Thoughts on "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind"

>>2527183
Here's a scholarly review from the Journal of Chemical Education;

>I spent much of my early life (when I was not feeding my Tamagotchi) in perennial wait for the next installment of Jean Auel’s Earth’s Children series, so I was eager to read Yval Noah Harari’s Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. I looked forward to a description of the crucial shifts that occurred to bring Homo sapiens from hunter-gatherers to today’s city dwellers, grounded in up-to-date research. It also had great reviews, a 4.5-star rating and it was on Amazon’s Best Book of the Month list when I selected it. The first part of the book did not disappoint; I was captivated by the descriptions of how early humans interacted with prehistoric Earth. Harari describes how humans gained dominion over other species, ascribing this achievement to the “cognitive revolution”. The second part of the book describes the “agricultural revolution”, as humans abandoned their nomadic lifestyles and settled into farming communities. This was followed by the “scientific revolution”.

>In the first part, Harari presents conflicting theories and weighs in with his own voice as to which seems best supported by the available evidence. Each chapter ends with questions and cliffhangers, spurring the reader forward into the next. As the human story progresses, there are fewer citations and more statements that left me scratching my head. For example, Harari describes China as accepting the culture of “former Western overlords”. Another story Harari relates is about Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin carrying a Native American tribal message with them to the moon. A quick Google search revealed this account was first relayed by Johnny Carson in his Tonight Show monologue.

>>2527240
>Later in the book, he contrasted the ancient remedy for chapped hands rubbing them with olive oil to the modern solution that the scientific revolution has provided us, listing the chemical names for the ingredients in hand cream. However, the first five ingredients listed after water are present in olive oil! This type of rhetoric only serves to promote chemophobia and mistrust of science, and seems more appropriate for a blog touting the latest “natural” remedy for measles.

>After reviewing our progress in the context of these revolutions, Hariri offers his comments on whether we, as individuals, are happier since they have occurred, and makes predictions about how science and technology will propel the continued evolution of Homo sapiens. However, the undocumented claims and nonsequiturs of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind interrupted my journey through the text like speed bumps in a residential neighborhood. I reached the end, but because Hariri had lost nearly all credibility at that point, his conclusions bounced off me like a stone off a windshield.

>>2527240
>>2527245

So basically the first half is good, and the second half is bullshit?

Damn. I guess I'll keep reading though

>>2527305
I read it and I got exactly this feel. First half was very good and then it fell off a cliff very quickly into the second half. It stops reading like an interesting book about history and science and starts reading more like postmodern bullshit.

>>2527305
Seems that way. It's on LibGen if you don't want to pay for it.

It's better in Hebrew desu

>>2527331
Is it even worth reading the second half?

>>2527356
I have the physical book, I got it from my library.

>>2527462
>Is it even worth reading the second half?
Absolutely not

>>2527471
Damn, what chapter do I stop at then?

Any other similar books that might be more credible? I just love the perspective of analyzing our species from the perspective of evolution and prehistory, then looking at the physcological and cultural implications

>>2527356

How the fuck do you use LibGen? I've used the search function and gotten nothing. Is it just a depository for links to other sites where the books are?

>>2527796
>Is it just a depository for links to other sites where the books are?

Pretty much. Download links are under 'Mirrors' [1], [2], etc.

http://gen.lib.rus.ec/search.php?req=Yuval+Noah+Harari&lg_topic=libgen&open=0&view=simple&res=25&phrase=1&column=def

>>2527305

Yes. When he's talking about pretty history stuff it's great, then it takes a nose dive when he begins to go into his own musings about various more modern things

>>2527183
>although the author is a little pretentious and overly confident about some ideas.

Literally my only issue with the book so far

>>2527305
No. The first part is flawless and almost-completely neutral and objective. You can read through it safely. Th second half is literally Yuval trying to shove his personal beliefs and interpretations to the facts he states. A clueless reader will go through the second half without knowing he's been indoctrinated by an SJW kike.