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Praise for 'Sapiens'

Yes the book title 'Sapiens'.  Not for the species per se.  I am almost half way through this 500 pager non-fiction narrative arcing from the big bang to the present day human that has tantalized the reader (me) about a glimpse into how we might spend time in the future.

Author Harari is an astute student of many disciplines, including history and anthropology and physics and chemistry and brings what he has learned to bear in trying to provoke the reader to ponder a while.   Ponder about their existence on the planet and if we individually know whether we are making a difference in this world or are merely consuming the resources around us.  While I can vouch for the latter I think (barring the effort with my spouse to send an educated and thoughtful child in the world who might accomplish the former) there are those that are consuming while being oblivious to the facts that surround us.  That is the danger category.

 An interesting facet in his thinking is the distinction he purposely draws between the 'human' and 'sapiens' the species.  Home Sapiens is the world's most evolved being and takes the spot on top of the food chain but we as a collective human kind are not necessarily the brightest.  The author also expresses serious doubt if we will be around a 1,000 years from now which in geologic time is merely a blink.

We have hastened (as a species) through a lot of change in short order simply because our brains figured out a way to be greedy all the time thereby destroying the fabric that built us in the first place.  Deep breath everyone!
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