What's it about?

"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari explores the history of Homo sapiens from their origins in East Africa to the present day. The book examines the Cognitive Revolution, which enabled complex language and the creation of shared fictions, facilitating large-scale cooperation. It further analyzes the Agricultural Revolution and its impact on human society, including settlement and population growth, as well as the development of money, empires, and religions as unifying forces. Harari also discusses the Scientific Revolution and its unprecedented increase in human power, alongside a consideration of happiness and the potential future of humanity through biological engineering and artificial intelligence. Ultimately, the text provides a sweeping overview of how humans became the dominant species and the profound transformations that have shaped our world.