Sapiens
Test your knowledge with 45 questions across 3 challenge tiers
Master These Concepts
Review these key terms before taking the quiz
Cognitive Revolution
The emergence of new ways of thinking and communicating approximately 70000 years ago that enabled Homo sapiens to cooperate in large numbers
The development of language capable of discussing abstract concepts like gods and nations
Agricultural Revolution
The transformation from foraging to farming beginning around 10000 BCE that Harari controversially calls history's biggest fraud
Humans domesticated wheat but Harari argues wheat domesticated humans by trapping them in harder lives
Imagined Order
Social structures and hierarchies that exist only because humans collectively believe in them not because of objective reality
Money and nations and corporations are all imagined orders that enable mass cooperation
Intersubjective Reality
Things that exist because many people believe in them together as opposed to objective reality or individual subjective experience
The value of money depends on millions of people believing in it simultaneously
Gossip Theory
The hypothesis that human language evolved primarily to share social information about other people in the group
Early humans needed to know who was trustworthy and who was cheating
Luxuries Become Necessities
Harari's observation that comforts and conveniences initially seen as optional quickly become requirements we cannot live without
Smartphones once luxuries are now necessities that cause anxiety when forgotten
Select a Quiz Tier
Complete each tier to unlock the next and earn your badges.
Fundamentals
TIER 1 • READER BADGE
Deep Dive
TIER 2 • SCHOLAR BADGE
Expert
TIER 3 • MASTER BADGE
