Insatiable Sapiens

The Cognitive Revolution brought about a great many benefits for Homo Sapiens, and later modern day humans. Firstly, a new ability gained during the Cognitive Revolution was being able to convey significantly greater amounts of information of the external world and surroundings between Homo Sapiens, which aided in general survival, group activities, and avoiding potentials. Secondly, the capability to transfer more social information was brought about, allowing more complex societies and tribes to form, aiding Homo Sapiens with advancing their abilities off each others’ knowledge. Furthermore, it allowed for communication of stories and tribal beliefs in deities, which furthered the social advancements of early humans. The Agricultural Revolution similarly furthered the Homo Sapiens’ collective advancement, but in a more controversial way. It allowed for populations to soar, as a slightly more reliable food source than hunting and gathering, but also brought about a much more difficult life for those engaging in it. Populations grew to the point that they would have no hope of being maintained without crops, and created more sedentary societies that were more willing to fight for their land than those who lived nomadically and could move from place to place.

Harari claims that Homo Sapiens became dominant through social cooperation, mental development, and the ability to cultivate food and domesticate food. I generally agree with this vantagepoint, and also agree with his claims that we are insecure in our food chain stance in modern times as a result of the abnormally quick rise to dominance. People overtook the world so quickly in part because of our brain-to-body weight ratio, and more explicitly the neural capacity within these brains. Figuring out that food could be cooked to allow for a greater caloric intake without having to forage for food freed up greater portions of the day, and allowed Homo Sapiens to begin to form societies and figure out ways of conquering their environments and surroundings in ways that other predators or dominant animals would never have a chance of doing.