Ideas, facts & insights covering these topics:
40 ideas
·59.6K reads
144
4
Explore the World's Best Ideas
Join today and uncover 100+ curated journeys from 50+ topics. Unlock access to our mobile app with extensive features.
“I encourage all of us, whatever our beliefs, to question the basic narratives of our world, to connect past developments with present concerns and not to be afraid of controversial issues"
412
5.86K reads
391
3.64K reads
407
3.22K reads
414
2.81K reads
389
2.43K reads
406
2.2K reads
388
2.09K reads
404
1.95K reads
One of history’s few iron laws is that luxuries tend to become necessities and to spawn new obligations. Once people get used to a certain luxury, they take it for granted. Then they begin to count on it. Finally they reach a point where they can’t live without it.
397
1.87K reads
375
1.79K reads
401
1.68K reads
A Myths and fictions accustomed people, nearly from the moment of birth, to think in certain ways, to behave in accordance with certain standards, to want certain things, and to observe certain rules. They thereby created artificial instincts that enabled millions of strangers to cooperate effectively.
This network of artificial instincts is called culture’.
393
1.61K reads
398
1.49K reads
382
1.31K reads
382
1.32K reads
"Humans emerge from the womb like molten glass from a furnace.
They can be spun, stretched and shaped with a surprising degree of freedom.
This is why today we can educate our children to become Christian or Buddhist, capitalist or socialist, warlike or peace-loving."
382
1.29K reads
People pursue wealth and power, acquire knowledge and possessions, beget sons and daughters, and build houses and palaces. Yet no matter what they achieve, they are never content. Everything that one has accumulated vanishes like smoke. Life is a pointless rat race.
But how to escape it?
378
1.25K reads
398
1.2K reads
381
1.14K reads
375
1.08K reads
Throughout history, societies have suffered from two kinds of poverty:
378
1.04K reads
Napoleon made fun of the British, calling them a nation of shopkeepers. Yet these shopkeepers defeated Napoleon himself, and their empire was the largest the world has ever seen.
381
1.02K reads
378
995 reads
382
994 reads
385
941 reads
390
951 reads
377
925 reads
377
921 reads
The state and the market approached people with an offer that could not be refused. ‘Become individuals,’ they said.
"Marry whomever you desire, without asking permission from your parents. Live wherever you wish, even if you cannot make it every week to the family dinner. You are no longer dependent on your family or your community.
We, the state and the market, will take care of you instead. We will provide food, shelter, education, health, welfare and employment. We will provide pensions, insurance and protection."
385
902 reads
380
862 reads
375
894 reads
377
890 reads
379
895 reads
377
859 reads
379
859 reads
377
846 reads
398
870 reads
379
835 reads
"Fire give us power
Farming made us hungry for more
Money gave us purpose
Science made us deadly"
393
935 reads
IDEAS CURATED BY
"A good idea should be like a girl's skirt; long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest."
CURATOR'S NOTE
“People don’t like to think, if one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant.” — Helen Keller
“
Curious about different takes? Check out our Sapiens Summary book page to explore multiple unique summaries written by Deepstash users.
Learn more about books with this collection
How to make sustainable choices in everyday life
Identifying ways to reduce waste and conserve resources
Understanding the impact of human actions on the environment
Related collections
Different Perspectives Curated by Others from Sapiens
Curious about different takes? Check out our book page to explore multiple unique summaries written by Deepstash curators:
10 ideas
Rohit Patnaik's Key Ideas from Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
1 idea
RAJ Dubey's Key Ideas from Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
1 idea
Ponder & Thrive's Key Ideas from Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
Discover Key Ideas from Books on Similar Topics
12 ideas
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
Yuval Noah Harari
24 ideas
Why is Sex Fun?
Jared Diamond
4 ideas
Homo Deus
Yuval Noah Harari
Read & Learn
20x Faster
without
deepstash
with
deepstash
with
deepstash
Personalized microlearning
—
100+ Learning Journeys
—
Access to 200,000+ ideas
—
Access to the mobile app
—
Unlimited idea saving
—
—
Unlimited history
—
—
Unlimited listening to ideas
—
—
Downloading & offline access
—
—
Supercharge your mind with one idea per day
Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.
I agree to receive email updates