My personal opion is:

I quite agree to Langmuir´s Thesis; it makes sense and can be proven by many Facts and opinions.

Inspite of the fact, that Harari is a YouTube-king, i rather dislike his latest book about the history of mankind. There are so significant mistakes in his book and the attitude it is written seems to me downlooking, as i feel he Shows himself as omnipotent, not relating to other Research and not struggling for Details to Combine them for a bigger whole. So i wonder about the validity and possible acceptance of his outcome.

Think that one part of the Thesis of Harari is, that man was an "unimportant animal 100.000 years ago". We know now fairly well, that even homo ergaster was no unimportant animal. 400.000 years ago by the first known cemetary in Sima de los Huesos (Spain) it could be shown he cared until death for ill and handicapped ones. Auditorium Cave in Bhimbetka (Madhya Pradesh / India) Shows artistic expressions like snake lines and cupulas, dated  700.000 - 290.000 years. The first Stone Venuses from Israel and Marocco both could be dated because of vulcanic eruptions above and beneath to between 800.000 - 230.000 and 500.000 - 200.000. Aerodynamic perfect spears have been used in Schöningen (Germany) 400.000 years ago and modern world Champions say nowadays spears are not better. And we crossed the sea in Indonesia to reach the Islands of Flores and Timor already 850.000 to 700.000 years ago. For this you Need a Kind of boat and language to plan, perform and act together. This is no unimportant animal, which can do this and thus Hararis main hypothesis is dead. 

...of course i must admit, that all this is part of my new book which is now at the Editor ´s with more than 1700 references (Harari has 14 pages of them).

Hello Thomas,

Many thanks for you very thoughtful and interesting comments. What I like in Langmuir's thesis is that he explains anti-Semitism as originating from chimerical conceptions (thus fantasies) about the Jews from time immemorial. This same concept Harari uses to explain why the homo sapiens were able to assemble larger groups of fellows to form towns in the agricultural and post-agricultural eras. That is, the forms of leadership that emerged during that period were all grounded on imagined realities. This is the convergence I am trying to explore.

You have a strong point about the lack in Harari's book of references to other anthropologists and sociologists researches about the same subject. Even so his book is a very interesting reading and makes one rethink several issues about psychology.

Thank you Barbara for your comment and upvoting

Regards

Tom

Dear Ivo, bom dia :-)

Excellent comments, very helpful in furthering the paper I am about to write. And of course I agree with both of you, Prof. Heise and you, Sapiens lacks academic reasoning and support of Harari's story.

However, I am working on comparing one aspect of his book which to me is very pertinent and rousing, namely the idea that homo sapiens was able to create larger societies and even civilizations based exclusively on instilling into his followers different forms of fantasies and imaginations. His chapter about the invention of money is really thrilling. Of course the same is sustainable when examining the forming of religions.

The similarity I see with Prof. Langmuir's thesis about the origins of anti-Semitism is that it seems to converge into the same idea. As you mention, according to him, anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages was fueled by imagined, irrational and stereotyped conceptions about the Jews. In other words, hatred was fueled by assigning the Jews the blames of any disgrace that befell on the poorer strata. The Nazis very successfully explored the same myth with the concept of the "Ewige Jude," the Ethernal Jew that is diabolical and always plotting against the non-Jews.

What do you think and can you recommend further literature that follows the same line of reasoning? Or even against it?

All the best

Tom

Dear Olga

Many thanks for your comments and upvoting.

I certainly agree with your remarks about Prof. Langmuir. His book is, IMO, an extraordinary academic essay into the effects of mass psychological indoctrination and conceptions of imaginary villainies and perversities ascribed to a small ethnic minority group along two millennia - maybe even longer.

His definition is the closest I came to accept why anti-Semitism exists. However I disagree on one point - the Professor claims that the chimeric aspects of anti-Semitism make it a unique manifestation of hatred against a minority group.

Again, IMO, the same reasoning could be applied to several minority groups which along centuries have been persecuted and ill-treated.

For example, take the Roma (gypsies) community. In almost all central and eastern European countries they were and continue to be persecuted under several stereotyped conceptions such as that ALL gypsies are thieves, do not maintain adequate hygienic habitudes, are sexual abusers, etc. To me these accusations also seem chimerical (imaginary).

As for Harari's book, I still have mixed feelings. Although I fully agree that his thesis and statements do not carry the appropriate academic handling, I still think it would be premature to dismiss them entirely. Besides, as you wrote, the book is really quite entertaining.

All the best

Tom

Dear Olga,

Thanks for your thoughts, comments and a new approach to examine what Langmuir wrote, namely your observations about Russian folk culture. With your permission I certainly will use it to shed some light on how the concept of chimerical thinking influences discrimination of minorities.

I also hope that my question will be discussed by other RG colleagues, to expand on its pros e cons. 

As you well detected, in my book about the Holocaust in Slovakia I avoided generalization, preferring instead to analyze individual behaviors. I explain such approach in one part of my book (excuses for the long quote from chapter 2, vol.1, p. 14):

"1. Although in various parts of this book I do discuss the issue of how this anti-Jewish campaign contributed to make Jew-hatred fiercer, my readers should know that I will not imply in this book in any way the absurd generalization that all Christians and members of its clergy were or are anti-Semites!

2. By the same token, I will never generalize and claim that all Germans or Slovaks, or for that effect, all non-Jews who during WWII lived in countries that embraced Nazi-fascist ideologies and Hitler’s diabolic plan to cleanse the world of Jews, were anti-Semites and participated in their ruthless slaughter!

This statement is based on two of my most cherished personal values: (a) a Jew can never generalize as he or she belongs to an ethnic group that was discriminated against, persecuted and murdered exactly because of the Nazi generalization claiming that Jews belong to an abject race and (b) because I find it abhorrent to slander or discriminate against human groups, minorities or not, be it because of their gender, nationality, ethnic origin, color of skin, religious belief, cultural habits or any other similar motives.

Let me therefore apologize in advance if I offended any person who will read this book. This was not my intention as I respect everybody's religious convictions and beliefs."

The above explains why I chose D. Goldhagen's concept of "willing executioners" and his individualization of Nazi-fascists felons to comment upon the crimes perpetuated against the Slovak Jews by Tiso, Hlinka, Mach and their cohorts instead of speaking in general terms about the Slovaks' participation in the Holocaust.

From what you wrote I assume that you read or are reading my book "The Holocaust in Slovakia." I feel honored and, if you have the time, please comment your further impressions. On page iv you will find my email address. Of course you can also use RG's private link between members.

Furthermore, if any RG member would be interested in writing a review, I can mail her/him a copy of any one of the two chapters, free of charge ;-)

My best to you,

have a nice week

Tom

Dear Olga

Very interesting your research about disappearing languages, particularly Yiddish.

Pretty soon Yiddish will become a lingua mortua because those who spoke it are dying at an accelerated rate. Even the Ashkenazim ultra-orthodox Jews, who spoke that language in pre-WWII Europe did not transmit this heritage to their children. Their grandchildren prefer to speak Hebrew, specially in the Israeli communities.

I read that the use of Yiddish is growing among Hasidim communities in Israel, but could not find any reliable source that would support this claim.

Consider also that, at least in Western countries, assimilation is accelarating, mixed marriages reached in the US an over 50% rate.

As far as I can predict, within 10 to 15 years, when the majority of Holocaust survivors have died, Yiddish will disappear for lack of people who still speak it today.

Last but  not least, thank you for your generous offer to help me to find reviewers of my book. In fact it was reviewed by Yad Vashem's experts who praised it and recommended to place a copy in this institution's library for academic research but nobody volunteered to write a review.

Also, as far as I know, it was purchased by several large American universities, including Harvard and Stanford. I still lack reputable reviews.

All the best

Tom

Ok Tom , interesting questions. First you have to define clearly who are the Semite; Originally the Semites are the descendants of Sam the son of Noah. If you decided to choose other definitions for the Semite, I will expect that many readers will be mislead.

You need to read the early chapters of my book "The religion of Islam: An Academic view"

Good luck and thanks for asking me

Hello Aamir,

Thank you for your comment and questioning. You are right, if one accepts the biblical account, then all descendants of Sam, Noah's son, are to be held as Semites.

On the other hand, anti-Semitism is an attitude which refers only to people of Jewish descend. According to several sources it is the modern form of anti-Judaism.

Using Langmuir's definition it is "a hostile manifestation against Jews, originating from chimerical conceptions about them."

I would very much like to read the chapter you mention of your book. How can I reach it?

On the other hand, you may wish to visit my page on ResearchGate, where you will find two chapters from my book, "The Holocaust in Slovakia."