21 Lessons for the 21st Century

by Yuval Noah Harari

In recent times biologists and surgeons have taken over from priests and miracle workers. If Egypt is now struck by a plague of locusts, Egyptians may well ask Allah for help—why not?—but they will not forget to call upon chemists, entomologists, and geneticists to develop stronger pesticides and insect-resistant wheat strains. If the child of a devout Hindu suffers from a severe case of measles, the father will say a prayer to Dhanvantari and offer flowers and sweets at the local temple—but only after he has rushed the toddler to the nearest hospital and entrusted him to the care of the doctors there. Even mental illness—the last bastion of religious healers—is gradually passing into the hands of scientists, as neurology replaces demonology and Prozac supplants exorcism.