Descripción
THE non-fiction book of the YEAR
An international bestseller with over a million copies sold.
Lucid and illuminating: the history of humanity in a single volume.
This is the fascinating account of our extraordinary history: from insignificant apes to masters of the world.
How did our species manage to prevail in the struggle for existence? Why did our hunter-gatherer ancestors unite to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations, or human rights; to trust in money, books, or laws? How did we end up subject to bureaucracy, schedules, and consumerism? And what will the world be like in the millennia to come? In Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari traces a brief history of humanity, from the first humans who walked on Earth to the radical and sometimes devastating advances of the three great revolutions that our species has starred in: the cognitive, the agricultural, and the scientific. Based on findings from disciplines as diverse as biology, anthropology, paleontology, and economics, Harari explores how the great currents of history have shaped our society, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Have we gained in happiness as history has progressed? Will we ever be able to free our behavior from the inheritance of the past? Can we do something to influence future centuries? Bold, ambitious, and provocative, this book questions everything we thought we knew about human beings: our origins, our ideas, our actions, our power... and our future. - Fire gave us power.
- Conversation made cooperation possible.
- Agriculture fed our ambition.
- Mythology upheld law and order.
- Money offered something to trust.
- Contradictions created culture.
- Science made us unstoppable. Reviews: "It addresses the most important questions of history and the modern world, and it is also written in a vivid and unforgettable style."
Jared Diamond "Renews belief in the readers' own capacity to decide. The most surprising and refreshing success of a non-fiction book in the last decade."
Shmuel Rosner, original editor (Israel) ENGLISH DESCRIPTION New York Times Bestseller 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.
An international bestseller with over a million copies sold.
Lucid and illuminating: the history of humanity in a single volume.
This is the fascinating account of our extraordinary history: from insignificant apes to masters of the world.
How did our species manage to prevail in the struggle for existence? Why did our hunter-gatherer ancestors unite to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations, or human rights; to trust in money, books, or laws? How did we end up subject to bureaucracy, schedules, and consumerism? And what will the world be like in the millennia to come? In Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari traces a brief history of humanity, from the first humans who walked on Earth to the radical and sometimes devastating advances of the three great revolutions that our species has starred in: the cognitive, the agricultural, and the scientific. Based on findings from disciplines as diverse as biology, anthropology, paleontology, and economics, Harari explores how the great currents of history have shaped our society, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Have we gained in happiness as history has progressed? Will we ever be able to free our behavior from the inheritance of the past? Can we do something to influence future centuries? Bold, ambitious, and provocative, this book questions everything we thought we knew about human beings: our origins, our ideas, our actions, our power... and our future. - Fire gave us power.
- Conversation made cooperation possible.
- Agriculture fed our ambition.
- Mythology upheld law and order.
- Money offered something to trust.
- Contradictions created culture.
- Science made us unstoppable. Reviews: "It addresses the most important questions of history and the modern world, and it is also written in a vivid and unforgettable style."
Jared Diamond "Renews belief in the readers' own capacity to decide. The most surprising and refreshing success of a non-fiction book in the last decade."
Shmuel Rosner, original editor (Israel) ENGLISH DESCRIPTION New York Times Bestseller 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.