Pathogenesis

A History of the World in Eight Plagues

By: Jonathan Kennedy

Narrated by: Jonathan Kennedy

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “gripping” (The Washington Post) account of how the major transformations in history—from the rise of Homo sapiens to the birth of capitalism—have been shaped not by humans but by germs

“Superbly written . . . Kennedy seamlessly weaves together scientific and historical research, and his confident authorial voice is sure to please readers of Yuval Noah Harari or Rutger Bregman.”—The Times (U.K.)

According to the accepted narrative of progress, humans have thrived thanks to their brains and brawn, collectively bending the arc of history. But in this revelatory book, Professor Jonathan Kennedy argues that the myth of human exceptionalism overstates the role that we play in social and political change. Instead, it is the humble microbe that wins wars and topples empires.

Drawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics, Pathogenesis takes us through sixty thousand years of history, exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that have made the modern world. Bacteria and viruses were protagonists in the demise of the Neanderthals, the growth of Islam, the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the devastation wrought by European colonialism, and the evolution of the United States from an imperial backwater to a global superpower. Even Christianity rose to prominence in the wake of a series of deadly pandemics that swept through the Roman Empire in the second and third centuries: Caring for the sick turned what was a tiny sect into one of the world’s major religions.

By placing disease at the center of his wide-ranging history of humankind, Kennedy challenges some of the most fundamental assumptions about our collective past—and urges us to view this moment as another disease-driven inflection point that will change the course of history. Provocative and brimming with insight, Pathogenesis transforms our understanding of the human story.

Give Us Science Not Opinion

Liked: first half of book was very informative.
Disliked: second half of book was largely the author's political opinions. it's not that I necessarily disagree with his opinions. It's that I didn't purchase the book for them.
Author did an adequate job narrating.

Very interesting reas

This is a great non-fiction book that reads like fiction. Read this book, even if you're not big into science, this is a great book.

Good start, poor ending

I got the book to learn more about pathogens and their impact on human development, and found it addressed that well. But towards the end, the author injected his political views which detracted from the topic and prevented a more thoughtful analysis of trends in pathogens. Moreover, the author’s political views were naive and lacked common sense, which in turn, retrospectively tainted the whole book. I will not recommend this book.

Full existence in hours

Well it’s hypothetical and I appreciate that and also the magnitude of research it’s based on is so impressive and makes me try to pull it apart more—very time consuming and not really a negative.

Great look at history and historical impacts of pathogens

Very high-level, but interesting and broad-ranging. Made me think about vaccine equity vs patents. Recommend mosquito by Timothy winegard for a deeper look into the impact of pathogens on human history.