“21 lessons for the 21st century” written by Yuval Noah Harrari is an amazing thought provoking book, that deeply delves into the current world scenario. This book is for anyone who is interested in current affairs, politics and global issues.

Average reading time: 30 minutes.

This book is split into 5 sections. They are :

• The technological change
• The Political change
• Despair and Hope
• Truth
• Resilence

This book views the development and problems in a global perspective, for instance how major forces that shape the societies across the globe, is likely to influence the future of the planet.

Let’s get into the book, in this post I will capture the key concepts in each topic.

1. Disillusionment:
   In the opening chapter of “21 Lessons for the 21st Century,” Yuval Noah Harari delves into the intricacies of different democratic models that have shaped societies throughout history. This chapter serves as a thought-provoking introduction to the book’s exploration of our rapidly changing world. Harari begins by contrasting communism and liberalism, two fundamental ideologies that have left an indelible mark on society.
   The communist narrative envisions a world where classes are unified under a centralised social system. In contrast, liberalism champions individual liberty, freedom, and the right to self-expression. Key insights from the liberal model include the protection of human rights, universal suffrage, the establishment of free markets, and the facilitation of global trade, all of which contribute to the well-being of individuals and nations.
   
   Harari underscores the significance of harnessing the potential of biotechnology and information technology, recognising their immense promise while remaining vigilant about their potential risks. A table is given to understand the national and international aspects of liberalism in various fields.
   
   The chapter emphasizes the value of the liberal system at both national and international levels. In the 20th century, nationalist movements played a prominent role in global politics, but they often lacked a clear vision beyond advocating for independent nation-states. Harari suggests that in the 21st century, our world, marked by complex geopolitics and rapid technological advancements, demands introspection and the formulation of new social and political paradigms. It’s a call for adaptability and forward-thinking, as we navigate the uncharted territory of the future.
   
2. Work:
   The second chapter takes us on a journey through the evolution of work, from the Industrial Revolution to the dawn of the AI era. It highlights the profound changes occurring in our society due to automation and artificial intelligence and asks critical questions about the future. During the Industrial Revolution, when machines replaced human labor, a new job typically emerged for each one lost, resulting in a win-win situation.
   
   The average standard of living increased, and both parties benefited. However, in the 21st century, as automation and AI advance, the landscape is shifting. New jobs are emerging that only humans can perform, but this time, the equation is more complex. Harari paints a vivid picture of how AI is penetrating every aspect of our lives. From AI mastering human emotions using biochemical algorithms to personalising music choices based on our moods, the reach of AI seems limitless.
   
   It’s not just in our personal lives; AI is transforming industries like chess, self-driving cars, and much more. The chapter raises a pivotal question: Will these advancements enhance our future, lead to mass job displacement, or establish a new form of interconnected human-AI collaboration that enriches the concept of liberalism? The answer is far from straightforward, as it intertwines technological advancement with risks and potential rewards. While AI appears as a logical step forward for many, Harari reminds us that ,experts in the field understand the profound implications. These implications extend to climate change, political structures, education, and our daily lives, emphasising the global scale of AI’s influence.
   
   One of the most sobering aspects of this chapter is the prospect of a “useless class” of humans emerging by 2050 due to job scarcity and a lack of relevant education. He explores the importance of establishing a global safety net and fostering resilient communities to mitigate this outcome. Still, the notion of ceding control to technology remains unsettling.
   
3. Liberty:
   This chapter hints how the concept of liberalism was correct in counselling people to follow their heart rather than listening to the dictates of some priest or party, and how computer algorithm is going to take over human feelings. The author gives a very creative and factual equation, which is b x c x d = ahh! b = biological knowledge c = computing power d = data ahh = ability to hack humans So if AI can hack humans, thorough psychological means or by chip inserted into our brain, than the person or organisation who has its control can do anything.
   
   A successful AI in perspective of engineering is the transformation of theoretical problem in the philosophy of ethics into a practical problem of engineering. The future of leadership and order is not likely to be a world that that is fully democratised or fall under a dictatorship. Democracy came into existence, since dictatorship concentrates power and information in one place and doesn’t diffuses the power and decision making process among peoples and institutions, similarly it is believed that AI could take governance ahead by being the best at large scale data processing and making decisions that could be the best for us.
   
   But again, this is purely a question of debate, this development could also lead to digital dictatorships. The democracy in its present form cannot survive the merger of biotech and infotech.Yuval believes that either democracy will successfully reinvent itself in a radically new form, or humans have to live in digital dictatorships. And the capitalist outlook on economics will completely redefined when AI rises to its peak.
   
   The DANGER is that if we invest too much in developing AI and too little in developing human consciousness, the very sophisticated ai of computers might only serve to empower the natural stupidity of humans .
   
4. Equality:
   This chapter talks about how the humans are going to separated into different biological casts, during the whole process of unification and globalisation. The core reason for this “biological casts” accounts due to the fact of immense application of AI in human body advancements and data processing in medicine.
   There is a well articulated paragraph in this lesson, which talks about how wealth and power distribution made the society split the people into different classes, first it was the land which was the most important asset in the world, then came machineries and factories, which split the society into capitalists and proletarians. In the 21st century, data will be the biggest and most desired asset, and politics will be a struggle to control the flow of data, and if data becomes concentrated in too few hands, humankind will split into different species. If we want to prevent the last point from happing (small elite monopolising godlike powers) we need to ask ourself:
   1. Who owns the data?
   2. Does the data about my DNA, life, brain belong to government/corporation/individual?
      
5. Community:
   This chapter delves into the dynamic relationship between social media and real-world communities. This chapter offers a nuanced exploration of the impact of social platforms on our lives. Harari begins by highlighting the profound influence of social communities on individual experiences.
   
   The advent of social media has redefined the way we connect, share, and interact with one another. It has introduced us to a digital realm where we can engage with people worldwide, foster new relationships, and express our ideas and identities. While social media has brought significant positive changes to our lives, it has also triggered a shift in our offline communities. Traditional in-person communities, such as local neighbourhood gatherings, have diminished in importance.
   
   The convenience of online communication has, in some cases, led to a decrease in face-to-face interactions and a dilution of physical community bonds. This chapter raises questions about how we can balance the advantages and disadvantages of social media. It prompts us to consider the implications of this transformation on our sense of belonging, identity, and the fabric of our societies. The digital age provides opportunities for connection, activism, and knowledge-sharing, but it can also isolate individuals and weaken local bonds.
   
   As we navigate the evolving landscape of social media and its impact on our communities, it’s crucial to find ways to harness its benefits while preserving the essential human connections that exist offline. The challenge lies in striking a delicate balance between our digital and physical worlds.
6. Civilisation:
   Harari discusses the challenges and dynamics of modern civilization, including the complex interplay between cultures, religions, and nations. The chapter explores how civilizations are evolving and interacting in the current globalized world.
   He also addresses the significance of understanding the historical forces that have shaped human societies and how these forces continue to influence our present and future. He delves into the impacts of various ideologies and belief systems on civilizations and the role of religion in shaping human history.
   
7. Nationalism:
   Homo sapiens eventually learned to use culture as a basis for large-scale cooperation, which is the key to our success as a species. This chapter highlights the rise and importance of a nationalism, the core purpose of the concept of nationalism is to solve and confront challenges and problems that were on a large scale which cannot be dealt by group of tribes, the nation undertook this model so as to create a centralised system to enhance the problem solving ability of a nation as a whole.
   
   This chapter also insights on the difficulties in creating a centralised system among the tribes and groups of people and explains that people are usually willing to accept the verdict of democratic elections only when all parties share the same national loyalties. The author highlights how problem and wars arise as nation when benign patriotism morphs into chauvinistic ultra nationalism. He mentions about the important role of media and television on how they impact the decisions and wisdom of people. And he also talks about the switch between the two spheres (nationalism and globalisation), as nationalism took a back seat to a more global approach to international politics during the cold war, and after cold war ended, the concept of globalisation seemed to be an irresistible wave of the future.
   
   The author insists the importance of immigration as how this concept on a national or an international level is impacting the economy of a citizen or prosperity of a nation. So for this concept of a global trade network there should be a global order that sets the rules of the game.
   
   The ecological challenge which we face today is horrendous, global warming and climatic disasters was vividly seen so as to solve this problem, we should view it from a national perspective on how a nation should adopt a variety of green policies, many of which make good economic as well as environmental sense and we should also view this problem from a individual perspective as how one should be wisely using his/her resources for a sustainable development.
   
   Another thing which contributes global warming is the meat industry, as it is one of the main consumers of antibiotics and poison, and one of the foremost polluters of air, land and water. The author as mentioned earlier explains how disruptive technologies might change the very nature of humanity, and are therefore entangled with human’s deepest ethical and religious beliefs To regulate a global river of tech inventions, information, and scientific discoveries, all nations should make a common cause. To have effective politics, we must either de-globalise the ecology, the economy and the march of science – or we must globalise our politics. To opt for a politician ask the following questions:
   1. If your are elected, what actions will you take to lessen the risks of nuclear war?
   2. What actions will you table to lessen the risks of climatic change?
   3. What actions will you take to regulate disruptive tech such as AI and bioengineering?
   4. How do you see the world in the next two decades and what is the worst case scenario, and what is your vision for the best case scenario?
      
8. Religion:
   This chapter first starts by explaining the need of religion, to understand the traditional religions in the world of 21st century, we need to understand three problems:
   • Technical problem
   
   
   • Policy problems
   
   
   • Identity problem
   These three spheres of problems they have been always persistent in our society, from a technical standpoint, the problem may be agriculture, medicine, land, etc… , from a policy standpoint, the problem may be government by a democracy/dictator , economics, etc…, looking at identity problems it may be how a person is treated and the rights and restrictions given to that person.
   
   So to solve all these problem from different areas, the concept of religion arose, the stories and the laws in it made an emotional and a divine order through which a control of people came place, for example take agriculture, in premodern times divine calendars determined when to plant and when to harvest, while temple rituals secured rainfall and protected against pest and so on.
   
   From a national perspective, knowingly or not, numerous government today follow the Japanese example, they adopt the universal tools and structures of modernity while relying on traditional religions to preserve a unique national identity. Looking form a global perspective, apart from how religion brings order and peace, it may also blind people’s concern on a major issues for example when dealing with global warming or nuclear proliferation.
   
   But boiling down all of this, nationalism and religion still divides our human civilization into different groups. So the question is how can these ideologies strike a balance, support different perspectives and establish global peace.
   
9. Immigration: This chapter explains the importance of immigration, there are three basic terms of immigration to deal with, from a nation’s perspective :
   • Term 1: the host country allows the immigrants in.
   
   
   • Term 2: In return, the immigrants must embrace at least the core norms and values of the country, even if that means giving up some of their traditional norms and values.
   
   
   • Term 3: If the immigrants assimilate to a sufficient degree, over time they become equal and full members of the host country.
   
   So these concepts lead to a debate about the concept of immigration, how should a country be forced to open its doors to everyone or should it be free to choose or even stop immigration altogether? and this discussion keeps getting longer, if we go deep, but there are always moral questions to be asked, such as the treatment of immigrants, immigration rules, their responsibilities, etc.
   Another point of the immigration agreement states that immigrants are obliged to adapt to the local culture when they are accepted. But this can lead to lots of conflicts and disagreement , for example if immigrants from a patriarchal society move into a liberal society, does it imply that they should change into feminists.
   
   The author first mentions that it would be wrong for the government to force large-scale immigration on an unwilling local population. Acceptance of immigration is a difficult long-term process, and the successful integration of immigrants requires the support and cooperation of local residents.
   One of Yuval’s main points is that, the way to better integrate the world and keep borders and minds open is to play down the hysteria about terrorism.
   
10. Terrorism:
    Terrorism is a military strategy that hopes to change the political situation by spreading fear rather than by causing material damage. The legitimacy of the modern state is based on its promise to keep the public sphere free of political violence, apart from terrorism concerns of a country , the author insists that the government should also take steps to reduce all types of violence.
    
    The most efficient answer to terrorism from a national perspective might be good intelligence and clandestine action against the financial networks that feed terrorism. And most importantly the media should keep things in perspective and avoid hysteria. The author sheds light on a important point which is in the present day scenario terrorism is mostly theatre, but in the future there might be nuclear terrorism, cyberterrorism, or bioterrorism which would pose a much more serious threat, and would demand far more drastic reaction form governments.
    
    So in order to prevent these scenarios from happening, the government and the states should be even more careful not to start persecuting all dissident groups on the grounds that they might one day try to obtain nuclear weapons, or hack self-driving cars.
    
11. War: This chapter presents a thought-provoking exploration of how the perspective on war has evolved over the course of the 20th century and into the present. The chapter delves into the transformation of economic power and its impact on the dynamics of global politics.
    
    Harari emphasises the remarkable shift in the nature of global dominance, highlighting China’s ascent to economic prosperity and geopolitical influence without resorting to military conflict. China’s success story, according to Harari, can be attributed to its emulation of the economic miracles of post-1945 Japan, Germany, and Italy, rather than the pre-1914 era characterised by militarism and conquest.
    
    A central premise of this chapter is that in today’s world, the most valuable assets are not land, wheat fields, gold mines, or oil fields but technical and institutional knowledge. Harari highlights the impossibility of conquering knowledge through war. This shift underscores the importance of fostering innovation, education, and human capital as key drivers of a nation’s power and influence.
    
    Harari also raises the intriguing idea that a successful war, if it were possible, could still bring significant profits by enabling the victor to reshape the global trade system in their favour. This highlights the ongoing relevance of geopolitics and the quest for economic advantage.
    
    The chapter leaves us with a profound question: How can we encourage nations, religions, and cultures to adopt a more realistic and modest perspective about their place in the world? In a world where knowledge is the ultimate currency, cultivating cooperation, diplomacy, and a shared understanding of the interconnectedness of our planet becomes paramount.
    
12. Humility:
    This chapter explores the concept of humility in the context of the challenges and complexities of the modern world. Harari discusses the importance of acknowledging the limits of human knowledge and understanding, especially in an era where technology and data can create a false sense of certainty.
    
    He emphasises the need for individuals to remain open to different perspectives, engage in critical thinking, and cultivate a sense of humility in the face of the unknown. The chapter encourages readers to embrace humility as a valuable trait in navigating the uncertainties of the 21st century.
    
13. God:
    This chapter delves into the intricate realm of ethics, morality, and their relationship with religion. The chapter explores the concept of ethical relativism and the impact of faith on human society. Harari begins by noting that when people are asked about the existence of God, they often reference the mysteries of the universe and the limits of human comprehension.
    
    However, he challenges these perspectives by asserting that, to the best of our scientific knowledge, religious texts and holy books were authored by imaginative Homo sapiens. They are essentially stories crafted by our ancestors to legitimise social norms and political structures. The author highlights a crucial point: cosmic mysteries alone do not necessarily contribute to the maintenance of social order.
    
    He underscores that some argue we must believe in a god who provided concrete laws to humans, or else morality would disintegrate, and society would descend into chaos. While belief in gods has indeed been essential for various social orders and has sometimes yielded positive outcomes, it’s imperative to recognise that morality is not synonymous with following divine commands. Instead, it revolves around the fundamental concept of reducing suffering.
    
    He emphasises the idea that morality isn’t just about religious prescriptions but about the mitigation of human suffering. Many philosophers and thinkers have constructed social theories that elucidate the reasons why behaviours such as greed, murder, stealing, and violence are counterproductive in the long run.
    
    
14. Secularism:
    In this chapter, Harari discusses how self-professing secularists perceive secularism as a positive and active worldview. For them, secularism is defined by a coherent code of values rather than simply opposition to religion.
    
    The ethical code enshrines values such as truth, compassion, equality, freedom, courage, and responsibility, forming the foundation of modern scientific and democratic institutions. Secular ideals highlighted in this chapter include:
    • Truth: Secularists base their understanding on observation and evidence rather than mere faith.
    • Compassion: A central value in secularism involves understanding and addressing the suffering of others.
    • Equality: Secular people distinguish between uniqueness and superiority, advocating for the equal worth of all individuals.
    • Courage: The courage to confront difficult truths and stand up for one’s beliefs.
    • Responsibility: Taking responsibility for one’s actions and their consequences within the secular ethical framework.
      
15. Ignorance:
    This chapter underscores the following key points:
    • Collective Intelligence: Harari emphasises that what set Homo sapiens apart from other animals and made us the dominant species on Earth is not just individual rationality but our extraordinary ability to think and collaborate in large groups. It is our collective intelligence that played a crucial role in our success.
    
    
    • The Pursuit of Truth: He encourages the pursuit of truth by escaping the gravitational pull of power and the established narratives. To find truth, he suggests wandering on the periphery, where we can critically evaluate information. This is the region where we can filter out uninformed guesses, debunked models, superstitious dogmas, and ridiculous conspiracy theories.
    
    In this chapter, readers are reminded of the importance of collective thinking and the quest for truth, highlighting the role of collective intelligence in shaping human history and the need to critically assess information in the modern world.
    
16. Justice:
    Justice demands not only a set of abstract values, but also an understanding of concrete cause-and-effect relations, the problem is with implementing these values in a complex global world. Most of the injustices in the contemporary world result from large-scale structural biases rather than from individual prejudices.
    
    The author tries to explain how people belonging to different groups in the society, are facing different types of discrimination. In the course of trying to comprehend and judge moral dilemmas of understanding the major moral problems on a global scale, people often resort to one of four methods:
    
    • Downsizing the issue
    
    
    • Touching human story: when we try to explain situation to people with true complexity of the conflict through statistics and precise data, we would not able to achieve it, but going on an emotional level and narrating the situation in form of a story, can even boil the blood of the person who is listening.
    
    
    • Weave conspiracy theories
    
    
    • Create a dogma: putting our trust in some allegedly all-knowing theory, institutional or chief, religion and following them creates a sense of safe place of ourselves in the society, creating a distance from the frustrating complexity of reality.
    
    
17. Post-Truth:
    This chapter explains about the systems which function properly, due to fact that they all obey the same laws, and same fictions which indirectly helps people to cooperate effectively. The author believes that, these fictions also include the concept of religion.
    
    On the same light, he also emphasises the fact that concepts such as religion doesn’t become useless, because they can help build communities, which ultimately helps in establishing large scale human cooperation.
    
    Another key point to be noted is that the power of human cooperation depends on a delicate balance between truth and fiction. Because when many fake news are made so truthful and sold to people, we won’t be able to draw a line between what is truth and what is just fiction. But if we look back at our history we can observe that some of the most powerful scholarly establishments, may it be Confucian mandarins or communist ideologies, one common thing in them is that they placed unity above truth. And this doesn’t also mean that all the fictions were false.
    
    Again this is a question of debate, the author writes that truth and power can travel together only for a distance and have to part their ways in some time or the other.
    
    The bottom-line is, we have to invest time and effort in uncovering biases and verifying the source of information base on which we form ideologies. In this era, information and attention are the critical assets.
    
    So we should mind where not to give our attention (such as scrolling through reels or short form content for hours) and back up our belief on the information with scientific literature, if somethings wrong there, then we should find out supporting evidence for it.
    
    
18. Science Fiction:
    
    This chapter takes us on a journey through the intricate realm of human intelligence, consciousness, and the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data. This chapter delves into the potential consequences of these technological advancements and their implications for the future of humanity.
    
    Harari opens by dissecting the common conflation of intelligence with consciousness, highlighting the prevalent confusion between the two. He foresees that as AI and big data continue to evolve, they may drive a wedge between Homo sapiens, potentially leading to the emergence of different human species, a small superhuman elite empowered by algorithms coexisting with a vast underclass of disempowered Homo sapiens.
    
    The chapter also celebrates the remarkable capabilities of the human mind. Harari underscores that humanity’s rise to a dominant position on the planet is not primarily a result of powerful weapons or physical force but rather a consequence of intellectual prowess, mind manipulation, and the creation of intricate subjective realities.
    
    Harari’s conclusion is a thought-provoking revelation: He suggests that as our brains and our “selves” are integral parts of the societal matrix, the key to escaping this matrix lies in transcending our individual selves. This notion invites us to question the very nature of consciousness and existence.
    
19. Education:
    
    The author sheds light on the current education system and how schools are cramming information, which might have fine in the past as the information was scarce but in the future by 2050 these informations might be completely useless, as the cramming information scenario has been inevitable, it is important that people need the ability to make sense of information, to tell the difference between what is important and what is not, and above all to combine many bits of information into a broad picture of the world. Yuval believes that the four C’s that the every school must follow are: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity
    
    
    And it is also important for the schools to downplay technical skills and emphasise general-purposes of life skills, ability to deal with change, to learn new things and to preserve our mental balance in unfamiliar situations.
    
    So to stay relevant -not just economically, but above all socially -you need the ability to constantly learn and to reinvent yourself. Technology combined with big data and artificial intelligence, has been able to formulate huge neural networks ultimately creating a massive knowledge base.
    
    And as they say that knowledge is power, if algorithms have better knowledge and understanding about us than we do, we will be in a point where technology no longer serves us rather we will serve them. So he emphasises that striking a balance and creating algorithms that follow ethics are important.
    
20. Meaning:
    
    In this chapter, the author delves into the profound questions of human existence, focusing on the meaning and purpose of life. He emphasizes the importance of understanding our unique roles and abilities to find peace of mind and freedom from doubt.
    
    The concept of cosmic dharma, the impact on religions and ideologies, and the quest for meaning in life are explored. The author also discusses the role of nationalism and liberal mythology in shaping identities. The chapter ultimately highlights the importance of observing suffering as a path to understanding the truth about the universe, the meaning of life, and one’s own identity.
    
21. Meditation:
    
    This chapter revolves around the exploration of the human mind to lead a more conscious and fulfilling life. The author shares his personal experience with Vipassana meditation, which involves focusing on breath patterns and observing bodily sensations. Vipassana is rooted in the idea that the mind and body’s flow are interconnected.
    
    A key distinction is made between the brain, a physical network of neurons and biochemicals, and the mind, a stream of subjective experiences like pain, pleasure, anger, and love.
    
    The author draws parallels with anthropology, which involves objective observation of human cultures, highlighting the importance of meditation and meditation research in this context.
    
    Meditation, defined as a method for keenly observing one’s mind, goes beyond mere concentration. The chapter underscores the choice to explore oneself before technology and external influences, including algorithms, dominate our lives. It advocates for a deeper understanding of our inner experiences and the conscious choices we can make.

This is it, you have successfully completed the entire summary, I highly recommend you to read the physical book, because this summary cannot cover all the aspects of the book, and I believe I made the best efforts to extract a deliver the key ideologies. I Hope I have added some value to you through this summary.

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