Humanity: Crown of Creation or Terror of the Ecosystem? How did we, Homo sapiens, manage to win the struggle for survival against six other human species? Why did our ancestors, who were once hunters and gatherers, settle down, practice agriculture, and establish cities and kingdoms? Why did we begin to believe in gods, nations, and human rights? Why do we place our trust in money, books, and laws, and submit ourselves to bureaucracy, schedules, and consumption? And has all of this made us happier over the millennia? 100,000 years ago, Homo sapiens was still an insignificant creature living inconspicuously in a remote corner of the African continent. Our ancestors shared the planet with at least five other human species, and the role they played in the ecosystem was no greater than that of gorillas.