

I was mesmerized by this book. As a historian and philosopher, Yuval presents a unique perspective on how we humans evolved over the last 700,000 years. I was drawn to his focus on the power of stories as the bedrock of the cultures and societies we have created and live in. 

He presents great examples of how stories shaped history and how we came to create large-scale communities based on common beliefs and mythologies. 

The book also resonated with my interest in stories as one of the four fundamental conversations that constitute our everyday conversations and interactions. 

Treats human history as universal experience rather than a fragmented conflict between groups.

While reading this book, I had the impression that the author was articulating many of my own observations about the history of humans on planet Earth. Despite my education and interests giving me a fairly good insight into the history of civilizations, he surprised me with numerous insights about the laws that govern human societies. Great job, Mr. Harari.

Yuval Noah Harari connects the dots between our past and the future, providing insights into how we've shaped and been shaped by innovation.

This book inspired me to think about the broader implications of AI and technology on our species. It fuels my passion for leveraging innovation to make a positive impact on society.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind is well-written, challenging, and edifying.