a brief presentation of a brief history of humankind
TRANSCRIPT
Desman Hidayat
18th May 2014 Jakarta
A Brief Presentation of
A Brief History of Humankind
Based on the course: “A Brief History of Humankind” by Dr. Yuval Noah Harari, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Coursera.org
13 billion years ago Big BangAtom PhysicsMolecule Chemistry
4 billion years ago Organism Biology
70.000 years ago Homo Sapiens developed culture history
The Beginning
2.5 million years agoAustralopithecusEast Africa
2 million years agoLeft their homeland
The Human Family
Homo Neanderthalensis“Neanderthal”Europe & Middle East
The Human Family
Homo FloresiensisFlores Island, Indonesia
The Human Family
Large Brain60 kilograms pig 200 CC brain 60 kilograms human 1200-1400 CC
brain
Walk on 2 legs
Human Characteristics
"Marrow" ~ Human's Food
Human & Fire
70,000 years agoMigrated from East AfricaReached Middle East, Europe, Central Asia,
South Asia, East Asia60,000 years ago
Reached China & Korea45,000 years ago
Reached Australia15,000 years ago
Reached America
Homo Sapiens' Journey
BoatsNeedlesOil LampsWeaponsReligions
Homo Sapiens' Inventions
Common Stories & Gossips
Before human reached Australia (-50,000 years)24 Australian animal species (50kg+)
After human reached AustraliaOnly 1 Australian animal species (50kg+)Red Kangaroo
Australia & Homo Sapiens
Agricultural Revolution
History's Biggest Fraud
Human brains are incapable of handling large amount of information
First script discovered:The name of an accountantEconomic documents
Writings
Unify the world into a single system3 factors:
MoneyPoliticReligion
Empires’ history2250 BC: first empire: Akkadian Empire of
Sargon the Great, Mediterranean500 BC: Kiros the Great of PersiaAlexander the GreatEtc.
The Direction of History
3 unique characteristics of modern science:Modern science assumes that we
don’t know everythingThe centrality of observation and
mathematicsIt aims to acquire new “power”
The Discovery of Ignorance
The Story of Gilgamesh
Problems SolutionsThe leading project of modern science is to give humankind eternal life
2050 Ammortal
The Gilgamesh Project
18th Century: European states were still weaker than the great power of Asia
European managed to conquer America and the oceans mainly because Asia showed very little interest in this areas
How to rule the world?Technology
European voyages = scientific voyages + imperial voyages
The Marriage of Science & Empire
James Cook1778South Pacific Ocean & AustraliaGeographer + Naval Officer in the British
Royal NavyZheng He
15th Century7 voyagesReached East AfricaSent by ruling faction in Beijing
The Marriage of Science & Empire
European empires were created and managed by private businesses
VOCEstablished 16021603 – first arrived in Indonesia1800 – Indonesia became a national colony of
the Dutch stateBritish East India Company
Conquered India 17571858 - the British crown nationalized India
Relationship between Capitalism & Modern European Empire
1781 James Watt Steam Engine
The problem of industrial revolutionIncreased production, lack of consumptionSolution?Consumerism
Industrial Revolution
Main contributing factors to the new era of peace:The price of war has gone up dramatically
NuclearThe profit of war declinedPeace has become more profitable than ever
before
Peace
Are Homo Sapiens Happier Now Than They Were Before?
Within a few decades or couple of centuries at most, Homo Sapiens will disappear
Not extinct, but evolveSingularity
Our world of meaning collapsed completelyOur identity will become irrelevantWhen?
Nobody really knows2050?100-300 years later?
The End of Homo Sapiens
Thank You
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Australopithecus_afarensis.JPG http://www.archeolog-home.com/medias/images/1-neanderthal.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/
Homo_floresiensis_adult_female_-_model_of_head_-_Smithsonian_Museum_of_Natural_History_-_2012-05-17.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Large_bonfire.jpg http://www.theartnewspaper.com/imgart/lion-man-ulm.jpg http://timewellness.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/gossip.jpg?
w=480&h=320&crop=1 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Kangur.rudy.drs.jpg http://www.novatel.com/assets/Web-Phase-2-2012/Industry-Pages/
Agriculture.png http://www.qacps.k12.md.us/mms/george/gilgameshpicture.jpg http://www.bestmediums.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dove-of-
peace-3.jpg Video lectures from the course: “A Brief History of Humankind” at
Coursera.org
References