Sapiens - A brief history of mankind

Guess what? I finally finished reading 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.' I got this recommendation from another great book 'The Almanac of Naval Ravikant'. He was all about how 'Sapiens' spills the beans on our evolution and spills some secrets about why we humans do the things we do. Intrigued by what he said, I grabbed a copy as fast as I could, and I have to say, it's one of the best books I've ever read.

So, 'Sapiens' is like a time machine that takes you through different times in history. You practically feel like you're there, soaking in all the important moments that made us who we are. And those 'aha!' moments? They're like the lightbulb moments that make you go 'Wow!'

As I read, I jotted down notes to remember all the cool stuff I was learning. These notes pretty much sum up the main ideas from 'Sapiens' – these big concepts that totally change how we think about how we became us. 

The back cover was something that increased my curiosity further. Gossip was always thought of in a negative way, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that our civilization actually thrived through gossip. Immense knowledge was passed down through generations thanks to gossip.

There are several mental models that have played crucial roles in shaping human history and society. Some of these mental models include:

Myths and Narratives: The ability to create and believe in shared myths and narratives allowed humans to cooperate flexibly in large groups. These stories served as a unifying force and enabled people to work together towards common goals.

Human civilization thrived through gossip

Agricultural Revolution: The shift from a nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture marked a significant mental model shift. The adoption of agriculture led to the establishment of settled societies, the concept of property ownership, and the development of hierarchies. 

Yuval makes a controversial statement that Agriculture is a scam. Only after reading further, you understand why he says that. 

Money: Money is a widely accepted shared belief system that facilitates complex trade and cooperation. It's a mental model that represents value, enabling individuals to exchange goods and services efficiently.

Empire: The idea of empires and imperial rule is a mental model that allowed for the organization and control of diverse cultures and territories under a single authority.

An interesting concept, "The Dunbar number", coined after anthropologist Robin Dunbar, is a cognitive limit to the number of stable social relationships a person can maintain. It's estimated to be around 150 individuals, suggesting that our brains are optimized for social interaction within this range.

Religion: Religious beliefs provided moral and ethical frameworks that guided human behavior, fostering cooperation and order within societies.

The Hammurabi Code, an ancient Babylonian legal code dating back to 1754 BCE, is mentioned in the book. This code is one of the earliest known examples of written laws and offers insights into the societal norms and governance structures of the time.

Nation: The concept of nations and nationalism introduced a mental model that united people based on shared culture, language, and identity, leading to the formation of modern nation-states.

Yuval introduced the concept of 'Nation' by explaining how a company like 'Peugeot' managed to thrive for decades using the made-up idea of a brand and nation.

Capitalism: The economic model of capitalism is built on the mental model of free markets and competition, shaping modern economies and trade systems.

Biological Manipulation: Advances in biological sciences have led to a mental model shift where humans now possess the ability to manipulate and engineer living organisms, impacting medicine, agriculture, and more.

An intriguing concept in the book that I absolutely loved reading about is when he explains how Homo sapiens managed to outcompete other hominins like Neanderthals and Homo erectus. He delves into various theories of replacement, interbreeding, and different scenarios.

Imagined Communities: The notion of imagined communities, where people feel a sense of belonging to a larger group even if they've never met most of the members, has influenced the development of societies and identities.

Scientific Revolution: The mental model shift brought about by the scientific method and empirical observation transformed how humans understand the world and led to technological advancements.

These mental models highlight the power of shared beliefs, ideas, and frameworks in shaping human behavior, societies, and civilizations over time. Each model represents a significant shift in human cognition and cooperation, contributing to the complex tapestry of our history.

Timeline of History: This is so deeply etched in my brain I will never forget this.

• The book starts with the timeline of history. 
• 6 million years back was when human existence started. 
• 2.5 million years back the first stone tools were used. 
• 300 thousand years back fire was used. 
• 70 thousand years back when the magic happened, the cognitive revolution started.
• 12 thousand years back agricultural revolution started and then humans transitioned from foragers to farmers. Then came social structures, kingdoms, nations etc. 
• 2000 years ago religion started. 
• 500 years ago scientific revolution happened. 
• 200 years back the Industrial Revolution started.

Finishing 'Sapiens' feels like I've been on this awesome adventure. It's like looking at our past and how we humans got here all over again.

Bonus Trivia: Did you know? The first named individual in recorded history was actually an accountant named Kushim, hailing from ancient Mesopotamia!