Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

by Yuval Noah Harari

This is the paradox of historical knowledge. Knowledge that does not change behaviour is useless. But knowledge that changes behaviour quickly loses its relevance. The more data we have and the better we understand history, the faster history alters its course, and the faster our knowledge becomes outdated.

This is the best reason to learn history: not in order to predict the future, but to free yourself of the past and imagine alternative destinies.