James Minter's Blog: Writers do it in Public... - Posts Tagged "future"

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In this book Yuval Harari has tackled a massive subject. Forecasting the future is fraught with issues and Harari knows this. Though a professor of history, his knowledge spreads far and wide, and in my opinion he's done a very credible job. Scientists do as scientist do and have taken a pop at him, being dismissive, saying his work lacks rigour.

For me, Yuval has made an incredibly complex subject accessible to the layperson. Enjoyment is probably the wrong word, although is't a great read and well written, enlightenment is more accurate. Of course the future of A.I algorithms, robotic workforce, and the development of a useless class of people won't play out exactly but I believe, much like Uber, AirBnb, SpaceX, plant-based-diets and many more disruptor businesses and trends, Yuval has achieved a similar position with this book. We cannot walk into the future blind - especially as the future is only 20 to 30 years away!

I have grandchildren who will be majorly impacted by these huge changes. Their lives will be so different from mine and their parents. We, as a society need to start debating what these changes will mean and to prepare them through their education.

A must read book for all peoples with an interest in the future - and that's all of us.



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