A Brief History of Humankind
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Provided by:

Course Details
Cost
FREE
Upcoming Schedule
- TBA
Course Provider

Coursera online courses
Coursera's online classes are designed to help students achieve mastery over
course material. Some of the best professors in the world - like neurobiology
professor and author Peggy Mason from the University of Chicago, and computer
science professor and Folding@Home director Vijay Pande - will supplement your
knowledge through video lectures. They will also provide challenging
assessments, interactive exercises during each lesson, and the opportunity to
use a mobile app to keep up with yo...
Coursera's online classes are designed to help students achieve mastery over
course material. Some of the best professors in the world - like neurobiology
professor and author Peggy Mason from the University of Chicago, and computer
science professor and Folding@Home director Vijay Pande - will supplement your
knowledge through video lectures. They will also provide challenging
assessments, interactive exercises during each lesson, and the opportunity to
use a mobile app to keep up with your coursework. Coursera also partners with
the US State Department to create “learning hubs” around the world. Students
can get internet access, take courses, and participate in weekly in-person
study groups to make learning even more collaborative. Begin your journey into
the mysteries of the human brain by taking courses in neuroscience. Learn how
to navigate the data infrastructures that multinational corporations use when
you discover the world of data analysis. Follow one of Coursera’s “Skill
Tracks”. Or try any one of its more than 560 available courses to help you
achieve your academic and professional goals.
Provider Subject Specialization
Humanities
Sciences & Technology
Course Description
About 2 million years ago our human ancestors were insignificant animals
living in a corner of Africa. Their impact on the world was no greater than
that of gorillas, zebras, or chickens. Today humans are spread all over the
world, and they are the most important animal around. The very future of life
on Earth depends on the ideas and behavior of our species.
This course will explain how we humans have conquered planet Earth, and how we
have changed our environment, our societies, and our own bodies and minds. The
aim of the course is to give students a brief but complete overview of
history, from the Stone Age to the age of capitalism and genetic engineering.
The course invites us to question the basic narratives of our world. Its
conclusions are enlightening and at times provocative. For example:
· We rule the world because we are the only animal that can believe in
things that exist purely in our own imagination, such as...
About 2 million years ago our human ancestors were insignificant animals
living in a corner of Africa. Their impact on the world was no greater than
that of gorillas, zebras, or chickens. Today humans are spread all over the
world, and they are the most important animal around. The very future of life
on Earth depends on the ideas and behavior of our species.
This course will explain how we humans have conquered planet Earth, and how we
have changed our environment, our societies, and our own bodies and minds. The
aim of the course is to give students a brief but complete overview of
history, from the Stone Age to the age of capitalism and genetic engineering.
The course invites us to question the basic narratives of our world. Its
conclusions are enlightening and at times provocative. For example:
· We rule the world because we are the only animal that can believe in
things that exist purely in our own imagination, such as gods, states, money
and human rights.
· Humans are ecological serial killers – even with stone-age tools,
our ancestors wiped out half the planet's large terrestrial mammals well
before the advent of agriculture.
· The Agricultural Revolution was history’s biggest fraud – wheat
domesticated Sapiens_ _rather than the other way around.
· Money is the most universal and pluralistic system of mutual trust
ever devised. Money is the only thing everyone trusts.
· Empire is the most successful political system humans have invented,
and our present era of anti-imperial sentiment is probably a short-lived
aberration.
· Capitalism is a religion rather than just an economic theory – and
it is the most successful religion to date.
· The treatment of animals in modern agriculture may turn out to be
the worst crime in history.
· We are far more powerful than our ancestors, but we aren’t much
happier.
· Humans will soon disappear. With the help of novel technologies,
within a few centuries or even decades, Humans will upgrade themselves into
completely different beings, enjoying godlike qualities and abilities. History
began when humans invented gods – and will end when humans become gods.