September 8, 2019

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

benmunoz
September 8, 2019
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THREE MAJOR HUMAN REVOLUTIONS

  1. The Cognitive Revolution (c. 70,000 BCE, when Sapiens evolved imagination).
  2. The Agricultural Revolution (c. 10,000 BCE, the development of agriculture). The unification of humankind (the gradual consolidation of human political organisations towards one global empire).
  3. The Scientific Revolution (c. 1500 CE, the emergence of objective science).

# YEARS AGO

  • 13.5 billion: Matter and energy appear. Beginning of physics. Atoms and molecules appear. Beginning of chemistry.
  • 4.5 billion: Formation of planet Earth.
  • 3.8 billion: Emergence of organisms. Beginning of biology.
  • 6 million: Last common grandmother of humans and chimpanzees.
  • 2.5 million: Evolution of the genus Homo in Africa. First stone tools.
  • 2 million: Humans spread from Africa to Eurasia. Evolution of different human species.
  • 500,000: Neanderthals evolve in Europe and the Middle East.
  • 300,000: Daily usage of fire.
  • 200,000: Homo sapiens evolves in East Africa.
  • 70,000: The Cognitive Revolution. Emergence of fictive language. Beginning of history. Sapiens spread out of Africa.
  • 45,000: Sapiens settle Australia. Extinction of Australian megafauna. 30,000: Extinction of Neanderthals.
  • 16,000: Sapiens settle America. Extinction of American megafauna. 13,000: Extinction of Homo floresiensis. Homo sapiens the only surviving human species.
  • 12,000: The Agricultural Revolution. Domestication of plants and animals. Permanent settlements.
  • 5,000: First kingdoms, script and money. Polytheistic religions.
  • 4,250: First empire – the Akkadian Empire of Sargon.
  • 2,500: Invention of coinage – a universal money. The Persian Empire – a universal political order ‘for the benefit of all humans’. Buddhism in India – a universal truth ‘to liberate all beings from suffering’.
  • 2,000: Han Empire in China. Roman Empire in the Mediterranean. Christianity.
  • 1,400: Islam.
  • 500: The Scientific Revolution. Humankind admits its ignorance and begins to acquire unprecedented power. Europeans begin to conquer America and the oceans. The entire planet becomes a single historical arena. The rise of capitalism.
  • 200: The Industrial Revolution. Family and community are replaced by state and market. Massive extinction of plants and animals.
  • 0 (The Present): Humans transcend the boundaries of planet Earth. Nuclear weapons threaten the survival of humankind. Organisms are increasingly shaped by intelligent design rather than natural selection.
  • The Future: Intelligent design becomes the basic principle of life? Homo sapiens is replaced by superhumans?

Source: https://erenow.net/common/sapiensbriefhistory/1.php