--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That tale is a fantasy. There is no…" description: "\"“That tale is a fantasy. There is no evidence that people became more intelligent with time. Foragers knew the secrets of nature long before the Agricu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/yuval-noah-harari-100_time_that-tale-is-a-fantasy-there-is-no-evide_83866.jpg" --- # That tale is a fantasy. There is no evidence that people… ![“That tale is a fantasy. There is no evidence that people became more intelligent with time. Foragers knew the secrets of nature long before the Agricultural Revolution,” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/yuval-noah-harari-100_time_that-tale-is-a-fantasy-there-is-no-evide_83866.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/yuval-noah-harari-100_time_that-tale-is-a-fantasy-there-is-no-evide_83866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/yuval-noah-harari-100_time_that-tale-is-a-fantasy-there-is-no-evide_83866.jpg) > ““That tale is a fantasy. There is no evidence that people became more intelligent with time. Foragers knew the secrets of nature long before the Agricultural Revolution,”” [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote challenges the notion that human intelligence has progressed linearly, arguing that ancient foragers possessed sophisticated ecological knowledge before agriculture. **In simple terms:** Intelligence predates agriculture. Key Takeaway Progress isn’t measured by technological milestones alone. Themes history anthropology cognitive science myth of progress knowledge transmission Mood thoughtful critical inquisitive Type analytical historical philosophical When to use this quote - educational curricula - public discourse on evolution - media narratives about progress Key Concepts human cognition ecological knowledge cultural evolution Practical Applications - reassessing historical narratives - informing policy on cultural heritage Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports or refutes the idea of linear intellectual advancement? - How does recognizing ancient knowledge reshape our view of modern progress? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agricultural Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agricultural-revolution/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Rather than heralding a new era of easy living, the Agricultural Revolution left farmers with lives generally more difficult and less satisfying than those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/rather-than-heralding-a-new-era-of-easy-living-the-agricultural/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“how the foragers completely reshaped the ecology of our planet long before the first agricultural village was built. The wandering bands of storytelling Sapiens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/how-the-foragers-completely-reshaped-the-ecology-of-our-planet-long/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“A series of trivial decisions aimed mostly at filling a few stomachs and gaining a little security had the cumulative effect of forcing ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-series-of-trivial-decisions-aimed-mostly-at-filling-a-few-stomachs/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“The only way to build Göbekli Tepe was for thousands of foragers belonging to different bands and tribes to cooperate over an extended period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-only-way-to-build-g-bekli-tepe-was-for-thousands-of-foragers/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Around 10,000 BC, before the transition to agriculture, earth was home to about 5–8 million nomadic foragers. By the first century AD, only 1–2…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/around-10-000-bc-before-the-transition-to-agriculture-earth-was-home/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“The human collective knows far more today than did the ancient bands. But at the individual level, ancient foragers were the most knowledgeable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-human-collective-knows-far-more-today-than-did-the-ancient-bands/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Indeed, techno-humanism may end up downgrading humans. The system may prefer downgraded humans not because they would possess any superhuman knacks, but because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/indeed-techno-humanism-may-end-up-downgrading-humans-the-system-may/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“essence of the Agricultural Revolution: the ability to keep more people alive under worse conditions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/essence-of-the-agricultural-revolution-the-ability-to-keep-more/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“This is the essence of the Agricultural Revolution: the ability to keep more people alive under worse conditions. 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