History is something that very few people have been doing while everyone else was ploughing fields and carrying water buckets. Some argue that the agricultural revolution resulted in a period of great prosperity for human beings, a glorious turning point. Others say it was a curse. What we know for certain is that like any … Read more
The agricultural revolution started around 10,000 years ago. Wheat was the first crop to be cultivated, and in the last 2000 years, no new additional crops have been added. We may have the minds of ancient foragers, but we have the cuisine of ancient farmers. The agricultural revolution only occurred in some parts of the … Read more
There is a high chance that homo sapiens are responsible for the mass extinctions of various animal species that occurred in Australia, America, Africa, and other parts of the world. While some blame can be attributed to climate change (the earth goes through an ice age every 100,000 years on average), the human contribution to … Read more
Ancient foragers had very different lives to us now. In some ways better, in other ways, worse. They were known as the original affluent societies. They had less sickness, traveled in groups so there was no chance of epidemics. They encountered no more than 200 people in their lifetime. There was no industrial pollution or … Read more
Our ability to communicate effectively made us superior to other animals. All animals can communicate with each other, and in very sophisticated ways, but they cannot describe things in great detail, they cannot spread information about each other, and they cannot collectively believe in fictions. 1) Precision: We can describe with more detail what’s happening … Read more
Sapiens by Harari tells the story of humankind. First, some numbers to get a better historical sense. The universe started approximately 13.5 billion years ago. Around 4 billion years ago, the earth formed, and around 200 thousand years ago, the first humans walked the earth. Sapiens is a branch of the human species. In the … Read more
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume is considered one of the most philosophical and scientific texts ever written, and primarily, it exposes the limits of human rationality through a series of 12 essays that are quite rational themselves. Indeed, Hume starts by admitting to the limited power of his own arguments, but in … Read more
The Myth of Entrepreneurship is a short, easy, and insightful book about the inherent risks of entrepreneurship. These days, it has become trendy to become an entrepreneur, to follow your passion, and there is no shortage of people promoting this idea- often for selfish reasons. But starting a business is risky, and it is worth … Read more
FAUST by Goethe is a play that is based on a tragic myth. It is about a scholar and magician named Faust, who strikes a deal with the devil (Mephistopheles), that he should experience everything on earth, the deepest despairs and the greatest joys, in exchange for his soul. Faust is so confident that nothing … Read more
The person who stands accused of escaping is usually the alcoholic or the chronic gamer, the drug addict or the problem gambler, but who cannot be accused of escaping? Do people not escape by doing things that are productive and even socially beneficial? Workaholics are useful, they may even be prosperous and happy, but they … Read more