Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind - Podcast Shows - Bookish Discussion

"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari. The book explores the history of humankind from the Big Bang to the present day, and speculates about the future. It delves into the cognitive revolution and how Homo sapiens became the dominant species. Early humans, despite having large brains and tools, were insignificant animals for millions of years, occupying the middle of the food chain. They were primarily gatherers and scavengers, not apex predators. Biologically, humans are classified into species, genus, and families. For example, lions are Panthera leo. Humans are Homo sapiens, part of the Homo genus. The book discusses the unique features of human language, which include the ability to transmit information about things that do not exist, like legends, myths and religions. This ability to speak about fictions allowed Sapiens to form larger, more stable bands beyond the limit of 150 individuals bonded by gossip. Large scale cooperation among humans is rooted in common myths and imagined realities.