21 Lessons for the 21st Century

by Yuval Noah Harari

erstwhile

rhetoric

Morality, art, spirituality, and creativity are universal human abilities embedded in our DNA.

concubines,

chutzpah.

Gentiles.

Shinto

Hobbesian

allegory,

Judah

rabbis

desecrate

Sabbath

genocide

morsels

stipulated

BIGOTRY

conquistadores

yeshiva

demographic

Talmud

benighted

persecuted

contemplate

her...

Semitic

brethren.

enigma,

consciousness,

decrees,

misogynists,

semantics.

their immediate lust or greed, without concern for the impact on others—or even for the long-term impact on themselves.

inflict

you live a lonely, self-centered life, you are almost guaranteed to be miserable.

secular

theoreticians

“don’t do to others what you would not like the...

harmony

Long before you murder anyone, your anger has already killed your own peace of mind.

obnoxious

enmity

Secularism

Acknowledge

they view morality and wisdom as the natural legacy of all humans.

sentient

bestiality,

Healthy relationships require emotional, intellectual, and even spiritual depth. A marriage lacking such depth will make you frustrated,

Humans should always retain the freedom to doubt, to check again, to hear a second opinion, to try a different path.

Secular people admire Galileo Galilei, who dared to question whether the Earth really sits motionless at the center of the universe; they admire the masses of common people who stormed the Bastille in 1789 and brought down the despotic regime of Louis XVI; and they admire Rosa Parks, who had the courage to sit down on a bus seat reserved for white passengers only.