Yuval Noah Harari

In Sapiens, he explored our past. In Homo Deus, he looked to our future. Now, one of the most innovative thinkers on the planet turns to the present to make sense of today's most pressing issues. How do computers and robots change the meaning of being human? How do we deal with the epidemic of fake news? Are nations and religions still relevant? What should we teach our children? Yuval Noah Harari's 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a probing and visionary investigation into today's most urgent issues as we move into the uncharted territory of the future. As technology advances faster than our understanding of it, hacking becomes a tactic of war, and the world feels more polarized than ever, Harari addresses the challenge of navigating life in the face of constant and disorienting change and raises the important questions we need to ask ourselves in order to survive. In twenty-one accessible chapters that are both provocative and profound, Harari builds on the ideas explored in his previous books, untangling political, technological, social, and existential issues and offering advice on how to prepare for a very different future from the world we now live in: How can we retain freedom of choice when Big Data is watching us? What will the future workforce look like, and how should we ready ourselves for it? How should we deal with the threat of terrorism? Why is liberal democracy in crisis? Harari's unique ability to make sense of where we have come from and where we are going has captured the imaginations of millions of readers. Here he invites us to consider values, meaning, and personal engagement in a world full of noise and uncertainty. When we are deluged with irrelevant information, clarity is power. Presenting complex contemporary challenges clearly and accessibly, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is essential reading.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Cassandra Tang

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

Governments might therefore need to invent entirely new taxes – perhaps an information tax, paid on information and in information rather than in dollars.

As George Orwell envisioned in Nineteen Eighty-Four, the television will watch us while we are watching it. After we’ve finished watching Tarantino’s entire filmography, we may have forgotten most of it. But Netflix, or Amazon, or whoever owns the TV algorithm, will know our personality type, and how to press our emotional buttons.

If you don’t feel at home in your body, you will never feel at home in the world.

Questions you cannot answer are usually far better for you than answers you cannot question.

The greatest crimes in modern history resulted not just from hatred and greed, but even more so from ignorance and indifference.

If you are willing to pay for high-quality food, clothes and cars – why aren’t you willing to pay for high-quality information?

We cannot be sure of the specifics, but change itself is the only certainty.

To run fast, don’t take much luggage with you. Leave all your illusions behind. They are very heavy.

Most stories are held together by the weight of their roof rather than by the strength of their foundations.

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