Harari’s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is an important book on philosophy, but one that is hard to read! I finished this book with a suspicion that I may not have understood all of it and a gut feeling that the author is dealing with crucial matters.
Harari takes on the challenge of exploring what it means to be human in an age of bewilderment; reading this book thus provides a clearer vision of our times! Harari discusses the importance of understanding society as it stands in the “here and now”:
What is happening right now?
What are today’s greatest challenges and choices?
What should we pay attention to?
What should we teach our kids?
We can all agree these are key challenges that constitute dilemmas without absolute answers, hence the importance of this book.
But first, a word about the author, Dr. Yuval Noah Harari. He is considered one of today’s leading thinkers. He is from Israel, holds a PhD in history from Oxford, and teaches modern history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His two earlier books received worldwide acclaim (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, 2016, and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 2017).
Clear parallels exist between this book and Machiavelli’s The Prince; both authors give clear analyses, predictions, and recommendations, although the time setting is, of course, entirely different. However, the call for more profound thinking is common to both.
Harari’s book consists of 21 essays divided into five parts. Part one relates to the technology challenge; the author discusses a series of technological trends, including a merger between “infotech” and “biotech,” which he sees as a problem related to big data (infotech) now being able to operate relatively freely within the political context of today’s liberal order. In the past, the presence of fascism and communism made this risk less of an issue.
Part two deals with political dilemmas and provides a series of responses to five modern challenges: building a more robust humanistic community, strengthening our civilization, focusing on global problems within our nationalistic context, adopting a religion aimed at serving our needs, and finally, adopting an approach to immigration that might also contribute to strengthening our culture. Part two seems rather vague; I have a hard time seeing the five political challenges that he discusses as having anything near workable political responses.
The third part of the book discusses despair and hope. The author stresses that it might help to be humbler regarding our personal views. He discusses the issue of humility in quite some detail, pointing out that we as individuals should not consider ourselves to be at the center of the world. Harari offers an interesting view regarding terrorism, in that terrorism itself seldom tends to have much effect in its own right. It is only when terrorists succeed in activating a larger player (say, by kicking a bull in its ear!) that severe disruptions occur. In his Israeli mode of thinking, the author invites us not to panic. In this section, Harari also discusses war, God, and secularism. In general, the author seems to hold rather pessimistic views, such as “never underestimate human stupidity” when it comes to wars.
Section four is labelled “The Truth.” The author’s main thesis here seems to be that global processes tend to become so complicated that they are difficult (or impossible) for individuals to understand. This may partly have to do with our ignorance – we typically know less than we think! This phenomenon also may have to do with outdated principles of justice, and fake news makes it harder for us to focus on the truth. Finally, misguided science fiction might clutter things up.
In the final part of the book, dealing with resilience, the author stresses education as likely to become key for coping with the emerging world order. He stresses that “change is the only constant,” implying that today’s education must not only teach knowledge but the skills to deal with change and to reinvent ourselves again and again. Harari proposes “4 Cs” to guide education in the future:
Critical thinking
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity
The final two essays of the book deal with meaning and meditation. To be a keen observer seems key here, as well as to “dig from both ends.”
Let me offer these concluding observations:
The author clearly addresses some of the most central issues facing today’s society.
He attempts to come up with answers to many of these issues. However, are these answers realistic? Could it be that any of the dilemmas he sets out to tackle simply have no definite answer?
The book seems to be unnecessarily complicated. Is it necessary to make matters so complex?
However, as I have stressed, this book is important, and I recommend it as worth investing in.
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