Summary Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari - Part 2: The Agricultural Revolution
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Sapiens
This is a comprehensive summary of the second part of the book Sapiens: A History of Humankind. It covers each chapter with distinct subtitles, making it easy to navigate. I created this summary while reading the book, making it ideal for those looking for a quick overview. It's also available as p...
Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari - Part 4: The Scientific Revolution
Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari - Part 3: The Unification of Humankind
Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari - Part 1: The Cognitive Revolution
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Part 2 - The Agricultural Revolution
5 - History's Biggest Fraud
Around 9500-8500 BCE, many domesticated plant and animal species existed worldwide.
Initially, scientists believed the agricultural revolution spread from Africa through the Middle
East and then globally. However, evidence suggests that around the same time, small
villages, settlements, and farms independently emerged in various parts of the world. There
are no signs of this in Australia, Alaska, or South Africa, which is understandable as some
animals, like mammoths, are nearly impossible to domesticate.
People often claim that the agricultural revolution was a significant leap forward, but this is
pure fantasy. No evidence suggests that we have become more intelligent over the
centuries. Consider it from the perspective of wheat: humans, in a sense, have been
domesticated by it. Wheat is a difficult crop to grow, requiring specific conditions, and
humans did everything to meet these needs. Ultimately, it didn't benefit us. Our bodies aren't
suited for this kind of work, and wheat isn't a superior food. From the wheat's viewpoint, the
agricultural revolution was the best thing that ever happened, unlike for humans.
How did this happen? Couldn't we see it coming? The agricultural revolution didn't provide
economic security or better nutrition, nor did it protect us from human violence, a major
cause of death at the time. Only after thousands of years and the development of large
structures did we manage to control these issues. However, village life did offer some
advantages, such as protection from wild animals, rain, and cold.
Today, we have great wealth, a product of the agricultural revolution, but this doesn't mean it
was beneficial. Wealth is something our species achieved, much like the agricultural
revolution. Individually, it offered little, but as a species, it allowed us to produce more DNA
copies, which is what evolution is all about. Why humans want to reproduce so much is
another question, but we fell into this trap willingly.
The rise of farming was a gradual process. Before the agricultural revolution, humans
roamed around. When raising children, a group might stay in one place for weeks. They
would burn a forest to create space, and the following year, the cleared area would be full of
wheat. This allowed them to stay longer and have more food, leading to population growth.
Gradually, the first farms emerged. Over time, the wheat deal became less favorable,
requiring more work and leading to more people. The initial plan was simple: work harder for
a better life. It started well but then became more difficult. Unforeseen challenges arose, like
needing to build walls to protect wheat from animals and weakening immune systems from
eating the same food repeatedly. Villages became hotbeds of disease. This process
spanned generations, making farming the norm, and there was no turning back.
, Even today, luxuries create new necessities and problems. Wheat provided food but also
brought many headaches. Email, for instance, is useful but causes stress and busyness.
Another theory suggests that hunter-gatherers cultivated wheat for cultural reasons, like
building temples, around which villages later formed. The wheat deal wasn't the only one;
there were deals with chickens and sheep too. This led to herding societies, while others
saw animals as secondary. From an evolutionary perspective, chickens, sheep, and pigs
became incredibly successful but led much poorer lives. The same happened with humans.
6 - Building Piramids
Since the agricultural revolution, humans have increasingly isolated themselves in individual
homes, keeping out unwanted creatures like snails and beetles. Unlike hunter-gatherers who
roamed vast territories, we live in much smaller areas, surrounded by extensive natural
regions. Farmers' territories shrank, but their temporal horizons expanded. Unlike hunter-
gatherers who lived in the present, farmers had to think ahead, plan for seasons, and
prepare for potential disasters.
With agricultural surpluses, human populations could grow significantly, transforming villages
into cities. However, these surpluses weren't enough on their own to foster large-scale
cooperation. Our biological instincts don't naturally support cooperation in large groups, and
evolution couldn't keep up with the rapid changes. Luckily, myths enabled larger group
cooperation, though often this took the form of oppression rather than true collaboration.
All societies rely on imaginary orders. For instance, consider the Code of Hammurabi or the
American Declaration of Independence. These aren't objective truths; they're beliefs that
people accept. Equality, for example, is a myth. Biologically, people aren't equal, but
believing in equality helps build stable societies. Hammurabi could reason similarly: knowing
there are no inherent differences between high-status individuals and slaves, yet believing in
these differences creates a stable, prosperous society.
Imaginary orders always risk collapsing, unlike natural laws like gravity. This instability often
leads to violent enforcement when the order is threatened.
How Imaginary Orders Are Established
1. Embedded in the Material World: Imaginary orders are ingrained in our physical
environment. In the West, the belief in individualism is reflected in houses designed
with private rooms, reinforcing the idea that one's identity is self-determined. In
contrast, medieval castles had communal sleeping areas, emphasizing social roles and
communal values.
2. Guiding Our Desires: Imaginary constructs shape our desires. Take consumerism as
an example: Coca-Cola’s slogan "Do What Feels Good" taps into the imaginary order
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