Yuval Noah Harari

   

    Yuval Noah Harari

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  • Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

  • Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

  • Review by Dorothea Shefer-Vanson : Sapiens

  • Review by David Runciman : Homo Deus




Online Lecture  The Future of Humanity

Yuval Noah Harari is an Israeli professor of history and the author of the international bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. He teaches at the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Harari specializes in "World History and macro-historical processes". His research focuses on macro-historical questions such as: What is the relation between history and biology? What is the essential difference between Homo sapiens and other animals? Is there justice in history? Does history have a direction? Did people become happier as history unfolded?

His book, titled [ Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind ] and the most recent book, titled [ Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow ] survey the entire length of human history, from the evolution of Homo sapiens in the Stone Age up to the political and technological revolutions of the 21st century.




Yuval Noah Harari on the Rise of Homo Deus

at the Emmanuel Centre, London, on 5th September 2016.

“Studying history aims to loosen the grip of the past… It will not tell us what to choose, but at least it gives us more options.” – Yuval Noah Harari

Yuval Noah Harari is the star historian who shot to fame with his international bestseller 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind'. In that book Harari explained how human values have been continually shifting since our earliest beginnings: once we placed gods at the centre of the universe; then came the Enlightenment, and from then on human feelings have been the authority from which we derive meaning and values. Now, using his trademark blend of science, history, philosophy and every discipline in between, Harari argues in his new book 'Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow', our values may be about to shift again – away from humans, as we transfer our faith to the almighty power of data and the algorithm.

In conversation with Kamal Ahmed, the BBC’s economics editor, Harari examined the political and economic revolutions that look set to transform society, as technology continues its exponential advance. What will happen when artificial intelligence takes over most of the jobs that people do? Will our liberal values of equality and universal human rights survive the creation of a massive new class of individuals who are economically useless? And when Google and Facebook know our political preferences better than we do ourselves, will democratic elections become redundant?

As the 21st century progresses, not only our society and economy but our bodies and minds could be revolutionised by new technologies such as genetic engineering, nanotechnology and brain-computer interfaces. After a few countries master the enhancement of bodies and brains, will they conquer the planet while the rest of humankind is driven to extinction?

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Yuval Noah Harari Interview on his new book

Homo Deus : A Brief History of Tomorrow

Yuval Noah Harari examines our future in his new book "In Homo Deus" with his trademark blend of science, history, philosophy and every discipline in between.

via Penguin Book

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Lecture : Brief History of Tomorrow   via The RSA

A Brief History of Tomorrow with bestselling author Yuval Harari. What is the next stage of human evolution? How will we protect this fragile planet and humankind itself from our own destructive powers?

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind was a wide-ranging exploration of humankind’s history. In his new work Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari envisions our future: a not-too-distant world in which we face a new set of challenges and possibilities.

With his trademark blend of science, history, philosophy and every discipline in between, Harari will investigate the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century – from overcoming death to creating artificial life.

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Lecture : Techno-Religions and Silicon Prophets

via Talks at Google on Jan. 29. 2015

Techno-Religions and Silicon Prophets: Will the 21st century be shaped by hi-tech gurus or by religious zealots – or are they the same thing?

What is the current status of religions and ideologies in the world, and what will be the likely impact of 21st-century technological breakthroughs on religion and ideology?

Will traditional religions and ideologies —from Christianity and Islam to Liberalism and Socialism— manage to survive the technological and economic revolutions of the 21st century?

What would be the place of Islam, for example, in a world of genetic engineering and artificial intelligence?

The talk addresses these questions, and argues that the future belongs to techno-religions, which promise salvation through technology, and which are already gathering believers in places such as Silicon Valley.




Lecture : The Future of Religion in the 21st Century
OH-MAN, OH-MACHINE -- International Conference
The Politics and Aesthetics of Posthumanism ( May, 2014 )




Yuval Noah Harari Lecture : Does History Have a Direction?
Vintage Live Annual Lecture 2015

Is history just a random accumulation of accidents, or is it going in some definitive direction? This first Vintage Lecture by Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens, explores three possible directions of human history: power, unity and happiness.

As history unfolded, humankind has become ever more powerful. When history kick-started about 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens was an insignificant ape in East Africa. Today we are the rulers of the planet, and soon we might upgrade ourselves into gods.

As history unfolded, humankind has become ever more united. Back in the Stone Age, humans lived in isolated tribes, and planet earth was an entire galaxy of separate human worlds. Today all humans are part of a single system. There are no longer any independent countries or authentic cultures, and everyone – Americans, Chinese, Israelis and Iranians – view physics, biology, economics and even politics in a similar way.

As history unfolded, did humans become happier? Is the average person today happier than in ancient or medieval times? Whereas the story of human power and unity is relatively straightforward, the story of human happiness is far less clear. There are good reasons to suspect that we are far more powerful and united than our ancestors – but not much happier.

The lecture builds on Yural Noah Harari’s remarkable book Sapiens, in which he examines the whole of human history. 100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Homo sapiens. How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables and consumerism? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come?

In association with Vintage and Bristol 2015 European Green Capital.




On the myths we need to survive
Filmed at the Royal Geographical Society 2015.




TED Talk : What explains the rise of humans?
June 2015 at TED Global London