BOOK REVIEW Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind
in the mid-seventh century AD amid “a sharp division between the ruling Arab-Muslim elites and the subjugated Egyptians, Syri - ans, Iranians, and Berbers who were neither Arabs nor Muslims”; and the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean. Additional discussions explore the in -
REVIEW BY ALYCE ORTUZAR
By Yuval Noah Harari 2011; Vintage Books (London) 498 pp (PB); $13.00 ISBN 978-0-099-59008-8
vention of universal money; the rise of capital- ism; the Industrial Revolution (the loss of fam- ily and community structures and influence, plus a massive extinction of animals and plants); and into the present trying to morally bal- ance intelligent design versus natural selection. These tensions are reflected in depictions of the cruelty that permeates today’s convention- al industrial agriculture known as CAFOs—inhu - mane confined animal feeding operations that should all be shut down. Products from these abused animals raised in disgusting conditions are not considered safe to consume or nutritious. The practices are brutal and should not be support- ed. Harari minces no words in his descriptions. These conditions raise serious concerns Sustainable Versus Industrial Agriculture
Real Peace is not the mere absence of war. Real Peace is the implausibility of war. There has never been real peace in the world. ~ Yuval Noah Harari, excerpted from Sapiens YuvalNoahHarari isanexcellentwriterwhosegripping and informative book is both a cautionary tale and a call for action. He takes readers on a humbling journey over billions of years to the beginning of physics (the emer- gence of matter and energy); chemistry (the appearance of atoms and molecules); the formation of planet Earth followed by organisms that introduce biology; the last common grandmother shared by humans and chimpan- zees; the first stone tools with the evolution in Africa of the genus Homo ; the evolutionof different humanspecies that then spread to Eurasia from Africa; the evolution of
Neanderthals in Europe and theMiddle East; the emergence and use of fire on a daily basis; and the evolution of Homo sapiens in East Africa. Around 70,000 years ago, the Cognitive Revolution took place accompanied by the emergence of “fictive language.” Harari char - acterizes this era as the “beginning of history.” Around 45,000 years ago “Sapiens spread out of Africa” and settled in Austra - lia; the Australian megafauna became extinct. The Neander - thals became extinct 30,000 years ago. Sapiens settled in Amer - ica 16,000 years ago (American megafauna became extinct). The Rise and Strengths of Empires Empires have governed most humans since around 200 BC. Ex - amples include the Persian Empire (“a universal political order ‘for the benefit of all humans’’’); Buddhism in India (“a universal truth ‘to liberate all beings from suffering’”); the Han Empire in Chi - na that ruled from 206 BC to AD 220; the Arab Empire established
about the quality of food in this country. When it comes to food, we do get what we pay for. Don’t believe U.S. Department of Agri - culture radio or TV ads telling American consumers that “our food should be cheap,” yet “our food is the safest food in the world.” Al - ways read the labels and know where the product comes from. Food guru Michael Pollan recommends shopping with our great-grand - mother on our shoulder; don’t buy anything she does not recognize. Small family farmerswhousually sell at farmers’markets spendmore money and invest more of their time and labor to grow pesticide-free fruits and vegetables, and to raise free-range animals in healthy pas- tures with at-will access to well-maintained barns and shelters. Sus - tainably/organically grown and raised food thus costs more, but it is flavorful and nutritious. These farmers need to make a living so they can stay in business, and we do need them. Nurturing the soil makes the difference: healthy soil, healthy plants, healthy animals, healthy people is the paradigm. With these practices, we do get what we pay for.
70—PATHWAYS—Summer 21
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker