Book Sips #6 — ‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari
This is probably the most interesting book I have ever read. It puts the universe, the earth and its inhabitants into perspective. Where do we come from? What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? And many more existential questions are being discussed.
What does this have to do with Product Management and Tech? Almost everything. In whatever industry your company is operating, it tries to sell its products to humans. So understanding why modern homo sapiens behave and act the way they do is key to understanding the needs and fears of your customers. A sip:
‘We are more more powerful than ever before, but have very little idea what to do with all that power. Worse still, humans seem to be more irresponsible than ever. Self-made gods with only the laws of physics to keep us company, we are accountable to no one. We are consequently wrecking havoc on our fellow animals and on the surrounding ecosystem, seeking little more than our own comfort and amusement, yet never finding satisfaction.’
Sapiens
A Brief History of Humankind
by Yuval Noah Harari
Why read?
Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mould 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.
464 pages, Harper Perennial 2018
Get this book (amazon.com), (amazon.de)
