A book review on "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari, a book on the evolution and mystery of the Homo Sapiens.

1. BOOK REVIEW- SAPIENS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF
HUMANKIND
S U B M I T T E D B Y :
R U D R A S H A H ( 1 7 B C L 0 9 3 )
J A Y H I R P A R A ( 1 7 B C L 0 3 3 )
S H R U J A L D E V A N I ( 1 7 B C L 1 4 3 D )
V A T S A L S H E T H ( 1 7 B C L 1 1 8 )
P U J A N A G R A W A L ( 1 7 B C L 0 0 2 )

2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling
author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A
Brief History of Tomorrow, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century.
Born in Haifa, Israel, in 1976, Harari received his PhD from the
University of Oxford in 2002, and is currently a lecturer at the
Department of History, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His books
have sold over 23 Million copies worldwide.
In 2018 and in 2020, Yuval Noah Harari gave keynote speeches on the
future of humanity on the Congress Hall stage of the World Economic
Forum annual meeting in Davos. Harari regularly discusses global
issues with heads of state, and has had public conversations with
Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte and with Austrian Chancellor
Sebastian Kurz. He also met with President Emmanuel Macron of
France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, President Mauricio
Macri of Argentina, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, and
Mayor Ying Yong of Shanghai. In 2018, Yuval presented the first ever
TED talk delivered as a digital avatar, and in 2019, he sat down for a
filmed discussion on technology and the future of society with Facebook
CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

3. REVIEW:
The difference between evolution and improvement is that Improvement
included eliminating weaker traits (or species in this context) whereas
evolution would mean existence of an older weaker species to a stronger
one as well.
Thus, before I read Sapiens I always assumed that we were the
evolutionary product of Apes, but what I failed to assume was that it was a
slow transformation, and upon reading the book I realised many of our
ancestral species had mysteriously disappeared completely off the face of
the Earth.
This led me to imagine how a weaker species like ours managed to
conquer not just the food chain, our seemingly physically powerful
ancestors, but even managed to conquer the world? How are there no
remaining species of our ancestors even when they conquered the harsh
climatic conditions which could very much kill the present population?

4. The book owed credit to many of social characteristics of Homo Sapiens,
which was key to not just our survival but also our eventual ascension
straight to the top in a shorter time than even what most predators would
struggle with. The answers to many of my imagined and unimagined
questions lied here and several were some which I could not have expected
in the least.
Sapiens traverses the road through history exploring the conquests and the
mysteries behind the human race (by humans of course not just Homo
Sapiens but other species of human lineage as well).
But what lies ahead for the human race in the view of the author?
Observing the trends by the threads of his research, he introspects and
predicts the future of Homo Sapiens where we might be reliant on the
inorganic features and becoming irresponsible with power beyond check.
The book is an enlightening read and does not try to pull any punches, it is
not just speculation of the history of our species so far but also an
introspection of our superiority complex over other species as well, which
could very well be inherent in our system and it’s repercussions over time.
But it is not without hope as it imparts hope that if the weakest species can
develop ways and thrive in the cruel world, it is very much possible to
break out of our apathy, and that is an encouraging thought.

5. SUMMARY
Although not the first humans, Homo sapiens came to replace all other human
species on Earth.
With the Cognitive Revolution, Homo sapiens acquired thinking and Communication
Skills that allowed them to con- quer the globe.
The capacity for complex language gave Homo sapiens great advantages, allowing
them to spread and thrive.
During the Agricultural Revolution, humans transformed from foragers into farmers,
which led to exponential popula- tion growth.
In order to facilitate trade in large communities, humans invented money and writing.

6. The emergence of empires and religion pushed hu- mankind in the direction of
global unification.
The scientific revolution modernized humanity, paving the way for new
technologies, imperialism and economic growth.
Today’s global society, with its central belief in the pow- er of capitalism, is a
legacy of European imperialism.
Humankind has never been more peaceful than in our globalized times.
History is neither good nor bad, and its twists and turns are largely irrelevant to our
subjective happiness.
In the future, Homo sapiens will transcend biological limits, eventually replacing
itself with an entire new species.