Insight: The liberal story that shaped the post-WWII world is weakening. Alternatives like nationalism and religious fundamentalism are rising again.Reflection: Rely less on grand ideologies. Cultivate independent, critical thought.

1. Disillusionment – The Death of Big Stories

Insight: National interests often clash with global needs like climate change and pandemics.Reflection: Think beyond your country. Support global cooperation.

7. Nationalism – A World Beyond Borders

Insight: Immigration debates must balance host values, immigrant integration, and mutual respect.Reflection: Approach migration issues with empathy, facts, and long-term thinking.

9. Immigration – Balance and Complexity

Insight: Terrorists succeed by provoking emotional, irrational overreactions.Reflection: Fear is natural, but measured responses are stronger than panic

10. Terrorism – Don’t Overreact

Insight: War between major powers is now rare, but not impossible.Reflection: Value diplomacy and peacekeeping over military aggression.

11. War – Decline of Global Violence

Insight: No country is the center of the universe. All cultures have strengths and blind spots.Reflection: Be proud, but not superior. Learn from others.

12. Humility – No Nation Is Exceptional

Insight: Secular values like human rights and freedom rely on reason and empathy.Reflection: Think critically and act morally, regardless of religious belief.

13. Secularism – Ethics Without Religion

Insight: In an age of information overload, the skill is in filtering, not memorizing.Reflection: Learn how to question sources and think clearly.

14. Ignorance – Know What You Don’t Know

Insight: Sci-fi shapes how we imagine AI, biotech, and space—often more than science itself.Reflection: Consume media mindfully. Use stories to explore ethics, not just escape

16. Science Fiction – Ethics of the Future

Insight: We must teach kids how to think, not what to think.Reflection: Prioritize critical thinking, communication, and emotional resilience.

17. Education – From Memorization to Flexibility

Insight: In a world of broken narratives, many struggle to find meaning.Reflection: Craft your own story with purpose, service, and self-awareness.

18. Meaning – Humans Need Purpose

Insight: Understanding your own mind is more powerful than understanding the stock market.Reflection: Practice mindfulness to gain clarity and agency in a noisy world.

19. Meditation – Hack Your Own Mind

"In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power."

Insight: People still cling to small, traditional communities even in a globalized world.Reflection: Foster local belonging but act as a global citizen.

5. Community – From Tribalism to Globalism

Insight: AI and automation may eliminate many jobs, creating a new "useless class" of people.Reflection: Focus on learning adaptability and emotional intelligence—not just technical skills.

2. Work – The Rise of Irrelevance

Insight: Human culture is becoming globally unified, but that doesn’t mean peace.Reflection: Learn about other cultures to build bridges, not walls.

6. Civilization – A Shared Human Story

Insight: Religions offer meaning, but are ineffective in solving scientific or global problems.Reflection: Respect beliefs but seek evidence-based solutions to real-world issues.

8. Religion – Faith in the Age of Science

Insight: Governments and corporations use technology to predict and manipulate human behavior.Reflection: Guard your privacy. Understand what data you're giving away and why.

3. Liberty – Data Is Watching You

Insight: Data-rich elites could widen global inequality, possibly creating biological and informational superclasses.Reflection: Advocate for equal access to technology and data protection for all.

4. Equality – The New Digital Divide

Insight: Humans believe stories more than facts. Manipulators exploit this.Reflection: Strengthen your narrative literacy. Ask: “Who benefits from this story?”

1. Post-Truth – Power of Storytelling

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In Sapiens, he explored our past. In Homo Deus, he looked to our future. Now, one of the most innovative thinkers on the planet turns to the present to make sense of today’s most pressing issues. “Fascinating . . . a crucial global conversation about how to take on the problems of the twenty-first century.”—Bill Gates, The New York Times Book Review NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY FINANCIAL TIMES AND PAMELA PAUL, KQED How do computers and robots change the meaning of being human? How do we deal with the epidemic of fake news? Are nations and religions still relevant? What should we teach our children? Yuval Noah Harari’s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a probing and visionary investigation into today’s most urgent issues as we move into the uncharted territory of the future. As technology advances faster than our understanding of it, hacking becomes a tactic of war, and the world feels more polarized than ever, Harari addresses the challenge of navigating life in the face of constant and disorienting change and raises the important questions we need to ask ourselves in order to survive. In twenty-one accessible chapters that are both provocative and profound, Harari builds on the ideas explored in his previous books, untangling political, technological, social, and existential issues and offering advice on how to prepare for a very different future from the world we now live in: How can we retain freedom of choice when Big Data is watching us? What will the future workforce look like, and how should we ready ourselves for it? How should we deal with the threat of terrorism? Why is liberal democracy in crisis? Harari’s unique ability to make sense of where we have come from and where we are going has captured the imaginations of millions of readers. Here he invites us to consider values, meaning, and personal engagement in a world full of noise and uncertainty. When we are deluged with irrelevant information, clarity is power. Presenting complex contemporary challenges clearly and accessibly, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is essential reading. “If there were such a thing as a required instruction manual for politicians and thought leaders, Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari’s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century would deserve serious consideration. In this collection of provocative essays, Harari . . . tackles a daunting array of issues, endeavoring to answer a persistent question: ‘What is happening in the world today, and what is the deep meaning of these events?’”—BookPage (top pick)

books

Books

Yuval Noah Harari is an Israeli public intellectual, historian and professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of the popular science bestsellers Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century.

17. Education – From Memorization to Flexibility

Similar ideas to 17. Education – From Memorization to Flexibility

Make the most of your next learning opportunity

Gaining wisdom from the past

Critical Thinking