By Yuval Noah Harari (Author)
One hundred thousand years ago there lived on earth at least six different species of man. None of them had any particular importance. Their role in nature was no greater than that of gorillas, fireflies or horsessea.
About seventy thousand years ago, some mysterious change took place in the consciousness of one of these human species - Homo Sapiens - and pushed him to take over the entire world. The history of Homo Sapiens from then until today is sometimes shocking, sometimes amusing, and always fascinating. What exactly happened to Homo Sapiens seventy thousand years ago that pushed him to take over the world?
How and why did all the other human species disappear?
When did the dog become man's best friend? When were money and the great gods invented, and why? Why did almost all human societies in history believe that women are inferior to men?
Is it possible to have a humane society without discrimination and without prejudice? Is it possible to control occupied nations effectively and for a long time?
How did science, capitalism and Europe conquer the world? Does history have a direction? Is there justice in history? Have humans become happier throughout history? And what are the chances that there will be humans on Earth in a hundred years?
Abridged History of Mankind tries to offer answers to these and other questions, and to give a quick overview of the key processes and the main turning points of history since the appearance of man on the world stage until today. The book invites us behind the scenes of history, and emphasizes to us how strange the plot is, how unpredictable the actors are, and how little we know about our past.
Yuval Noah Harari is a lecturer in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Specializing in military history and the history of the Middle Ages, he published books and articles on war in the Middle Ages and modern times. His latest research deals with the question of the relationship between history and biology, and questions of happiness, suffering and morality in human history. For about eight years now, he has been a partner in the "World History Studies" program of the Hebrew University, which aims to research and teach the history of the human race, looking beyond geographic, period and cultural boundaries. Harari teaches the course "Introduction to World History", which reviews the history of mankind from the appearance of man on earth to the present day.
