Harari focuses on the replacement of the family unit with the industrial unit. No longer is it the norm for a family to be self sufficient, instead family are parts in the machine of the industrial complex. Our modern industries shaped how a family functioned from self sustaining farmers to a hard working labor force spending more time in factories than fields. Before this time there was a very strong sense of community between family members or a larger tribe as a whole. But with the modernization of the world came communication and transportation to link together far flung villages. Industry took this new found connectivity and used it to fire the boilers of the industrial complex in the developed world. No longer did families depend on each other to solve quarrels, because the government stepped in with police and a judicial system. The family “unit” was being broke down and slowly replaced by state services. The middle ages were a time of increased population and with that meant more goods having to be produced. But most common goods were handcrafted and only relied on one person to produce. Factories took over as king producers and forced everyone to work together to achieve maximum efficiency on an assembly line. Money was not seen as important to everyday life way back when, you simply did for others what you would like them to do for you. No debts were owed (for the most part) and favors were always welcomed. Banks swept in telling everyone they needed to put their money, earned from working at factories, into savings because you need to be rich to be happy. The family was no longer the center of a human’s life. The state and all that was brought with it had become the center of daily life. Supply and demand, producers and consumers replaced the neighbors belong neighbors and family helping family.
Historians are those who are good at interpreting accounts of history and putting together a clear picture for anyone to understand. Some may be skewed by personal views or beliefs but they all have the same goal of preserving history for future generations. Our past mistakes and trumps should be highlighted so that out future is secured long before we get to the point where we question it. There is a real possibility that our species could die out due to current practices but in the future histories may use us as a prime example of what not to do and help the future learn from our mistakes. A historian is a preservationist but also a teacher for the future.
Colby, your first paragraph perfectly summed up how the Industrial Revolution changed our way of life according to Harari. I liked how you passively described the shift from communities and families to the market and state — as humans back then we were unified, and even now we still are, just in a more efficient, assembly-based way. We gave monetary value to things, we have maximum efficiency in mind, and we work on the clock much more than the sun. There were exuberant changes which gave us almost everything tangible we have today. So, I agree with you that the state and all is brought is the center of our day to day life. Really good explanation.
In your second paragraph, however, I really don’t see historians as a guide to the future any more. Yes, they are preservationists who will ALWAYS be able to tell a great story of humans in the world and our history, but as for playing a big role in helping mankind…. not so much in my opinion. I think engineers, climate scientists, researchers, marketers, and managers are going to play a much larger role in helping us mitigate and solve new anthropogenic problems that will unfold in the future. Not to say historians will serve no purpose, but that they will be less help than the other fields I mentioned.