If Books Could Kill
Sapiens
Published: 20 November 2025 at 10:00 Europe/London
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Episode notes
How do you tell the entire history of humanity in a single book? Whatever you do, do not open a browser window.
Thanks to Dorsa Amir, Duncan Stibbard Hawkes and David Perry for help researching and fact-checking this episode!
Where to find us:
- Our Patreon
- Our merch!
- Peter's newsletter
- Peter's other podcast, 5-4
- Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
- A Response to Yuval Harari
- Yuval Noah Harari’s History of Everyone, Ever
- How Humankind Conquered the World
- The revolution that wasn't
- Advances In The Study Of The Origin Of Humanness
- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a banal and risible self-help book
- Are Human Rights Western?
- Bonaparte in Egypt
- Ship of Fools
- The Dangerous Populist Science of Yuval Noah Harari
- A Reductionist History of Humankind
- Harari, Sapiens and historical accuracy
- The Broad Spectrum Revolution at 40
- The Neolithic Revolution in the Middle East
- Was the Agricultural Revolution a Terrible Mistake?
- The Darker Side of the "Original Affluent Society"
- Harari's world history
- Compassion with Justice: Harari’s Assault on Human Rights
- Reconsidering the link between past material culture and cognition
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
