Published in 2018, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century completes a loose trilogy after Sapiens, about the past, and Homo Deus, about the future. Here Harari focuses on the present and asks how individuals and societies can make sense of a world changing faster than their institutions and stories.
The book is grouped into five parts covering the technological challenge, the political challenge, despair and hope, truth, and resilience. Individual chapters consider job losses from automation, the concentration of data in few hands, the crisis of liberal democracy, nationalism and immigration, terrorism and war, religion, the problem of fake news and post-truth politics, the limits of our own knowledge and what education should prepare children for.
It ends on a personal note, with Harari describing how Vipassana meditation helps him observe his own mind. Many essays began as articles and talks, so the book is more fragmented than its predecessors, but its clear framing of complex issues has made it popular with readers seeking a guide to contemporary debates.
Book details
| Author | Yuval Noah Harari |
|---|---|
| First published | 2018 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Philosophy |
| Type | Non-fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 370 |
Themes
- Automation and work
- Post-truth politics
- Liberalism in crisis
- Education for the future
- Meditation and self-knowledge
Who should read it
Readers looking for an accessible map of today's big debates on technology, politics and meaning.