The world until yesterday
by Jared Diamond, Efrén del Valle Peñamil · first published 2012
48% recommend52% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Draws on anthropology of traditional societies to show how people lived before states, covering conflict, child-rearing and social organization; a broad, accessible read on what human life was like for most of history.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Overview: Most of us take for granted the features of our modern society, from air travel and telecommunications to literacy and obesity. Yet for nearly all of its six million years of existence, human society had none of these things. While the gulf that divides us from our primitive ancestors may seem unbridgeably wide, we can glimpse much of our former lifestyle in those largely traditional societies still or recently in existence. Societies like those of the New Guinea Highlanders remind us that it was only yesterday-in evolutionary time-when everything changed and that we moderns still po
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…highly recommend it to anyone interested in human evolution or general diet. This article however, is sophomoric. Anyone interested in the origins of human society and violence should also read "The World Until Yesterday" by Jared Diamond, "The Origin of Consciousness and the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind", "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl, "Tribe" by Sebastian by Junger and " Ordinary Men: Reserve Police…
on “A new book argues that violence laid the foundation for virtue” ↗…(mis-)cited number is but one example of Dunbar's ingenious, math-driven approach to many problems in biology and evolution. To maximize mind-blowing capacity, combine Dunbar with Jared Diamond's "The World Until Yesterday" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Until_Yesterday), which explains how our ancestors and many traditional tribes lived (and sometimes still live), and "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene),…
on “Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?” ↗…particular order. "Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. "Quantum Computing since Democritus" by Scott Aaronson. "The Strategy of Conflict" by Thomas Schelling. "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and "The World until Yesterday" by Jared Diamond. "The Retreat To Commitment" by W. W. Bartley. "The Myth of the Rational Voter" by Bryan Caplan. Despite the name it made me appreciate democracy a lot more. "Wars, Guns, and Votes"…
on “Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?” ↗…is about a mixed-race man trying to run a coffee plantation while living between western society and his New Guinea tribe. His father was the first white man to contact the tribe. Jared Diamond's The World Until Yesterday[3] brought home for me what human life was like until very recently. You couldn't travel far in any direction without the tribe next door trying to kill you. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18438586…
on “American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island” ↗I recommend Jared Diamond's 'The World Until Yesterday' ('Guns, Germs and Steel' also covers some related topics), or Frans de Waal's 'The Bonobo and the Atheist'. In general I think there's broad agreement that in bands and small tribes of up to a few hundred…
on “Whales in 19th century shared information about ship attacks” ↗You may enjoy reading "The World Until Yesterday" by Jared Diamond.
on “Rethinking Easter Island’s Historic “Collapse”” ↗…how these are at odds with the way our brains evolved to work and what we can do about it. Great collection of actionable advice backed up by current research. See more at http://brainrules.net/ "The world until yesterday" by Jared Diamond http://amzn.to/1AAJjNL Great book on how "traditional" societies handle trade, war and interpersonal conflicts. Lots of thing to consider taking on board in "modern" societies - such…
on “Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?” ↗…going to and where you and I might overlap: * Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... * Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... * Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate...…
on “Ask HN: Book Recommendations?” ↗…Conflict on my reading list but that seems to be more a part of later developments than city states. Before that came written laws, and before that came having states. I guess I'd recommend reading The World Until Yesterday followed by The Origins of Political Order.
on “The Evolution of Trust” ↗Read a little of The World Until Yesterday by Jared Diamond and you'll get some surprising answers to this question. tl;dr in many places people who couldn't prove consanguinity would essentially have to attack each other due to a prisoner's dilemma…
on “Kids’ Apps Are Crammed With Ads” ↗…throughout history. - Babi Yar (full version) by Anatoly Kuznetsov - after my discovery that the version I've read earlier was heavily censored. - The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande - Collapse and The World Until Yesterday by Jared Diamond
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗…I can say from personal experience that parents who are extremely present at a young age can actually give you more leeway later in life. On a more general note, I can recommend Jared Diamond's 'The World Until Yesterday' - it covers similar topics to the bbc article and more.
on “The unusual ways Western parents raise children” ↗…believe me when I say you have the skills. If you can watch them to make sure they don't injure themselves and answer their questions you can do it. Try reading "A Natural History of Childhood" or "The World Until Yesterday"
on “On the Wildness of Children” ↗If you liked "Guns Germs and Steel" you'll also enjoy Diamond's latest book "The World until Yesterday". Everything I've learned about organizational dynamics can be gleaned from this book.
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?” ↗…my reading list now: Quiet by Susan Cain - mentioned already The Better Angels of Our Nature - Steven Pinker Jared Diamond - Guns, Germs and Steel Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash Jared Diamond - The World Until Yesterday Also, did not quite change my life, but very recommended: Neal Stephenson - Anathem. You may have to struggle through the beginning, but as soon as I understood the way the world he devised operates,…
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?” ↗