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Most of the book is actually a re-telling of the power structures that have shaped human societies, focusing on the concept of religions. Naturally this includes Abrahamic religions, animalist or spiritualist beliefs, and a slew of ancient religions. However crucially Harari also classifies humanism as a religion, and, in fact, as the defining religion of the modern period, placing the individual human at the centre of the moral universe. With this framework in place Harari then extrapolates modern interplay of religion and society forward a few centuries, speculating about what future religions might look like. Generally the book feels as a world view supported selectively and not the wonderful voyage of discovery presented in Sapiens. Like Dawkins hating God though not believing, the author to object to humanism sneers at humans.
An exhilarating book that takes the reader deep into questions of identity, consciousness and intelligence… Harari is a naturally gifted explainer, invariably ready with a telling anecdote or memorable analogy. As a result, it’s tempting to see him less as historian than as some kind of all-purpose sage. Explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century and beyond - from overcoming death to creating artificial life. This is because he does not understand the nature of consciousness, and the huge advances in this research .In fact, he has no understanding of the new science of life based on consciousness, and he is really backward in his conceptualization.
About Yuval Noah Harari
Not only that, modern technology has increasingly allowed us to understand the emotional and intellectual complexity of animals in a way that should make it difficult to treat them as lesser beings. This is an issue that has been playing on my mind for some time. It seems like every week now we are getting news reports of another animal ripped from its habitat for a selfie and dying as a result.
He examines our current practices regarding technology and animals. We advance scientifically, but not emotionally or spiritually. We continue to make the same mistakes as we destroy the natural world and ruin our planet. Like me, Harari is a vegan and he is disgusted with current practice. He does not offer an idealistic view of the future but instead discusses what will happen if we continue with our erroneous ways.
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Ultimately Harari is raising questions and doesn’t pretend to know all the answers. Readers are left hoping that if we contemplate these things seriously enough we might actually be able to avoid some of the disasters. The challenges to come as the human race changes are going to unlike anything imaginable.
Very interesting read, though I think his previous book is better. Despite my misgivings above I still think this book is a highly valuable read and makes a great contribution to what our future will be like. And I will be getting the authors next book as soon as I press submit. Anyone who hasn't read this book should get a copy and do so now. In a readable and extremely well set out manner Yuval Harari has elegantly summed up who we are and where we are headed.
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It is equally easy to select four other individual subset events of 'overeating in modern society', 'natural disaster', 'plague', 'war' and compare the statistics to 'prove' that Yuval is wrong. A brief history of tomorrow brings us an insight of the authors focus towards humanity's future and quest to upgrade humans into Gods. This said, in the few years since the book has been published many of its predictions have come true. For example, the rise of not only ride-sharing but car-sharing apps is directly predicted. The very day that I read that section of the book I saw an advert for car-sharing app ZipCar on the tube.
Like for instance gods, nations, money, and how no other species has shown this capability. Transcranial stimulators and other tech can help us understand better the relation between the brain and the mind. I don’t choose my desires, I just feel them and act upon them.
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The author states the ‘fact’ we have eternal Souls - apparently this means we take precedence over beings such as a pig, who don’t have souls.. This seems to give Homo Sapiens, more sway in the way things are managed, and imagined. What makes the life of domesticated farm animals particularly miserable is not the way they die.
The author repeatedly quotes statistics and numbers, and as this is an audiobook, I did find it difficult to re-read, stop, and check references if I needed to. However, one classic is – only 14% of Americans believe humans evolved without any divine intervention at all. Apparently, being college/university educated makes no difference to these numbers. It’s funny how the Theory of Evolution attracts far more criticism and controversy than the Theory of Relativity, which seems to go unnoticed.
He writes that they were founded when humans switched from hunting/foraging to agriculture. A central point of the religions was to give humans dominion over all animals, in order to justify their domestication and superiority, and to justify the terrible suffering humans cause for animals. The agricultural revolution was both an economic and a religious revolution, used to justify brutal exploitation of animals. Agricultural societies also started treating some classes of people as property. I wonder, though, didn't pre-agricultural societies practice slavery? When I try to do some simple online research in this subject, it seems like Harari might be correct; slavery was established to mimic the domestication of animals.
Humans have acquired a combination of intellect and consciousness which was regarded as necessary for being advanced life forms at the top of the pyramid. Consciousness especially would be difficult to acquire. However, it is clear now that intelligence which is superior is adequate to ascend the pyramid. Already artificial intelligence is winning over humans in several fields regarded as earlier insurmountable such as chess and even the arts.
Computer algorithms can surpass feelings in making good decisions. So, the humanist recommendation to "get in touch with your feelings" may not he given in the future. Perhaps, meaning in life will not lie in our experiences, until they are shared with others, through social media.
They are not so different from us, and the way we treat them is deplorable. I could write essays on this subject; I am beyond bitter about it. My heart is broken every day because humanity is so terribly unjust to those it deems beneath them.
But this is perhaps a minor point in Harari's argument. Many people will pooh-pooh much of what Harari has to say. I highly recommend it to all open-minded people who are not afraid to think a bit differently about the meaning of life, about our political structures, and the future. Over the past century, humankind has managed to turn the uncontrollable forces of nature—namely, famine, plague, and war—into manageable challenges.
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