In his new book, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, Yuval Noah Harari explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century -- from overcoming death to creating artificial life. He maps the future and asks fundamental questions: Where do we go from here? How will we protect this fragile world from our own destructive powers?
Harari's previous book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, explores what made homo sapiens the most successful species on the planet. His answer: We are the only animal that can believe in things that exist purely in our imagination, such as gods, states, money, human rights, corporations and other "fictions," and we have developed a unique ability to use these stories to unify and organize groups and ensure cooperation. Sapiens has sold nearly five million copies and been translated into more than 50 languages. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and President Barack Obama have recommended it as a must-read.
Harari is a lecturer in history at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he specializes in world history, medieval history and military history. His current research focuses on macro-historical questions: What is the relation between history and biology? What is the essential difference between Homo sapiens and other animals? Is there justice in history? Does history have a direction? Did people become happier as history unfolded?
How to explain the stunning political upheaval of 2016 — Brexit in the UK and Donald Trump’s election to the presidency in the US — as well as the current and ongoing atmosphere of division, discontent and disquiet that fills many people’s lives? One simple answer: “We’ve lost our story,” says Jerusalem University historian Yuval […]
Continue readingWatch: Chris Anderson speaks with the historian Yuval Noah Harari on what’s happening now, and what’s to come during this extraordinary moment in time -- when nationalism is pitted against globalism, while the world is facing a job-loss crisis most of us are not even expecting. A rewarding hour of big ideas about humanity's future.
Continue readingThese are astonishing days. Amid rapid-fire policy changes, America has grown even more divided; similar divisions are spreading across the world. Vitriolic rhetoric roars from all sides, and battle lines are hardening. We aren’t listening to one another. Is there space left for dialogue? For reason? For thoughtful persuasion? We’re determined to find that space. This […]
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