Paperback, 384 pages
French language
Published Sept. 21, 2018 by ALBIN MICHEL.
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 in the US and by Jonathan Cape in the UK. It is dedicated to the author's husband, Itzik. 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 of essays, many based on articles previously published, he attempts to untangle the technological, political, social, and existential quandaries that humankind faces. The book itself consists of five parts which are each made up of four or five essays.
I guess I might as well join the fan club, I can't get enough. Just the nudge from panic to bewilderment is a lesson I've used daily since reading it.
As always, full of interesting insights. We are doomed!
This is not an easy read, a very scary book. Disturbs your consciousness.
I cannot understand the hype about Harari. As the old saying goes: the book is both good and original. Sadly, the good bits aren't original and the original parts aren't any good.
I have now read all three of Harari's books. And I found this to be the most interesting and infuriating. My biggest critique remains the same across all three books - he can see nuance in the places that are convenient (i.e., economy, technology) and simplicity in the places that are inconvenient to his arguments (i.e., religion). I think the kind of work Harari has done in illuminating big history and getting people to think deeply about global trends is commendable. I only hope that people read this as part of a larger conversation and not an entire worldview perfectly prepackaged. One should use his writings as a springboard for their own inquiries and analysis.
Note - I read this book a number of months ago and currently do not have the book in front of me for this review. I will update the review when I have a chance …
I have now read all three of Harari's books. And I found this to be the most interesting and infuriating. My biggest critique remains the same across all three books - he can see nuance in the places that are convenient (i.e., economy, technology) and simplicity in the places that are inconvenient to his arguments (i.e., religion). I think the kind of work Harari has done in illuminating big history and getting people to think deeply about global trends is commendable. I only hope that people read this as part of a larger conversation and not an entire worldview perfectly prepackaged. One should use his writings as a springboard for their own inquiries and analysis.
Note - I read this book a number of months ago and currently do not have the book in front of me for this review. I will update the review when I have a chance to look over the book.
Svårt att hänga med, hänger upp mig på big data algoritmer och annat tekniksnack jag inte begriper innebörden av.
Harari's first two powerhouses: Sapiens and Homo Deus were two books I thoroughly enjoyed. This one, at least to me, missed the mark a little - although I'm struggling to find out why. Sapiens was almost an archetypal story, which is where it gained its power and prominence. Homo Deus, as I stated in my review of it, fell a little flat in the early portions but made up in the discussions of a post-liberal democracy technological future.
Where did 21 lessons go wrong? Why was it wrong? Well. Much of it was perhaps talking about things that are obvious, but could not be considered archetypal. Thus I was not hit in the face with the realisations and acceptance of every page turn like Sapiens. It was more of an "I know this, we struggle with this, because this is fundamentally a Value, and it's not a thing we can …
Harari's first two powerhouses: Sapiens and Homo Deus were two books I thoroughly enjoyed. This one, at least to me, missed the mark a little - although I'm struggling to find out why. Sapiens was almost an archetypal story, which is where it gained its power and prominence. Homo Deus, as I stated in my review of it, fell a little flat in the early portions but made up in the discussions of a post-liberal democracy technological future.
Where did 21 lessons go wrong? Why was it wrong? Well. Much of it was perhaps talking about things that are obvious, but could not be considered archetypal. Thus I was not hit in the face with the realisations and acceptance of every page turn like Sapiens. It was more of an "I know this, we struggle with this, because this is fundamentally a Value, and it's not a thing we can 'solve'" situation. Is it therefore that Harari's perceptions of these value questions were not as enlightening as the eye opening reflections he has on the subconscious portions of humanity a la Sapiens? Or, is this book a bunch of off cuts that didn't make it into the previous two master works? Since I couldn't differentiate these possibilities through inference, it made me feel that this was more and more a coattails product, however masterfully written & edited.
In addition, I strongly recommend you read Bill Gate's review here on Goodreads. His expertise with global problems and how to approach them, not just theoretically, but practically is certainly up there with the best we have. Some of his critiques resonate with my struggles with this book, and I'm not as qualified as he to tell you about them.
This book has very solid bones, and it is a great read.
But there's some weak parts, and in some parts things aren't quite correct. For instance, in one chapter the author claims 'cultural factors' are outside of our control. Excuse me; #metoo, #BLM, the rise in the use of Te Reo Maori where I live (NZ), and the fact that the author can live as an openly gay man are all examples of cultural factors which are within our control.
There's a few examples of weak arguments, but these don't detract. They merely annoy.
Otherwise, this is a good book and recommended.
Really good book, super informative, as always, though if you have read the other books, it does not bring many new things to the table.
Pretty good
