Jonathan Cape 21 Lessons For The 21St Century, 368 Pages

This book is a fascinating read for those interested in an unbiased pursuit of Truth. Truth as they say is based on observation and evidence rather than on mere faith. Yet, the most intelligent species, relies more on stories than on verifiable facts, and are the only species on earth that can weave stories. Be it Fascism, Communism or Liberalism, the great political stories; or those derived from religion and culture, all of them have their share of fiction. Yet stories are all around (accepted as true), and act as the glue to unite people on a common theme. People forget facts but not a well woven story. Our allegiance to stories and beliefs assumes that our nation or religion or culture is central to the planet, the best and the most important of all. Hence, our civilization is trapped in several such disparate compartments and is at war with itself. It is sad to see that the species that has abundance of Intelligence is bankrupt in Consciousness. We are staring at the threats of nuclear war, terrorism, and global warming. We see acute human suffering despite the enormous wealth and technological progress. The book begins with the challenges the world might face if AI and Bioengineering converge. In the past, human inequality on an economic scale was a result of highly skewed distribution of wealth. In the future, economic Inequality might seem to be a better choice, since most humans would be made Irrelevant by those who control data and information. There could be for the first time, genetic superiority of those who can manipulate their DNA, live longer and even have substantial enhancement of their cerebral power by coupling their brains with super computers in real time. Morality means ‘reduced suffering’ and not just ‘following divine commands’ argues the author. The ability to understand human suffering and to end it comes with compassion. Commitment to truth and compassion result in the concept of Equality of all human beings. It is not possible to find Truth without Freedom to think, investigate and experiment. It takes Courage to question the status-quo and admit our ignorance and venture into the unknown. ‘Questions you cannot answer are better for you than answers that you cannot question’. With this framework, Secular people take Responsibility for creating a better world, than leaving it to any unknown higher power. Politicians of all hues understand the power of stories and their voter psychology. They operate systematically in four stages, as explained in this book. 1. Downsize the issue, create a big Villain vs the rest of us 2. Focus on a touching story that arouses emotions and melts our hearts 3. Weave a conspiracy theory or a big scam that threatens the culture or nation. 4. The white knight in shining armor, a leader or a dogma or belief, finally arrives to redeem us… and he rules till the cycle turns against him. I appreciate the author’s Courage for an unbiased and vocal analysis of several political, cultural, religious, and historical perspectives. This is a genuine pursuit of Truth with an open mind. Finally, there is convergence of knowledge that emerges from the vastness and depth of this study. This is where the book takes an unexpected but remarkably interesting and insightful turn. The Truth is that the cause of all our tensions and misery in life are a creation of our MIND. Life is not a Story. It has meaning. The last two chapters of this book (Meaning and Meditation) are the culmination of the understating of this Wisdom. This is the lesson humanity should learn for eternity. Touches our heart, mind, and soul in search of the eternal Truth.

Author’s approach is unique and thought provoking. The selection and systemic numbering of 21st century challenges is amazing and shows the high intellectual level of the author making this book more interesting and meaningful than his earlier popular one entitled “Sapiens”. In particular, the discussions on important issues such as ignorance, education, justice, secularism and the historical context and the rising trends of fake news and manufactured lies in different parts of the world etc are thought provoking with a unique novelty in author’s approach. Anyone interested in a serious enquiry into the challenges which humanity is facing today , must read this meaningful work. An outstanding work by an outstanding researcher.

Still in the process of reading the book, but 21 lessons for 21 century is in true Harari style - a big eye opener. A must read for the young but more importantly for the seniors so they can put them on the right track and pass on right mindset about our collective future, while there's still some time - before the future arrives and catches you unawares. In short, the book is a must-read, must read, must read for all things living and lastly, appreciate the super value hardbound edition delivered before time by Amazon as usual!

It is a Yual book and it stands by its pedigree. Each line credible and insightful the master of his genre, not only this, his other two books are also masterpieces for the readers. In this book he reveals the heartening secret of his focus, it is from the land of the yogis, he got the power of focus to think so deeply and to write so profoundly from our own venerable Goenka, the saint of vipasana!

Simply put, in his current book Harari explored the various issues, threats and trepidation of modern/present world. Whereas his previous two books were based on his commentary about the past and future conditions of humankind, respectively. According to the blurb of this new book: 21 Lessons is an exploration of various issues of our present "age of bewilderment". Now I've to delve deep into the book to explore it myself. By the way, the overall production quality of the book is exquisite, though unlike the previous two books, this book contains no photographs or illustrations.

Delivery: Received the book the very next day thanks to lightning fast delivery via Amazon Prime. Condition of the book: Book arrived in Mint condition and Hardcover edition looks premium. Content: Yuval Noah Harari has written a masterpiece! This book makes you sit back and wonder about the way the world works and how it will radically change going ahead in a very few decades. Gripping from the beginning through the end. You will never see the world again the way you did before. This is the 3rd book that Yuval has written however the first of his that I read. Have ordered Sapiens next as his writing style is Mind boggling

Though some parts of the book has been discussed in his previous works, still this book contains many new ideas and "lessons". The book basically focused on our world as of today and various problems that we are facing right now, from AI to Terrorism to Meaning of life itself. As always, it's a delight to read Harari. No one has made these things as accessible to general public as his books does. If you love his books, then go for it.

Mr Hariri has done it again. The author of Sapiens and Homo Deus has written one more classic that cannot be missed by any body. As we are entering this 21 century we facing new problems because of AI taking over the human race.Technology is so much advanced it easy to use for destruction . Everybody interested in the survival of the Human race must read this wonderful book. Thanks Amazon for delivering this preorder book in time.

To begin with, I have to say that I am a big admirer of the author and that I also read his first two books (Sapiens and Homo Deus) with great delight. So my view might be a bit biased. This said, I find his new book even more insightful than the two previous ones. The author presents his arguments for the various highly relevant topics (as always) very carefully. The last chapters on the "meaning of life" are not particularly easy to read, especially from an emotional perspective, but are maybe the most important ones. I found the chapter on meditation as closing of the book very encouraging. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially to people who are willing to put aside their own prejudices and to critically examine their own perspective to the various important topics of life.

The topics in the subject heading, a partial list, constitute chapters of the five parts comprising the book. The treatment is comprehensive and cohesive and illuminates the society we live in while contemplating its evolution in the near future. On the eve of the Second World War there were globally three main ideologies: liberal democracy, fascism, and communism. At the end of the war and the collapse of fascism there remained only two, liberal democracy and communism. And with the fall of communism in 1989 there remained only one, liberal democracy. By the early 1990s, thinkers and politicians alike hailed 'the end of History', confidently asserting that all the big political and economic questions of the past had been settled and that the refurbished liberal package of democracy, human rights, free markets, and government welfare services remained the only game in town. This package seemed destined to spread around the whole world, overcome all obstacles, erase all national borders, and turn humankind into one free global community. But suddenly with the financial crisis of 2008 and the ensuing widespread skepticism on financial markets, globalization and liberal capitalism - the world is left without ideology. Liberalism is losing credibility as the twin revolutions of information technology and biotechnology might soon push billions of humans out of the job market and undermine both liberty and equality. Big Data algorithms might create digital dictatorships in which all power is concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite while most people suffer not from exploitation, but from something far worse - irrelevance. And as a result precipitating social, economic and political crises. The above is just one theme of the poly thematic book. Of the remaining, I found particularly interesting the chapters on education and meaning. In the light of the enormous speed of change, many pedagogical experts argue that schools should switch to teaching 'the four Cs' - critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. - Most important of all will be the ability to deal with change, to learn new things, and to preserve your mental balance in unfamiliar situations. When we look for the meaning of life, we want a story that will explain what reality is all about and what is my particular role in the cosmic drama. This role defines who I am, and gives meaning to all my experiences and choices. The stories that provide us with meaning and identity ( religion,nationality) are all fictional but humans need to believe in them. If you want to know the ultimate truth of life, rites and rituals are a huge obstacle. But if you are interested - e.g. Confucius - in social stability and harmony, truth is often a liability, whereas rites and rituals are among your best allies. What is then the aim of my life? To create meaning by feeling, by thinking, by desiring and by investing. Anything that limits the human liberty to feel, to think, to desire and to invest, limits the meaning of the universe. Hence liberty from such limitations is the supreme ideal.

perfecto, solo hubieron problemas con la informacion sobre la entrega. El libro esta completo y cuidado.

A must-have if you are constantly questioning about issues we are all facing in the 21st century, and issues we might face in the future. Excellent sum up, and at the same time goes deeper into some important subjects (religion, big data, artificial intelligence). Some ideas are debatable in the book, but how not to be controversial talking about religion for instance. It is good that the author use such a "free speech" approach.

Product was dirty and already used. Not new at all, very disappointed. The book itself is very interesting though. Yuval Harari is a great author. The seller is straight dishonest though.