“I never react to events in the outside world; I always react to the sensations in my own body. (...) Even when we think we react to what another person has done, to President Trump's latest...”
Work
In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power. Censorship works not by blocking the flow of information, but rather by flooding people with disinformation and distractions. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century cuts through these muddy waters and confronts some of the most urgent questions on today’s global agenda. Why is liberal democracy in crisis? Is God back? Is a new world war coming? What does the rise of Donald Trump signify? What can we do about the epidemic of fake news? Which civilisation dominates the world – the West, China, Islam? Should Europe keep its doors open to immigrants? Can nationalism solve the problems of inequality and climate change? What should we do about terrorism? What should we teach our kids? Billions of us can hardly afford the luxury of investigating these questions, because we have more pressing things to do: we have to go to work, take care of the kids, or look after elderly parents. Unfortunately, history makes no concessions. If the future of humanity is decided in your absence, because you are too busy feeding and clothing your kids – you and they will not be exempt from the consequences. This is very unfair; but who said history was fair? A book doesn’t give people food or clothes – but it can offer some clarity, thereby helping to level the global playing field. If this book empowers even a handful of people to join the debate about the future of our species, it has done its job. ---------- After Sapiens looked deep into humankind’s past and Homo Deus considered our existence in a future powered by intelligent design, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century stops to focus on the biggest questions of the present moment. What is really happening right now? What are today’s greatest challenges and choices? What should we pay attention to? 21 Lessons builds on the ideas explored in the previous two books to take the pulse of our current global climate. It untangles political, technological, social, and existential questions, and highlights how they impact the everyday lives of humans worldwide. By presenting complex contemporary challenges clearly and accessibly, the book invites the reader to consider values, meaning and personal engagement in a world full of noise and uncertainty.
Quotes
Showing 1-9 of 9
Yuval Noah Harari
Canonical work source
“I never react to events in the outside world; I always react to the sensations in my own body. (...) Even when we think we react to what another person has done, to President Trump's latest...”
“Questions you cannot answer are usually far better for you than answers you cannot question.”
“So the best advice I could give a fifteen-year-old stuck in an outdated school somewhere in Mexico, India or Alabama is: don’t rely on the adults too much. Most of them mean well, but they j...”
“Every religion, ideology and creed has its shadow, and no matter which creed you follow you should acknowledge your shadow and avoid the naïve reassurance that ‘it cannot happen to us’. Secu...”
“Science finds it hard to decipher the mysteries of the mind largely because we lack efficient tools. Many people, including many scientists, tend to confuse the mind with the brain, but they...”
“It is the responsibility of all of us to invest time and effort in uncovering our biases and in verifying our sources of information. As noted in earlier chapters, we cannot investigate ever...”
“Scientists, for their part, need to be far more engaged with current public debates. They “should not be afraid of making their voice heard when the debate wanders into their field of expert...”
“What then is the secular ideal? The most important secular commitment is to the truth, which is based on observation and evidence rather than on mere faith. Seculars strive not to confuse tr...”
“When the faithful are asked whether God really exists, they often begin by talking about the enigmatic mysteries of the universe and the limits of human understanding. ‘Science cannot explai...”