Class 12 English Short Summary of Humility by Yuval Noah Harari
Harari exemplifies the virtue of humility in that he debunks humanity’s illusions of superiority and mastery in the essay Humility. He claims morality, art, spirituality and creativity are universal human abilities embedded in our DNA.
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Summary of Humility by Yuval Noah Harari
In the essay Humility, Prof. Yuval Noah Harari talks about humility and challenges the idea of cultural and religious superiority. He explains that people often believe their culture is the most important in history.
For example, Chinese nationalists claim that human history truly began with the Yellow Emperor and the Xia and Shang dynasties. Similarly, pious Muslims believe that all history after the revelation of the Quran revolves around the Muslim ummah. Aztecs believed that without their annual sacrifices, the sun would not rise, and the universe would disintegrate.
Harari argues that these claims are false and combine ignorance with a hint of racism. He emphasizes that universal human abilities like morality, art, spirituality, and creativity originated in Stone Age Africa. Harari humorously shares a personal experience where a yoga teacher in Israel claimed that yoga was invented by Abraham, with basic postures imitating the shape of Hebrew letters.
Key Points of the essay Humility by Yuval Noah Harari
Chinese nationalists claim human history began with the Yellow Emperor and certain dynasties.
Pious Muslims believe that all history after the Quran's revelation revolves around the Muslim ummah.
Aztecs believed their sacrifices were essential for the sun to rise and the universe to remain intact.
Universal human abilities like morality and creativity originated in Stone Age Africa.
The essay uses a humorous example of a yoga teacher claiming Abraham invented yoga by relating it to the shape of Hebrew letters.
Humility Class 12 Exercise and Question Answer
Understanding the text
Answer the following questions.
What do Chinese nationalists believe about human history? |
Chinese nationalists believe that human history truly began with the Yellow Emperor and specific dynasties. They assert that achievements by Westerners, Muslims, or Indians are merely copies of original Chinese breakthroughs. |
What do pious Muslims believe about human history? |
Pious Muslims believe that all history before Prophet Muhammad is largely irrelevant. After the revelation of the Quran, they think history revolves around the Muslim ummah. |
What did the Aztecs firmly believe about the universe? |
The Aztecs firmly believed that without their yearly sacrifices, the sun wouldn't rise, and the whole universe would fall apart. |
According to the essay, what are universal human abilities? |
The essay states that universal human abilities include morality, art, spirituality, and creativity. These abilities are in our DNA and originated in Stone Age Africa. |
How are basic yoga postures derived from the shape of Hebrew letters, according to the essay? |
According to the essay, a yoga teacher claimed that Abraham invented yoga. Basic yoga postures imitate the shape of Hebrew letters. For instance, the trikonasana posture imitates the shape of the Hebrew letter aleph. |
Reference to the context
How do Hindu nationalists refute the Chinese claim that human history really began with the Yellow Emperor and the Xia and Shang dynasties? Who do you agree with, and why? |
Hindu nationalists reject the Chinese claim that human history began with the Yellow Emperor and certain dynasties. They argue that ancient sages in the Indian subcontinent, not the Chinese, invented things like airplanes and nuclear bombs long before figures like Confucius or Plato. I agree with the idea that history is a shared story with contributions from many cultures, not just one. Each culture has valuable aspects, and it's important to appreciate the diversity of human achievements. |
The author has dealt with a controversial debate on human history. Why do you think history has been a major contested issue in the present world? |
History is a major contested issue because different cultures and nations want to highlight their importance. People take pride in their history, and this can lead to disagreements and debates. Understanding and appreciating diverse histories can help build mutual respect and cooperation in our global society. |