Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari

I recently reread Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. It is one of the few books that I've ever read more than once. If you've not read it, I would definitely recommend it.

Yuval Noah Harari's bestselling book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, presents a sweeping narrative of human history from the Stone Age to the present day, identifying three major revolutions that shaped our species and the world as we know it: the Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution, and the Scientific Revolution. Harari's work synthesises history, biology, and economics to challenge conventional narratives and offer provocative insights into the nature of humanity.

The Cognitive Revolution: The Power of Fiction

At the heart of Harari's thesis is the Cognitive Revolution, which occurred roughly 70,000 years ago. This period was characterised by the development of new cognitive abilities in Homo sapiens, most notably the capacity for abstract thought and communication through a unique and flexible language. This allowed humans to create and believe in "fictions" or "imagined realities" – concepts that have no material existence, such as gods, nations, laws, money, and human rights.

This ability to construct and share myths and stories enabled Sapiens to cooperate in large numbers and with unprecedented flexibility. While other species' social behaviour is largely determined by genetics, humans could rewrite their social structures and collaborations by changing their shared beliefs. This cooperative power, Harari argues, is what allowed Sapiens to outcompete other human species, like the Neanderthals, and eventually dominate the planet.

How to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones - Dr Rangan Chatterjee with James Clear

Here Dr Rangan Chatterjee discusses some of the concepts:

and a summary from Ali Abdaal:

James Clear's bestselling book, Atomic Habits, offers a powerful and practical framework for making small, incremental changes that lead to remarkable results over time. The core message is that focusing on tiny improvements - the "atomic habits" - is the most effective way to build good habits and break bad ones. Here are the key learning and action points from the book.

The Power of 1% Better Every Day

A central theme of Atomic Habits is the concept of "aggregate marginal gains." Clear argues that improving by just 1% each day will lead to a 37-fold improvement over the course of a year. Conversely, a 1% decline each day will bring you close to zero. This illustrates the profound impact of small, consistent actions.

Action Point: Instead of aiming for drastic, unsustainable changes, focus on making a tiny improvement in your desired habit each day. For example, if you want to start exercising, begin with a five-minute walk and gradually increase the duration.

Focus on Systems, Not Goals

The World is Not Ending - Dr Jordan Peterson with Bjørn Lomborg

This YouTube video, "The World is Not Ending | Bjørn Lomborg | EP 315," features Jordan B. Peterson speaking with Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, a researcher and author known for his work with the Copenhagen Consensus think tank. Lomborg's work focuses on identifying and promoting the "smartest ways to do good" to address global challenges, drawing on data and economic analysis rather than apocalyptic narratives. The discussion critiques contemporary environmental alarmism and advocates for a data-driven, optimistic approach to human progress and environmental improvement.

1. Critique of Apocalyptic Narratives and the "Religious Metaphor"

• The "End of Times" Narrative: Both Peterson and Lomborg highlight that young people are being fed an apocalyptic narrative, suggesting "this is the end of times" and that the world is "terrible" and "going to end". This creates a sense of guilt and fear, particularly around the idea of having children.
• Implicit Religious Metaphor: Peterson introduces Alex Epstein's argument that the prevailing environmental narrative is based on an implicit religious metaphor: the planet as "fragile and virginal," continually "pillaged" by a "devouring and negative" patriarchy (culture), with the individual human seen as a "predator" and "parasite". This one-sided story emphasizes a "positive female" (Mother Nature) and a "negative male" (cultural force), leading to "nature worship, the derogation of culture, and the damnation of the individual".
• Historical Context: Lomborg contrasts this modern view with a historical reality where humanity was "terrified of nature" due to its dangers (e.g., smallpox, which killed 300 million in the 20th century). He argues that only through human efforts to "make the world safer" have we gained the luxury to appreciate and "love nature".
• "Unearned Moral Virtue." Opponents are cast as morally corrupt for not accepting the apocalyptic narrative.

Viral: The Origin of Covid 19 - Dr Jordan Peterson with Matt Ridley

1. The COVID-19 Origin: Lab Leak Hypothesis and Anomalies

• Initial Acceptance, then Doubt: Matt Ridley initially accepted the conventional idea that the virus emerged from an exotic meat market in Wuhan, like SARS did from bats. However, his investigation for a Wall Street Journal article revealed anomalies.
• Geographical Coincidence: The primary "smoking gun" is the fact that the outbreak occurred in Wuhan, the very city that houses a lab (Wuhan Institute of Virology, WIV) conducting extensive research on SARS-like coronaviruses.
• Remarkable Human Adaptation: The virus was "remarkably well adapted" for human-to-human transmission from the outset (November/December 2019). This is unusual for a zoonotic jump, as viruses typically need to evolve over time through many infections to efficiently spread in a new host species.
• Furin Cleavage Site (FCS): A highly "striking and very surprising" feature of SARS-CoV-2 is the presence of a furin cleavage site in its Spike Gene. This 12-letter genetic sequence is an "extra chunk" (inserted, not merely altered) compared to close relatives and allows the virus to use a human enzyme (furin) to spread more effectively from cell to cell and tissue to tissue, making it much more dangerous and transmissible. This site is unique for a SARS-like coronavirus and is considered the reason for the pandemic's severity.

Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover

I recently bought an Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover to help improve my sleep. While I don't use a sleep tracker, I can say that my subjective view is that I am now getting significantly better sleep than I was without it. I was finding I would wake up early, e.g. 4am, and then not be able to get to sleep. Now, if that happens, I find I do fall back to sleep quickly and get about 8 hours of actual sleep.