21 Lessons for the 21st Century

by Yuval Noah Harari

The power of groupthink is so pervasive that it is difficult to break its hold even when its views seem to be rather arbitrary. For example, in the United States, right-wing conservatives tend to care far less about things such as pollution and endangered species than left-wing progressives, which is why Louisiana has much weaker environmental regulations than Massachusetts. We are used to this situation, so we take it for granted, but it is really quite surprising. One would think that conservatives would care far more about the conservation of the old ecological order and about protecting their ancestral lands, forests, and rivers. In contrast, progressives would be expected to be far more open to radical changes to the countryside, especially if the aim is to speed up progress and increase the human