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内容简介:
From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.”
One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?
Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.
Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?
Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem
作者简介:
Dr. Yuval Noah Harari lectures at the Department of History, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
He originally specialized in medieval history and military history, completing his D.Phil. at the University of Oxford (Jesus College) in 2002, and publishing numerous books and articles, including Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100-1550; The Ultimate Experience: Battlefield Revelations and the Making of Modern War Culture, 1450-2000; “The Concept of ‘Decisive Battles’ in World History”; and “Armchairs, Coffee and Authority: Eye-witnesses and Flesh-witnesses Speak about War, 1100-2000”.
He now specializes in World History and macro-historical processes. His most recent book is titled From Animals into Gods: A Brief History of Humankind (originally published in Hebrew under the title A Brief History of Mankind, and now being translated into English and German). The book surveys the entire length of human history, from the evolution of Homo sapiens in Pleistocene East Africa up to the political and technological revolutions of the 21st-century.
The Hebrew edition has become a bestseller in Israel. It has generated much interest both in the academic community and among the general public, and has turned Harari into an instant celebrity. YouTube Video clips of Harari’s lectures on the history of the world have been viewed by tens of thousands of Israelis; and he is currently writing a two-weekly column for Ha’aretz magazine. He is also currently giving an online free course with the same title.
原文摘录:
1. 生物学家把所有生物划分成不同的物种。而所谓属于同一物种，就是他们会彼此交配，能够产出下一代。从同一祖先演化而来的不同物种，会属于同一个“属”。许多属还能再归类为同一“科”。
2. 与我们最相近的亲戚，就是黑猩猩、大猩猩和猩猩。其中，黑猩猩与我们最为接近。不过就在6万年前，有一头母猿产下两个女儿，一头成了所有黑猩猩的祖先，另一头则成了所有人类的祖奶奶。
3. 最早的人类是从大约250万年前的东非开始演化，祖先是一种更早的猿属南方古猿。
4. 在欧洲和西亚的人类成了尼安德特人。至于在东方的亚洲，住的则是直立人，一共存续了将近200万年，是目前所知存续最久的人类物种。至于在印度尼西亚的爪哇岛，则住着梭罗人，这种人很能适应热带的生活环境。同样在印度尼西亚，还有另一个小岛弗洛里斯，这里住的远古人类则是经历了一场侏儒化的过程。身高最高不过1米，体重最重也不过25公斤。2010年，科学家在西伯利亚发现了丹尼索瓦人。
5. 庞大的大脑也是个庞大的负担。大脑结构脆弱，原本就不利于活动，跟别说还得用个巨大的头骨把它装着。而且大脑消耗的能量惊人。对智人来说，大脑只占身体总重约2%-3%，但在身体休息而不活动时，大脑的能量消耗却占了25%。
6. 直立的步行方式需要让臀部变窄，于是产道宽度受限，而且别忘了婴儿的头还越来越大。于是，分娩死亡成了女性的一大风险。而如果早点儿生产，婴儿的大脑和头部都还比较小，也比较柔软，母亲就更有机会渡过难关，未来也可能再生更多孩子。于是，自然选择就让生产开始提前。与其它动物相较，人类可说都是早产儿，许多重要器官的发育都还不够完善。
7. 到了大约30万年前，对直立人、尼安德特人以及智人的祖先来说，用火已是家常便饭。
8. 我们还无法得知智人是在何时、由何种早期人类演化而来，但科学家多半都同意，大约10万年前，东非就已经有了智人，外貌和我们几乎一模一样。大约7万年… (查看原文)
大砍刀
13 回复
253赞
2015-04-01 16:18:30
—— 引自第400页
• 等到认知革命之后，智人有了八卦的能力，于是部落规模变得更大，也更稳定。然而，八卦也有限制。社会学研究指出，借由八卦来维持的最大“自然”团体大约是150人。只要超过这个数字，大多数人就无法真正深入了解、八卦所有成员的生活情形。
注：150正是心理学家邓巴提出的人类最大交往人数的数字
• 无论是现代国家、中世纪的教堂、古老的城市，或者古老的部落，任何大规模人类合作的根基，都在于某种只存在于集体想象中的虚构故事。例如教会的根基就在于宗教故事。
• 要到10万年前智人崛起，人类才一跃而居于食物链顶端。 这场从中段到顶端的大跳跃，造成的影响翻天覆地。其他在金字塔顶端的动物（例如狮子、鲨鱼）得要花上好几百万年的时间，才终于通过演化站上顶峰。因此生态系统有时间发展出种种制衡，避免狮子和鲨鱼造成太大的破坏。随着狮子越来越强壮，演化也让瞪羚越跑越快，鬣狗越来越懂合作，犀牛脾气越来越差。相较之下，人类转眼就登上顶端，不仅让生态系统猝不及防，就连人类自己也不知所措。
注：演进这个过程，时间一长，就是混沌；时间一短，却又迷失。
• 大约就是在距今7万到3万年前，出现了新的思维和沟通方式，这也正是所谓的认知革命。会发生认知革命的原因为何？我们无从得知。得到普遍认可的理论认为，某次偶然的基因突变，改变了智人的大脑内部连接方式，让他们以前所未有的方式来思考，用完全新式的语言来沟通。这次突变，几乎就像是吃了《圣经》里那棵知善恶树的果实一样。
• 大约在7万年前，现代智人发展出新的语言技能，让他们能够八卦达数小时之久。这下，他们能够明确得知自己部落里谁比较可信可靠，于是部落的规模就能够扩大，而智人也能够发展出更紧密、更复杂的合作形式。……而“讨论虚构的事物”也正是智人语言最独特的功能。
• 然而，“虚构”这件事的重点不只在于让人类能够拥有想象，更重要的是可以“一起”想象，编织出种种共同的虚构故… (查看原文)
不忍池
9 回复
141赞
2015-05-20 17:01:14
—— 引自章节：人类简史：从认知革命到科学革命