Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Be taken on a breath-taking ride through 70,000 years of human history with Yuval Noah Harari, as he discusses his latest book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind with John Thornhill, deputy editor of the Financial Times, on 9 September at Kings College, London. Presented by Financial Times Live and FT Weekend, this evening will explore our evolutionary roots to the age of capitalism and genetic engineering, uncovering why we are the way we are.

Harari focuses on key events that changed us forever including the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions, the creation of money, the spread of religion and the rise of the nation state. Currently published in over 20 languages, Sapiens takes a multi-disciplinary approach that crucially bridges the gaps between history, biology, philosophy and economics in a way never done before. Furthermore, taking both the macro and the micro view, Harari conveys not only what happened and why, but also how it felt for individual humans and other animals alike.

Harari’s enlightening yet somewhat provocative conclusions include:

• Sapiens rule the world because Sapiens are the only animal that can believe in things that exist purely in its own imagination, such as gods, states, money and human rights.
• Money is the most universal and pluralistic system of mutual trust ever devised.
• Its unique capacity for gossiping also helped Sapiens become the dominant power on earth, because gossiping was vital for establishing larger and more stable societies.
• Capitalism is a religion rather than just an economic theory, and it is the most successful religion to date.
• The pace of technological development will soon lead to the replacement of Homo sapiens by completely different beings, enjoying godlike qualities and abilities.

Join us for a thrilling evening of discussion as he explains our journey from insignificant animals into powerful gods.

Tickets include a £5 Waterstones voucher off purchases of Sapiens, only on the night.

Dr Yuval Noah Harari is 38 years old. He has a PhD in History from the University of Oxford and now lectures at the Department of History, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specialising in World History. In 2012 he was awarded the annual Polonsky Prize for Creativity and Originality in the Humanistic Disciplines.