Last Minute Lecture

The Marriage of Science and Empire — Exploration, Conquest, and the Dual Legacy of Modernity Explained | Chapter 15 from Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari How did scientific discovery and imperial conquest become so deeply entangled? In Chapter 15 of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind , Yuval Noah Harari reveals how the ambitions of European empires were inseparable from the progress of modern science. Watch the complete chapter summary below and subscribe to Last Minute Lecture for academic breakdowns of every Sapiens chapter! Science, Empire, and the Race to Conquer the World Harari begins with Captain James Cook’s famed expedition, which advanced astronomy and enabled British colonization. Scientific voyages were bankrolled by empires eager for territorial claims, economic gain, and “knowledge as power.” Scientific experiments—like treatments for scurvy—had immediate benefits for empire building. Key Topics in Chapter 15 Empire Funding for Science: European navies...

The Discovery of Ignorance — The Scientific Revolution, Progress, and the Rise of Modern Science Explained | Chapter 14 from Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari How did humanity’s embrace of ignorance ignite the Scientific Revolution—and change the world forever? In Chapter 14 of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind , Yuval Noah Harari explains how admitting “we do not know” became the engine of modern science and technology. Watch the full video summary below and subscribe to Last Minute Lecture for more in-depth, scholarly guides to every chapter! The Birth of Modern Science: Ignorance as Power Unlike ancient cultures that revered ancestral wisdom, the Scientific Revolution was driven by a radical admission of ignorance. Scientists believed progress required endless questioning, experimentation, and a willingness to say, “We don’t know.” This new humility created a feedback loop: new knowledge led to new technologies, which produced more power and resources for research. Ke...