Controversial Book Review of Harari’s Sapiens

5 Errors in Sapiens (a Brief History of Humankind) Book Review Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is an ambitious attempt to explain in under 500 pages the manifold forces that transformed the unassuming genus Homo into the bodacious Homo sapiens. In the pursuit of this noble goal, the author presents his readers the smorgasbord of counterfactual conditionals – what could have and might have been. Although the speculative reconstruction of human history makes for an interesting read, it is anything but new. There are scores of books like Sapiens; however, unlike dull treatises written by Christian or crudely materialistic authors, Harari’s work has become an overnight success. Despite countless negative scholarly reviews of Sapiens, the book occupies millions of coffee tables around the world. Its popularity can be attributed to a simple reason, and that is simplicity. People love it. The author moves the plot of his swashbuckling story along using far-fetched and reductionists claims about the earliest human s and their surroundings. For example, in a manner similar to that employed by sensationalistic online publications, the author proffers that wheat domesticated ancient agrarians â€Å"rather than vice versa† (Harari, 2014, p. 79). There is little surprise, then, that the book has garnered a fair share of carping and harsh academic criticism. The aim of this paper is to review Sapiens and discuss its most egregious drawbacks and problems with Harari’s reasoning. The review will also address two questions: â€Å"What is the book Sapiens about?† and â€Å"What lessons does the book Sapiens give?† It will be argued that the history of sapiens eloquently recounted by Harari should be recognized for what it is: science-fiction rather than a serious scholarly work. Discussion for the Book Sapiens Raises Stinging Questions In the book, which is often found among college reading materials and lesson plans high school, the historian broaches the themes of geography, sociology, Christianity, in particular, and religion, in general. Naturally, Harari’s work is a welter of book club questions. To the author’s credit, it should be mentioned that research behind Sapiens book is immense; this fact notwithstanding, there are many issues with its application. Is Sapiens an authentic book on evolution? Hardly. Although many propositions put forward by the author are based in scientific evidences, the drawn conclusions are of dubious validity. For example, when trying to answer the question of â€Å"How did homo sapiens develop?†, Harari resorts to religion. No, he does not use religious teaching as a basis for his arguments. Instead, he echoes Genesis stories to illustrate relationships between evolution, humans and morality, as well as, pass judgment on the human race. Specifically, agricult ural revolution from Sapiens book reverberates with the story of Cain and Abel. The historian posits that the first agrarian who tilled the soil committed a crime the results of which are only overshadowed by that of animal husbandry. In an excerpt animal farming Harari asserts that the practice â€Å"might well be the greatest crime in history† (Harari, 2014, p. 112). He makes similarly sweeping moral judgments by comparing cognitive revolution to the original sin and the scientific revolution to the Tower of Babel. The writer bemoans certain aspects of the technological progress and their wider social implications. Specifically, he points to the blurred boundaries between therapeutic and enhancement applications of pharmaceutical drugs arguing against the latter. At the same time, Harari claims that ethical and moral frameworks are fundamentally fictional and should be regarded as such. If at this point, it is not abundantly clear why the book is not a convincing academic a nalysis, consider the author’s opinion on the information society: â€Å"irresponsible† and â€Å"discontented† â€Å"self-made gods† (Harari, 2014, p. 314). Such comments account for unfavorable reception by anthropology and downgrade the book to the science-fiction category. WRITE MY BOOK REPORT Is Wrong to Heed Sapiens Criticism? Is Sapiens accurate? No. The book’s flawed claims have been debunked numerous times. The large number of errors has been surpassed by the even larger number of negative responses to the book Sapiens. Academic critiques and controversy notwithstanding, it is wrong to call the Harari’s work bad. It seems that cynical readers leaving depressing reviews on Goodreads have been sidetracked by sensationalism and exaggeration and missed the author’s main point: the evolutionary arc is long, but it bends toward progress. And in his treatise, Harari makes strained efforts to point the yesterday’s nomadic tribes toward it. Even though a Brief History of Humankind critical book analysis exposes severe inconsistencies in the author’s reasoning, one should not be dissuaded by it. The book is overhyped, but it is extremely illuminating and mordantly funny, which is why it is still worthy of one’s time. Wondering â€Å"who can write me Sapiens book review criticism?† How about the author of this article? They will write you a powerful review in only several hours! GET BOOK REVIEW Sapiens Book Best Quotes Sapiens is awash with brainy quotes one could use to open a speech or cite in an essay. In one of many quotes on capitalism, Harari notes that the system is a social construct: â€Å"How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order is imagined† (2014, p. 179). Another memorable Sapiens book quote on the matter is â€Å"money, social status, plastic surgery, beautiful houses, powerful positions – none of these will bring you happiness† (Harari, 2014, p. 184). BUY BOOK REVIEW PAPER

Locutionary Act Definition in Speech-Act Theory

In speech-act theory, a locutionary act is the act of making a meaningful utterance, a stretch of spoken  language  that is preceded by silence and followed by silence or a change of  speaker—also known as a  locution or an  utterance act. The term locutionary act was introduced by British philosopher J. L. Austin in his 1962 book, How to Do Things With Words. American philosopher John Searle later replaced Austins concept of a  locutionary act with what Searle called the propositional act—the act of expressing a proposition. Searle outlined his ideas in a 1969 article titled Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language. Types of Locutionary  Acts Locutionary acts can be broken into two basic types: utterance acts and propositional acts.  An utterance act is a speech act that consists of the verbal employment of units of expression such as words and sentences, notes the  Glossary of Linguistic Terms. Put another way,  utterance acts are acts in which something is said (or a sound is made) that may not have any meaning, according to Speech Act Theory, a PDF published by Changing Minds.org. By contrast, propositional acts are those, as Searle noted, where a particular reference is made. Propositional acts are clear and express a specific definable point, as opposed to mere utterance acts, which may be unintelligible sounds. Illocutionary vs.  Perlocutionary Acts An illocutionary act refers to the performance of an act in saying something specific (as opposed to the general act of just saying something), notes Changing Minds, adding: The illocutionary force is the speakers intent. [It is] a true speech act such as informing, ordering, warning, undertaking. An example of an illocutionary act would be: The black cat is stupid. This statement is assertive; it is an illocutionary act in that it intends to communicate. By contrast, Changing Minds notes that perlocutionary acts are speech acts that have an effect on the feelings, thoughts, or actions of either the speaker or the listener. They seek to change minds. Unlike locutionary acts, perlocutionary acts are external to the performance; they are inspiring, persuading, or deterring. Changing Minds gives this example of a perlocutionary act: Please find the black cat. This statement is a perlocutionary act because it seeks to change behavior. (The speaker wants you to drop whatever you are doing and go find her cat.) Speech Acts With Purpose Locutionary acts may be simple utterances devoid of meaning. Searle refined the definition of locutionary acts by explaining they should be utterances that propose something, have meaning, and/or seek to persuade. Searle identified five illocutionary/perlocutionary points: Assertives: Statements that may be judged true or false because they aim to describe a state of affairs in the worldDirectives: Statements that attempt to make the other persons actions fit the propositional contentCommissives: Statements that commit the speaker to a course of action as described by the propositional contentExpressives: Statements that express the sincerity condition of the speech actDeclaratives: Statements that attempt to change the world by representing it as having been changed Locutionary acts, therefore, should not simply be  meaningless bits of speech. Instead, they should have purpose, either seeking to bolster an argument, express an opinion, or cause someone to take action. Locutionary Acts Do Have Meaning Austin, in a 1975 update of his book How to Do Things With Words, further refined the notion of locutionary acts. Explaining his theory, Austin said that locutionary acts, in and of themselves, did indeed have meaning, stating: In performing a locutionary act, we shall also be performing such an act as: Asking or answering a question; Giving some information or an assurance or a warning; Announcing a verdict or an intention; Pronouncing a sentence; Making an appointment, an appeal, or a criticism; Making an identification or giving a description. Austin argued that locutionary acts did not need further refinement into illocutionary and perlocutionary acts. Locutionary acts by definition have meaning, such as providing information, asking questions, describing something, or even announcing a verdict. Locutioinary acts are the meaningful utterances humans make to communicate their needs and wants and to persuade others to their viewpoint.

Sexuality of Men and Women A Comparison Free Essays

The perceived views of men s and women s sexuality have been the subject of great speculation and conflict. Although great strides have been made over the years in the sexual â€Å"revolution†, the basic views of male and female sexuality have remained the same. Throughout history the ideas of proper sexuality for men and women have changed little. We will write a custom essay sample on Sexuality of Men and Women: A Comparison or any similar topic only for you Order Now Men have always been portrayed as the aggressive pursuer of a woman’s sexual favors. Women, in turn, have been required by society to diligently preserve their honor outside of the marital bed. Andrew Marvell’s â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† offers a good example of the game-like behavior that has become almost expected of a man and woman in society. The narrator beseeches his Lady to â€Å"sport us while we may like amorous birds of prey†. The Lady on the other hand, flirts casually and spurns the narrator’s advances. Women are praised highly for their virtue and honor in keeping their virginity for the institution of marriage. Even though it is perfectly acceptable for a man to attempt for and even acquire the sexual favors of a woman it is a social sin and in some areas a crime for a woman to succumb to her sexual desires outside of marriage. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, Hester Prynne is ostracized by her community for having an extra-marital affair. Her punishment condemns her for her adultery and assures her a lifetime of humiliation. Many societies have gone through great lengths over the centuries to ensure fidelity or virginity in women. In the Middle Ages, women were often forced to wear chastity belts to ensure their virtue was kept intact while men were away at war or some other manly undertaking. In some countries, women are forced to cover every inch of their bodies in an effort to avoid the advances of other men. The narrator in Amy Lowells Patterns speaks of her passion that wars against the stiff brocade of her dress, the very heavy and unrevealing style of the era in which the poem is set. She laments the death of her betrothed as they were to be wed in a month and, as she felt bound by the dress, he was to have freed her from it. This poem also illustrates how the narrator, as many women in the past, did not consider it proper to succumb to her passions before marriage. Men on the other hand have often been revered for their sexual prowess. Kings often kept concubines, or mistresses. In some countries, it is acceptable for a man to have many wives. Sexual conquest has become almost a gauge by which manhood is tested. Men are often bombarded by peer pressure to become sexually active at an early age. Seen as a rite of passage by many men, they begin their pursuit of women before they are even capable of reproduction. In Stevie Smith s The Frog Prince, the narrator speaks of his being happy the way he is but he feels that it is required of him to have a girl. Changing times have allowed people to become a little more open in expressing their sexuality. However, more often than not, most men and women tend to conform themselves to expectations that remain the same even in today s society. How to cite Sexuality of Men and Women: A Comparison, Essay examples