There will come a day when the consumer way of life dissolves
into an embarrassing freak show episode of history. Our descendants will struggle to survive on
the devastated planet they inherited. They
will resent their crazy ancestors, and repeatedly ask, “What were they
thinking?”
History professor Yuval Noah Harari provides answers to this
question in his book, Sapiens:
A Brief History of Humankind.
It documents common perceptions of mainstream consumer society, a
culture famous for its remarkable advances in irrational exuberance and cognitive
dissonance. This culture imagines that humans
are gods, our technology is miraculous, and the best is yet to come.
Readers learn how humans soared to the top of creation in
three leaps — the Cognitive Revolution of 70,000 years ago, the Agricultural
Revolution of 12,000 years ago, and the Scientific Revolution of 500 years
ago. Prior to this, we were
“insignificant” animals, much like our closest living relatives, the bonobos
and chimps, with whom we share more than 98 percent of our genes. They have remained insignificant, living in
the same place for two million years without destroying it. What was wrong with them?
I disagree with the “insignificant” tag. Technological innovation artificially catapulted
our humble ancestors into the elite club of apex predators. This transition was not the result of genetic
evolution gradually providing us with better teeth and claws. It was the result of bypassing the limitations
of our genes. We manufactured prosthetic
teeth and claws. This opened the gates
to a joyride in tool making that has grown to staggering proportions. Thus, our ancestors were significant ecological
oddballs even before Homo
sapiens appeared.
Harari is not a cheerleader for the Agricultural Revolution,
which he refers to as history’s biggest fraud.
Farming was backbreaking work, not a brilliant invention. It did not provide a way of life that was
more secure. The diet was less
nutritious. People were less
healthy. Farming spurred population growth
and conflict. The costs have exceeded
the benefits.
Like the consumer culture in which it was born, the book is
primarily humanist in viewpoint. Ecology
only gets brief moments on stage. The
devastating environmental impacts of agriculture are not mentioned. Readers are not encouraged to contemplate why
sustainable agriculture is an oxymoron. Here
are some words not found in a search of the book’s text: erosion,
deforestation, overpopulation, sustainable, materialism, climate change, methane,
dioxide, acidification, anthropocentricism.
Agriculture was an unfortunate experiment, but highly
addictive. Each generation continued marching
in the same dirty rut. By the time the
game had become hopelessly miserable, there were way too many people, and
nobody remembered the path of simple living. The same is true for consumerism, a fad
designed to fan the flames of perpetual economic growth. It has become the lifeblood of our economy,
and most consumers have no memory of simple living.
Consumers have been brainwashed into believing that shopping
like crazy is the golden path to fulfillment and happiness. They go deeply in debt buying unnecessary
status-boosting stuff, and promptly discard it with every shift in trendy
styles. Like hamsters racing on a
treadmill, they spend their lives chasing impossible expectations, whilst gobbling
Prozac by the fistful. There is no socially
acceptable alternative. Living in a
frugal manner is indisputable evidence of demonic possession.
Harari is not a fan of the consumer lifestyle. It is just the tip of an ancient iceberg that
he barely mentions, the skanky duet of stuff and status — a major blunder in
the human journey. Hunter-gatherers
owned almost nothing, and had zero interest in hoarding belongings. In those days, nobody owned the aurochs, and
the aurochs were free to live as they pleased.
Eventually, we reduced them into passive, half-bright domesticated
cattle. They became personal property,
and the more you owned, the higher your status.
Status was more important than the health of the grassland. This led to overgrazing and desertification. The rustling of cattle and horses became a
widespread enterprise, and the cause of countless bloody conflicts. The emergence of private property created
insanely destructive status cults. The
hunger for status turns people into idiots who stampede to the latest bonanza,
eager to get rich quick via gold, gems, oil deposits, or smart phones. Status seekers gaze at a forest of ancient
redwoods and see a gold mine.
Agricultural civilization provided an unstable foundation for
the turbulent centuries that followed.
Harari describes how science, empire, capitalism, and intolerant
religions have brought us to the brink of both consumer utopia and ecological helter-skelter. The benefits of our great achievements have
all come at great cost. Was it worth
it? Are consumers happier than the cave
painters of 30,000 years ago? “If not,
what was the point of developing agriculture, cities, writing, coinage,
empires, science, and industry?” Wow! Super question!
I would add more questions.
Are we happier than the bonobos who enjoy abundant food, no jobs, no
money, no bosses, no governments, and have sex all the time? What good is a happiness that requires a
ridiculously destructive dead-end way of life?
Sustainability is far better proof of intelligence, wisdom, and success.
In the last five paragraphs of the book, Harari reveals his
concerns about the dark side of the human juggernaut. He concludes that we are lost, discontented
eco-terrorists. Looking back over the
human journey does not make us glow with pride.
But we’re not merely a clown act. Look at us!
We are the wealthiest generation of all!
Human genius has enabled us to consume ever-growing amounts of
energy. We have discovered
“inexhaustible energy resources,” and now enjoy access to “practically
limitless energy.” Modern medicine
miraculously saves lives (largely by reducing mortality from the diseases of
civilization). Humans are far less
violent today, international war is nearly extinct, and large-scale famine is
now rare. Everyone joyfully celebrates
demise of patriarchy.
This review began with the question, “What were they
thinking?” The book provides answers, a
recognizable portrait of today’s consumer society. This mindset is a whirlwind of human
exceptionalism, acute awareness, and magical thinking. We’re smart, and we’ve learned how to do many
cool things. Yes, there are also some serious
problems, but the overall story here is one of progress, not foolish
incompetence. This is exactly what
consumer society wants to hear. The book
is selling well, and reader comments are primarily praise.
The bedrock fantasy of consumer culture is that technology
will solve all challenges, the future will be powered by safe, clean renewable
energy, and the consumer way of life can continue on its current path, without
any sacrifices, until the sun burns out.
Edward Abbey once wrote, “Where all think alike, no one thinks much.”
I wish that Harari had been raised in a sane society. I wish that his history had documented a clear
thinking culture on a far healthier trajectory — well educated, wide awake
people who understood the mistakes of their ancestors, and were fully committed
to a return to genuine sustainability. We’re
long overdue for a fourth revolution, a homecoming, a healing.
Harari, Yuval Noah, Sapiens:
A Brief History of Humankind, Harper, New York, 2015.
Here is
Harari giving a 15-minute TEDx talk.
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