Author: 👤 Yuval Noah Harari

Type: #book

Genres: #nonfiction #history #philosophy

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21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Part 1: The Technological Challenge

1 Disillusionment: The end of history has been postponed

• Three ideologies of the 20th century
• The fall of liberalism
• Technological development is outpacing ideological development
• Humans are better at designing tools than using them wisely
• Technological disruption has not yet entered political discourse
• Liberalism has demonstrated its ability to evolve and adapt
• Liberalism has many virtues but no answers for ecological collapse and technological disruption
• Liberalism needs to be updated or replaced to deal with the challenges ahead -
• An ideology that unites humanity will need to make sense of the problems ahead

2 Work: When you grow up, you might not have a job

• We should compare groups of humans to an integrated AI network, not individuals to one AI instance
• AI knowledge is updated faster than human knowledge
• AI-human cooperation
• AlphaZero chess progression
• Industrialisation gave rise to the three modern ideologies

From exploitation to irrelevance

• Communism is bankrupt for dealing with automation of jobs
• UBI explained

What is universal?

• Automation will lead to wealth concentration
• It's unlikely that people will vote in favour of wealth exportation

What is basic?

• What should be considered basic needs
• UBI needs to be coupled with meaningful pursuits

3 Liberty: Big Data is watching you

• We vote with feelings; not rationality

Listen to the algorithm

• Feelings are not the opposite of rationality, they are evolutionary rationality

Digital dictatorships

• Mass surveillance could shape future societies
• Democracy is outmatched by the merger of biotech and infotech

Artificial intelligence and natural stupidity

• Why intelligence and consciousness seem closely linked
• Aeroplanes & birds analogy for intelligence
• We only research and develop human abilities as the market demands

4 Equality: those who own the data own the future

• Bioengineering and AI could give rise to societal castes

Part 2: The Political Challenge

5 Community: Humans have bodies

• Corporations have not been the best vehicles for social and political revolutions

7 Nationalism: Global problems need global answers

The technological challenge

• Nationalism has no answer for technological disruption
• Patriotism vs globalism is a false dichotomy

8 Religion: God now serves the nation

• Religion vs science & globalisation
• Pearl Harbor motivations

9 Immigration: Some cultures might be better than others

• The three contractual conditions for immigration
• Racism vs Culturism

Part 3: Despair and Hope

12 Humility: You are not the centre of the world

• Morality predates religion and humanity as a whole

Part 4: Truth

17 Post truth: Some fake news lasts forever

• Homo Sapiens thrives on fictions
• Truth vs Power

Part 5: Resilience

19 Education: Change is the only constant

• Teaching technical skills will not help students