It is a truism that studying the past is essential if we are to understand the present. But examining discrete episodes of history without an understanding of the wider context can limit what we are able to learn, or even be misleading. Familiarity with the broader sweep of history is a valuable complement to the detailed analysis of any part.
Summary: Sapiens is a summary of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. It provides an overview of the whole of human history. On one level, this is a story of extraordinary progress. But Harari asks whether we are happier than our forebears. And if not, what is it all for?
