In his book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, historian and author Yuval Noah Harari traces the history of Homo sapiens from the development of imagination, which occurred around 70,000 BC, to the present day. Harari, who lives and works in Israel and originally wrote the book in Hebrew, takes a largely positive look at the origins (and history of) a species that was able to dominate the world.
Harari's thesis is that Homo sapiens dominated the world (and other human offshoots like the Neanderthals) because they are the only animals able to work in large numbers together towards a collective benefit. Throughout history, Homo sapiens have been able to do things not because it benefits only a single person or a small group, but the entire race. He says this attribute brought rise to imagination and human institutions, like money, gods, countries, companies, legal institutions, and moral principles. But he also since that this attribute has led to bad things, like discrimination and disparity.
Towards the start of the book, Harari makes the case that Homo sapiens during prehistoric times, not meteors or other events, were responsible for the extinction of other human races like the Neanderthals and large animals. While some have argued that this interpretation is too kind to Homo sapiens, Harari's idea reflects not only his thesis, but the idea that Homo sapiens are the most important creatures to have ever been on Earth.
For much of their history, Harari states that humans were hunter-gathers. This limited their ability to focus on other things, like scientific advancement, but ultimately made their lives better and more fulfilling. During the agricultural revolution, when Homo sapiens learned how to farm (and raise and slaughter animals) en-masse, Harari argues that their lives got significantly worse. Even though farming oftentimes requires cooperation, it made Homo sapiens more independent and more willing to stay in one place long enough to make a difference.
As time passed, Harari shows how the speed of human innovation increased significantly. He takes a look at the scientific revolution, which led to significant bloodshed, as well as further advancement in medical technology that has enabled human beings to live longer lives.
Harari's book takes the perspective that humans are god-like and can bring about the creation of new life, like AI and other lab-created organisms. Tonally, the book looks at humans as infallible creatures who will always reign supreme, no matter the circumstance.
