21 Lessons for the 21st Century

by Yuval Noah Harari

People have debated the meaning of life for thousands of years. We cannot continue this debate indefinitely. The looming ecological crisis, the growing threat of weapons of mass destruction, and the rise of new disruptive technologies will not allow it. Perhaps most

I think he overstates some of the issues and how important the philosophic debate is.

important, artificial intelligence and biotechnology are giving humanity the power to reshape and reengineer life. Very soon somebody will have to decide how to use this power—based on some implicit or explicit story about the meaning of life. Philosophers are very patient people, but engineers are far less so, and investors are the least patient of all.

reply. Unless you are happy to entrust the future of life to the mercy of quarterly revenue reports, you need a clear idea what life is all about.

This is a strong argument. The definition of life must be legislated and agreed upon internationally. An unlikely event.

So when we are examining the new challenges that lie ahead of us, it is necessary to understand the limitations of liberal democracy and to explore how we can adapt and improve its current institutions.

This supports the note I wrote previously.

Humans think in stories rather than in facts, numbers, or equations, and the simpler the story, the better.

oppression. But at least we know what we need to do in order to overcome these problems: give people more liberty. We need to protect human rights, grant everybody the vote, establish free markets, and let individuals, ideas, and goods move throughout the world as easily as possible.

Contrast this with the Republican power grabs of today.

disorientation. To have one story is the most reassuring situation of all. Everything is perfectly clear. To be suddenly left without any story is terrifying. Nothing makes any sense.

worth. Perhaps in the twenty-first century populist revolts will be staged not against an economic elite that exploits people but against an economic elite that does not need them anymore.6 This may well be a losing battle. It is much harder to struggle against irrelevance than against exploitation.

Huge insight.

bankrupt. Vladimir Putin is certainly popular both in Russia and among various right-wing movements across the world, yet he has no global worldview that might attract unemployed Spaniards, disgruntled Brazilians, or starry-eyed students in Cambridge.

Absolutely true. Once again, he is someone who knows what he is against but no idea of what he is for. Republicans in the US share that same problem.

traditions. Perhaps even Westerners should take a break from trying to run the world, and focus on their own affairs for a change.

Excellent idea.

West. In Russia, Putin’s official vision is not to build a corrupt oligarchy but rather to resurrect the old tsarist empire.

But liberalism has no obvious answers to the biggest problems we face: ecological collapse and technological disruption.

Moreover, many deny the problems or oppose addressing them.

At present, humankind is far from reaching any consensus on these questions. We are still in the nihilist moment of disillusionment and anger, after people have lost faith in the old stories but before they have embraced a new one. So what next? The first step is to tone down the prophecies of doom and switch from panic mode to bewilderment. Panic is a form of hubris.