| Author | Yuval Noah Harari |
|---|---|
| Language | English<br |
| Subject | Civilization Technology and civilization Human beings |
| Publisher | Spiegel & Grau, Jonathan Cape |
Publication date | 2018 |
| Publication place | Israel |
Published in English | 30 August 2018 |
| Pages | 372 |
| ISBN | 978-198-480-149-4 |
| Preceded by | Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow |
| Followed by | 21 Lessons for the 21st Century |
21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a book written by bestseller Israeli author Yuval Noah Harari and published in August 2018 by Spiegel & Grau[1] in the US and by Jonathan Cape[2] in the UK.
Having dealt with the distant past in Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011) and with the distant future in Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016), Harari turns in 21 Lessons his attention to the present. In a loose collection essays, many based on articles previously published,[3] he attempts to untangle the technological, political, social and existential quandaries that humankind faces.
Summary
editThe book is divided into five sections:
- The Technological Challenge. Liberalism, the dominant “story” of our time, is failing, yet a new one better suited to help us confront the looming risks posed by artificial intelligence and biotechnology is not emerging yet. (Chapters: 1 Disillusionment, 2 Work, 3 Liberty, 4 Equality)
- The Political Challenge. Nationalism is not enough to confront the technological challenges described in the previous section and ways must be found to allow for global cooperation. (Chapters: 5 Community, 6 Civilisation, 7 Nationalism, 8 Religion, 9 Immigration)
- Despair and Hope. While the challenges are huge and the disagreements on how to confront them severe, humankind can still rise to the occasion by keeping our fears under control and promoting secularist values. (Chapters: 10 Terrorism, 11 War, 12 Humility, 13 God, 14 Secularism)
- Truth. In a world flooded with misinformation and irrelevant information, it is important to invest an effort in uncovering own biases and verifying the sources. (Chapters: 15 Ignorance, 16 Justice, 17 Post-Truth, 18 Science Fiction)
- Resilience. Life is not a story and that distinguishing fictions from facts is key for individuals to live an examined life and for societies to face the existential challenges ahead. (19 Education, 20 Meaning, 21 Meditation)
Reception
editThe book has received significant media attention with articles and reviews published by The New York Times, The Economist, Financial Times, The Guardian, The New Statesman, The Times and The Australian among others.
In The New York Times Bill Gates calls the book “fascinating” and his author “such a stimulating writer that even when I disagreed, I wanted to keep reading and thinking.” For Gates, Harari “has teed up a crucial global conversation about how to take on the problems of the 21st century.”[4]
Most reviewers agree with John Thornhill in Financial Times that “[a]lthough 21 Lessons is lit up by flashes of intellectual adventure and literary verve, it is probably the least illuminating of the three books” written by Harari, and that many of the observations in it feel recycled from the two others.[5]
Helen Lewis review in The Guardian is not as glowing although she admires “the ambition and breadth of his work, smashing together unexpected ideas into dazzling observations.”[3]
The book has also received negative reviews. Gavin Jacobson in The New Statesman sees it as “a study thick with promise and thin in import” with advice “either too vague or too hollow to provide any meaningful guidance.” [6]
Notes
editCategory:2018 non-fiction books Category:Books about human intelligence Category:Books about historiography Category:History books about civilization Category:Books by Yuval Noah Harari Category:Futurology books
- ^ Harari, Yuval Noah; Spiegel & Grau (2018). 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. ISBN 9780525512172.
- ^ Harari, Yuval Noah; Jonathan Cape (2018). 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. ISBN 9781787330672.
- ^ a b Lewis, Helen (15 August 2018). "21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari review – a guru for our times?". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ Gates, Bill (4 September 2018). "What Are the Biggest Problems Facing Us in the 21st Century?". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ Thornhill, John (10 August 2018). "Are humans too flawed to survive the 21st century?". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ Jakobson, Gavin (22 August 2018). "Yuval Noah Harari's 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a banal and risible self-help book". The New Stateman. Retrieved 17 October 2018.