Human Evolution

The Cognitive Revolution rewired homo sapiens brains. It allowed them to think unlike any other species and develop ways of communicating that had otherwise been unheard of. It allowed humans to develop complex social structures based off myths, and gave them the ability to work together. Should this not have happened, homo sapiens would not be at the place that they’re at today. We would likely still be hunter-gatherers living in small groups unable to cooperate with many at a time. The Agricultural Revolution was the period in which homo sapiens created huge advancements in technology which allowed them to increase crop yields and allowed them to settle in one place instead of having to move around from place to place. It shaped our future because it allowed them to settle in one area and stay there. Because they were able to settle in one area, these communities were able to experiment with and learn how to domesticate many types of plants and animals. These things are still things that are prevalent in our society today. We still rely on farming and people today still live in one place which still allows us to experiment with new things and allows us to develop technologies which would have been, and perhaps still are, completely unheard of.

Harari explains that homo sapiens are able to become dominant because they are able to form such large groups and work cooperatively towards a bigger goal. That’s something I found persuasive because, because they were able to do this, homo sapiens found themselves able to take down creatures much bigger than they are at first, and later they were able to create huge societies with complex social structures. Things they wouldn’t have been able to do if they weren’t able to work cooperatively. I also think that’s probably why homo sapiens were able to move up the food chain so quickly and why they’re currently the dominant species.