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The same seems to go for Sapiens, albeit to a lesser degree, possibly as a result of being released more recently in 2015 vs the 90s. Jared Diamond is actually

The same seems to go for Sapiens, albeit to a lesser degree, possibly as a result of being released more recently in 2015 vs the 90s. Jared Diamond is actually the cover quote for Sapiens looking at my copy!

htcfx 5y ago
Can you expand on or link to such criticisms of Sapiens?
- finiteseries 5y ago
  The classic so far seems to be C.R. Hallpike from an anthropological angle [0] It’s 17 pages, but the general idea is basically ”whenever his facts are broadly correct they are not new, and whenever he tries to strike out on his own he often gets things wrong”. And just in case anyone boxes & dismisses this as anthropology = social science = progressive relativist criticism, Hallpike is an 83 year old Oxford type who recently spent 200 pages [1] being very angry at popular modern ideas about the realities of primitive society. [0] - http://www.hallpike.com/A%20review%20of%20Sapiens.pdf http://www.hallpike.com/A%20review%20of%20Sapiens.pdf [1] - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42109085-ship-of-fools https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42109085-ship-of-fools
  - JALTU 5y ago
    I appreciate these links, thank you. I wish there could/would be a point by point response to the criticisms from Yuval, however. Humans have a predictable tendency to undermine each other, so it would be nice to easily see the counterpoints to the issues raised by other scholars who certainly have incentives to defend their life's investment in their biases, too.
- Ar-Curunir 5y ago
  As a scientist (not in anthropology), the feel of Sapiens was very unscientific. All assertions were made with minimum citation, and couched in "relevatory" language that always makes me feel that the author is hiding something. If you want Sapiens but without these problems, try "Against the Grain" by James C. Scott. Covers much of the same material, but with many more citations from reputed journals and academics.
  - Syzygies 5y ago
    Like "Guns, Germs, and Steel", "Sapiens" spins a tale. True or not, I can see how these ideas could be dangerous in a mind like Carl Rove's. As a mathematician, I take ideas under consideration, to expand my imagination of what's possible. And as a would-be mountaineer, it has been explained to me how one needs to be able to tell six days of stories in case a snowstorm pins you inside your tent. These guys could clearly manage. I'm considering "Against the Grain". The Audible narrator is an acquired taste (he hyper-articulates, and holds trailing vowels as if he's trying to establish his social class) but one can learn to tune this out.

htcfx 5y ago

Can you expand on or link to such criticisms of Sapiens?

finiteseries 5y ago
The classic so far seems to be C.R. Hallpike from an anthropological angle [0] It’s 17 pages, but the general idea is basically ”whenever his facts are broadly correct they are not new, and whenever he tries to strike out on his own he often gets things wrong”. And just in case anyone boxes & dismisses this as anthropology = social science = progressive relativist criticism, Hallpike is an 83 year old Oxford type who recently spent 200 pages [1] being very angry at popular modern ideas about the realities of primitive society. [0] - http://www.hallpike.com/A%20review%20of%20Sapiens.pdf http://www.hallpike.com/A%20review%20of%20Sapiens.pdf [1] - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42109085-ship-of-fools https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42109085-ship-of-fools
- JALTU 5y ago
  I appreciate these links, thank you. I wish there could/would be a point by point response to the criticisms from Yuval, however. Humans have a predictable tendency to undermine each other, so it would be nice to easily see the counterpoints to the issues raised by other scholars who certainly have incentives to defend their life's investment in their biases, too.
Ar-Curunir 5y ago
As a scientist (not in anthropology), the feel of Sapiens was very unscientific. All assertions were made with minimum citation, and couched in "relevatory" language that always makes me feel that the author is hiding something. If you want Sapiens but without these problems, try "Against the Grain" by James C. Scott. Covers much of the same material, but with many more citations from reputed journals and academics.
- Syzygies 5y ago
  Like "Guns, Germs, and Steel", "Sapiens" spins a tale. True or not, I can see how these ideas could be dangerous in a mind like Carl Rove's. As a mathematician, I take ideas under consideration, to expand my imagination of what's possible. And as a would-be mountaineer, it has been explained to me how one needs to be able to tell six days of stories in case a snowstorm pins you inside your tent. These guys could clearly manage. I'm considering "Against the Grain". The Audible narrator is an acquired taste (he hyper-articulates, and holds trailing vowels as if he's trying to establish his social class) but one can learn to tune this out.