I adore fiction and classics and
hence rarely go to the nonfiction section of the bookstore. A talk by Yuval
Noah Harari, the author of this book, got me interested in the history of homo
sapiens and eager to learn more, I picked up this nonfiction to read. And boy! true
to its popularity, this book kept me engaged until the last word.
Most of what we know about our
ancestors is based on textbooks we studied way back in school. Keeping
ourselves up to date with latest scientific discoveries requires us to
regularly read journals and papers, which, honestly, none of us have the time
or an appetite for. This is one of the reasons for the immense popularity of
this book; it’s a comprehension study of our history written in less than 500
pages, meticulously divided into chapters, and in a simple language sans the technical
jargons. The book covers not just our biological evolution, but also the evolution
of our social culture and norms, the gender norms, the development of religions
and ideologies, of the economy, capitalism, money, and all the things that define
us as a species.
Moreover, it isn’t just a book of
facts, rather, it’s insightful, making you pause and ponder on the consequences
of our actions, both past and present. It reflects how our dominance has
influenced and shaped the world of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Accurate
comparisons of the way of life of our ancestors with that of our current
lifestyle help us understand the rationale behind illogical decisions back
then, and why we so fervently continue to do the same even now.
The author provides us with the
ability to distinguish fact from fiction, and to think for ourselves. Fact is
the physical evidence of our ancestors from bones to artifacts found across the
globe. However, the deductions and conclusions could very well be fiction, as a
lot it depends on the historian’s and archaeologist’s own beliefs and
prejudices. The author certainly does not suggest we dismiss all scientific
studies, but he does tell us to be aware that there’s after all only so much
one can deduce about an entire culture and people from just sticks and
stones.
The book compels us to observe
and consider everything around us, and question if the things we regard as
imperative to our lives are really worth our immense time and effort, and
whether these values we hold so close are significant from evolutionary
perspective or are they mere myths created by us to keep us from truly
evolving. The book also makes us realise that homo sapiens penchant for cruelty
and complete disregard for others is not a new trait. The only difference
between then and now is that earlier he didn’t care much for nature or animals;
now he doesn’t care much for anyone expect himself. It surely looks like our
evolution’s sole purpose is to cater to our ego. For instance, when you learn
that our species’ cultural development supersedes that of our DNA, and then
look around at the mess we have havocked on the world, you can’t help but
wonder if we are evolving in the right way.
It takes a certain amount of grit
and courage to read about the disastrous effect of humans on the earth, a large
heart to take complete responsibility for it and a sensible mind to stop us
from going down that path again. I was surprised to learn about the violence
streak of our ancestors. If you thought we humans are destroying the world
today, you will be surprised to know that this isn’t something new for our
species. From time immemorial, we have been wreaking havoc every place we have
set foot on. From large mammals such as mammoths to small birds such as dodo,
we have been the primary cause for their extinction. I wonder, will we learn now
at least?
For someone like me who had been
under the impression that domestication of animals was a step towards the
progress of human life, courtesy our school textbooks, looking at domestication
from the point of view of animals was a much-needed lesson indeed. Up until
now, I had never given much attention to veganism, but the details of
domestication, the cycle of castrating males, caging young ones and keeping the
females permanently pregnant, has made me realise that veganism is a serious
matter and probably necessary for our species’ survival.
Fortunately for the readers, the
author does not shy away from stating things as they are, pointing out the
difference between biological order and orders created by us, which include
both democracy and dictatorship. He is been able to successfully correlate the
past facts to our present actions, and explain logically why we behave, feel
and think the way we do. He aptly and elaborately explains how the social
diseases that plague our society today, from racial discrimination to gender
bias to casteism, were created by people and added to the society’s narrative,
and the reason why we haven’t yet been able to break free from these inhumane
narratives, and are, on the contrary, aiding to its propagation. Understanding
how different religions and ideologies came into being certainly helped me
understand why there’s so much conflict in the world today and why intolerance
is growing.
One cannot escape the author’s
personal belief and emphasis of science over religion, modern technology over
old traditions, which peek here and there in an otherwise unbiased book. This,
however, was a minor concern for me. But a point where I strongly disagreed
with the author was his praise for the explore and conquer mindset of western
Europeans. I agree that Europeans must be hailed for putting the Americas,
Australia and New Zealand on the map, but we must also not forget the numerous
native populations decimated and thrown right off the map during this process. I
am sure had the aboriginals of Australia, citizens of Aztec and Inca and the
indigenous people of Tasmania given a choice between the ‘explorative’
Europeans and the ‘mind your own business’ Indian, Chinese, Persians, and
Ottomans, they would have surely picked the latter. For, as an Indian, the technological
benefit brought to us by the British in no way justifies or compensates for the
atrocities committed by them on my ancestors.
That said, being aware of our own
history is important, especially, to humble our ego, and make us realise that
we are in fact not very different from other animals, and definitely not that
‘special’. And with history, biology, sociology, psychology, economics filling
the pages of this magnificent book, it is imminent that we make use of this
abundance of information available to us.
So, run and pick this book off
the shelf and have a great read!