quote · Legacy record
That spectacular leap from the middle to the top had enormous consequences.Other animals at the top of the pyramid, such as lions and sharks, evolved intothat position very gradually, over millions of years. This enabled the ecosystem todevelop checks and balances that prevent lions and sharks from wreaking toomuch havoc. As lions became deadlier, so gazelles evolved to run faster, hyenas tocooperate better, and rhinoceroses to be more bad-tempered. In contrast,humankind ascended to the top so quickly that the ecosystem was not given timeto adjust. Moreover, humans themselves failed to adjust. Most top predators of theplanet are majestic creatures. Millions of years of dominion have ɹlled them withself-conɹdence. Sapiens by contrast is more like a banana republic dictator.Having so recently been one of the underdogs of the savannah, we are full of fearsand anxieties over our position, which makes us doubly cruel and dangerous.Many historical calamities, from deadly wars to ecological catastrophes, haveresulted from this over-hasty jump.
That spectacular leap from the middle to the top had enormous consequences.Other animals at the top of the pyramid, such as lions and sharks, evolved intothat position very gradually, over millions of years. This enabled the ecosystem todevelop checks and balances that prevent lions and sharks from wreaking toomuch havoc. As lions became deadlier, so gazelles evolved to run faster, hyenas tocooperate better, and rhinoceroses to be more bad-tempered. In contrast,humankind ascended to the top so quickly that the ecosystem was not given timeto adjust. Moreover, humans themselves failed to adjust. Most top predators of theplanet are majestic creatures. Millions of years of dominion have ɹlled them withself-conɹdence. Sapiens by contrast is more like a banana republic dictator.Having so recently been one of the underdogs of the savannah, we are full of fearsand anxieties over our position, which makes us doubly cruel and dangerous.Many historical calamities, from deadly wars to ecological catastrophes, haveresulted from this over-hasty jump.
Approximate author period: c. 1976 AD · modern
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- Author or tradition
- Yuval Noah Harari
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- Approximate author period: c. 1976 AD · modern
Approximate author-period evidence for Yuval Noah Harari: documented birth year 1976; activity date not established. Wikidata Q2484404, inspected 2026-10-08. Not a quotation composition date or independent verification of attribution. Source: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2484404 (accessed 2026-10-08).
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Supplied reference C; CSV row 314514; supplied attribution, independently unverified
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