The cognitive revolution is when humans started forming the ability to think together in they way that we are able to today. Harari explains in the text that humans were no different from any animal that you can see today. We behaved in the same manner and also lacked the communication skills that we are now accustomed to. This means that we could only communicate in the way that animals are now able to. Using the example Harari used in the text, a monkey can use small ques or signal noises to explain that there is a lion nearby. This alerts other members of his group that there is danger nearby and that they should leave the area. After the cognitive revolution of humans, we were able to explain situations like this in much more detail. For instance, instead of the small ques we could explain to the other members the exact location of said lion and determine what to do with the info. The agricultural revolution was when humans started shifting from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle into being able to produce their own food, much like we do today. Harari says this revolution has to do with why our brains are getting smaller as time moves on. The agricultural revolution allowed for humans to rely on others for their food which in turn caused them to stop learning how to gather for themselves and make weapons for hunting. This is why we have lost the ability to create such items with the same precision as our ancestors.
Harari uses our unique capabilities of communication to explain why homo sapiens were able to dominate competition. We are the only species that is able to cooperate in a group larger than 100. This is because we use imagined orders to organize these large groups. A modern example of this would be a large corporation. You have certain people with an imaginary position such as CEO that is able to give other people instructions that they then follow out. This then goes down a ladder of people in power all the way down the the bottom of the ladder, where the instructions are finally completed. I mostly agreed with Harari’s arguments and found the clear descriptions of his beliefs to be very persuasive.
I would like to know your opinion as to why the CEO has power of all the people in their company. Why do the people at the bottom of the ladder carry out the CEO’s wishes? Do you think this is a positive thing? I’d never thought of our imagination in the way that Harari presents it as a system of control, and it being the main thing that separates us from other animals. I think it is an interesting idea that companies, governments, and other intellectual institutions don’t actually exist, but that doesn’t make them any less real to us! Nice job.
Was there anything from harari’s arguments that you didn’t agree with? I would like to know your thoughts. You definitely make an interesting example with modern day cooperation. Having a ladder starting from a CEO all the way down to the bottom. Is it something that we as a species have been doing throughout all our years? How come nothing new hasn’t changed for imagined orders? Overall great blog! Really made me think.