Book Notes #75: Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari

Title: Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
Author: Yuval Noah Harari
Year: 2016
Pages: 528

The world-renowned historian and intellectual Yuval Noah Harari envision a near future in which we face a new set of challenges.

Homo Deus explores the projects, dreams, and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century and beyond – from overcoming death to creating artificial life.

Homo Deus asks the fundamental question: how can we protect this fragile world from our own destructive power? And what does our future hold?

Homo Deus is a thought-provoking exploration of the future of humanity. It delves into the potential consequences of advancements in technology, data, and artificial intelligence, and discusses how these developments might reshape society and human existence.

Harari examines key concepts such as humans looking for immortality, happiness, and power, and offers insightful perspectives on the direction humanity may take in the coming years.

As a result, I gave this book a rating of 6.5/10.

For me, a book with a note 10 is one I consider reading again every year. Among the books I rank with 10, for example, are How to Win Friends and Influence People and Factfulness.

3 Reasons to Read Homo Deus

Book Overview

Have you ever wondered what comes next for humanity?

For most of our history, humans have fought just to survive. Diseases, wars, famines—these shaped entire civilizations. But what happens when these threats fade into the background, replaced by challenges we’ve created ourselves?

That’s exactly what Yuval Noah Harari explores in his book, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.

Harari kicks off by pointing out something remarkable: we’re actually living in a time when more people die from obesity than starvation, more from old age than infectious diseases, and more from suicide than violence.

These surprising realities reveal that humanity has largely succeeded in its long fight against survival threats.

But rather than simply celebrating this success, Harari pushes us to consider an even bigger question: if we no longer struggle daily against these old threats, what will we strive for next?

One of the key concepts Harari introduces is the idea that humanity is entering a new era called the Anthropocene—a time when humans, not nature, control the fate of the planet.

We’ve become the architects of our environment, reshaping ecosystems, domesticating animals, and driving countless species to extinction.

The striking example Harari uses is that today, most large animals left on Earth are either humans themselves or domesticated animals—like cows, pigs, and dogs. It’s a vivid illustration of how dramatically we’ve changed the natural order.

But what makes us capable of doing this? Harari argues it’s not some mystical spark or divine gift, but rather our unique ability to create shared stories. He explains that the real secret behind human success is storytelling.

Ideas like money, nations, religions, even laws—none of these things physically exist. They’re powerful simply because we collectively believe they exist.

This is incredibly eye-opening because it shows how much of what we take for granted every day is just a shared agreement. Money isn’t valuable because of paper or metal—it’s valuable because we’ve agreed it is.

Harari also dives deep into the modern world’s central deal, what he calls the “modern covenant”: we gave up believing in divine or cosmic meaning and, in exchange, gained incredible power. But the deal comes at a cost.

Without a divine story to guide us, humans are left to create meaning for themselves.

This freedom is liberating, but also deeply unsettling. It explains a lot of the anxiety and uncertainty that characterize modern life.

After all, if we create our own meaning, then the responsibility for happiness, success, and even failure falls squarely on our own shoulders.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating—and somewhat unsettling—concepts Harari introduces is “Dataism,” a rising belief system in which data is everything. According to Dataism, life itself is simply a form of data processing.

Under this belief, our value depends on how effectively we can generate, share, and process data. It sounds extreme, but it’s already happening.

Companies like Google and Facebook collect data about our behaviors, interests, and choices every single day, turning it into enormous power and influence.

Dataism might sound futuristic, but it’s shaping our lives right now.

Harari’s ideas aren’t just interesting—they’re deeply practical. They encourage us to question widely accepted beliefs, whether about technology, society, or ourselves.

For example, if we recognize that many of our beliefs are simply stories, we become freer to rewrite those stories when they no longer serve us. In our careers, being aware of the growing importance of data helps us remain adaptable and competitive.

Understanding the implications of technology on employment and personal worth allows us to prepare better for a future where traditional roles might shift or vanish altogether.

What makes Homo Deus especially compelling is how it challenges us to rethink human exceptionalism. If technology and artificial intelligence continue to advance, humans might become obsolete in many areas of life.

Harari invites us to seriously consider the ethical and social implications of this future. He doesn’t shy away from these uncomfortable questions. Instead, he confronts them directly, prompting us to think more deeply about the future we’re heading into—and the future we want to create.

Ultimately, this book is less about making predictions and more about waking us up to the possibilities—and risks—ahead.

After reading it, you might find yourself looking at your daily life and career differently.

You might start noticing the invisible stories that shape your choices or recognize just how much of your value at work is tied to data or technology.

In the end, Harari’s strongest message is this: the future isn’t something that just happens to us.

It’s something we actively shape, for better or worse. The biggest risk isn’t technology or data itself—it’s not paying attention to where we’re heading.

This book is a powerful wake-up call, reminding us that our choices today directly shape the world we’ll live in tomorrow.

Chapter by Chapter

Chapter 1 – The New Human Agenda

In the opening chapter of Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari makes a powerful claim: humanity has largely triumphed over its most persistent historical enemies—famine, plague, and war.

For millennia, these were unavoidable and devastating forces that shaped societies, religions, and politics.

But now, in the 21st century, we’ve transformed them from uncontrollable acts of nature into manageable human problems.

Famine, once a common cause of mass death, is now rare and usually the result of political failure rather than natural disaster.

Plagues, once mysterious and deadly, are now met with vaccines, antibiotics, and global health responses.

War, especially between major powers, has become less frequent and less acceptable, with the global economy and nuclear deterrence pushing nations toward cooperation over conflict.

This progress, Harari argues, has shifted humanity’s focus. With basic survival more secure, we are setting our sights on new goals: immortality, lasting happiness, and even technological godhood.

These aren’t abstract ideas anymore—they’re fueling real scientific research and economic investment. We want to live longer, feel better, and become more powerful than ever before.

But with these new ambitions come deep questions. What does it mean to overcome death? Can we truly engineer happiness? And if we succeed, what kind of future are we creating?

This chapter reframes human history: not as an endless cycle of suffering, but as a story of progress—and sets the stage for a future filled with bold, unsettling possibilities.

Chapter 2 – The Anthropocene

In this chapter, Harari introduces a striking concept: the Anthropocene, the epoch where humanity has become the dominant force shaping the planet.

Traditionally, the Earth’s history has been shaped by natural forces like volcanic eruptions or asteroid impacts, but now, humanity itself is rewriting the rules.

Over the past 70,000 years, Homo sapiens have not only survived but have altered ecosystems globally, creating an unprecedented impact on the environment.

One of the most impactful examples Harari highlights is how humans have become, in essence, gods over other species. While we often see animals like lions, wolves, and tigers as equals, in reality, they have been largely displaced by human activity.

For instance, in Germany, there are fewer than 100 wolves left, while domesticated dogs number in the millions. This imbalance extends globally—more than 90% of the world’s large animals today are either humans or domesticated species, showcasing humanity’s overwhelming presence.

Humans didn’t just affect the environment in the modern age; our ancestors, starting tens of thousands of years ago, altered ecosystems as they spread across continents.

They drove many species, especially large mammals like the mammoth, to extinction through hunting.

Harari points out that these extinctions happened not through intentional actions but as a byproduct of human activity—humans didn’t aim to eradicate the mammoths, but their slow breeding rates made them vulnerable.

The most profound change, according to Harari, is that humanity has connected the planet into a single ecological system.

No longer are continents separated by their unique flora and fauna; through trade, transportation, and human expansion, animals, plants, and diseases mingle across oceans and continents.

For example, species like sheep, rats, and wheat now dominate Australia, a stark contrast to the unique native species like kangaroos and koalas.

This chapter emphasizes the Anthropocene’s lasting impact: humans have replaced natural evolutionary forces with intelligent design.

Harari provocatively suggests that soon we might even extend life beyond the organic realm into the inorganic, moving beyond natural selection as the primary mechanism of change.

In short, the chapter lays the foundation for understanding how humanity’s control over nature is not only unprecedented but rapidly reshaping the planet in ways never seen before. We have become the dominant force, and this brings both immense power and responsibility for the future.

Chapter 3 – The Human Spark

In this chapter, Harari explores a critical question: What makes humans different from other animals? Throughout history, humans have convinced themselves that there’s something fundamentally special about them—something that makes them not just more intelligent or powerful than other creatures, but morally superior.

Harari starts by addressing the idea that human superiority is often attributed to some magical “spark”—a special essence that makes humans unique. This belief has been ingrained in many cultural and religious traditions, where humans are seen as possessing eternal souls that other animals lack.

The belief in the soul has long justified humans’ dominion over animals, as their lives are thought to be more meaningful or sacred.

However, Harari challenges this notion by introducing a critical insight: science contradicts the idea of the human soul. Research into the brain and consciousness has failed to find any evidence of this mystical “spark.”

Instead, the behaviors and abilities traditionally attributed to human uniqueness—like reason, empathy, and emotions—are simply complex algorithms built by evolution. There’s no evidence of a soul, only intricate biological processes that allow humans to think, feel, and act in ways that set them apart.

Harari then dives deeper into what makes us human, suggesting that it’s not some divine spark but our ability to create stories and systems that have helped us dominate the planet. Humans excel at creating shared myths—ideas and beliefs that bind people together and inspire collective action. While animals are driven purely by instincts, humans use imagination and cooperation to build civilizations, religions, economies, and more.

This chapter also touches on moral superiority—why humans often value human life over that of other animals, even though scientifically, there’s no intrinsic reason to do so. Harari argues that it’s not about a special divine spark; it’s about power dynamics and the way humans have structured societies to reflect these biases.

In essence, Harari is asking us to reconsider the humanist assumption that humans are naturally superior in any divine sense. Instead, our perceived superiority is a product of evolution, social constructs, and the ability to collaborate on a massive scale.

As we move further into the book, this theme will unfold more, especially in relation to how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence might challenge the very idea of what it means to be human.

Chapter 4 – The Storytellers

Harari introduces the idea that what truly sets Homo sapiens apart from other animals is our ability to create shared stories.

While other species, like wolves or chimpanzees, can imagine and experience subjective feelings like fear or joy, only humans can construct elaborate narratives that transcend personal experience and impact entire societies.

These stories—about money, gods, nations, and corporations—are not tangible entities, but rather, collective beliefs that humans agree upon and use to organize their world. They exist only in our minds and in our collective agreements.

For example, the concept of nations like France or corporations like Apple doesn’t exist outside of human imagination, but it wields real power in the world.

The key point Harari makes is that humans, unlike animals, use language to create entirely new realities.

For the last 70,000 years, these intersubjective networks—stories about gods, countries, and corporations—have become stronger and more influential, shaping human actions and even defining the structure of society.

This ability to create and believe in shared myths allowed humans to cooperate in large groups, far beyond what any other species could achieve.

Early humans, using stories about ancestral spirits or tradeable seashells, could coordinate large-scale efforts like hunting or gathering.

However, it wasn’t until the Agricultural Revolution that these stories expanded in scope, forming the foundations of larger societies, cities, and nations.

Through shared stories, human societies have been able to organize massive projects like building temples, conquering lands, and establishing empires.

In ancient Sumer, for example, the belief in gods wasn’t just a spiritual matter—it was also deeply political, as the gods were considered legal entities that owned property, controlled wealth, and influenced daily life.

In modern times, corporations and brands function much like ancient gods in that they hold power over people’s lives, despite being entirely fictional constructs. Apple, for instance, has more influence over many people’s choices than most national governments.

Harari concludes that the power of storytelling has been the driving force behind human success. History, he argues, is not about individual actions but about the web of shared stories that have governed human cooperation and development.

This chapter sets up a critical point: the rise of new technologies might only make these stories even more potent, and understanding how they work will be key to navigating the future.

Chapter 5 – The Odd Couple

In this chapter, Harari delves into the complex relationship between science and fiction, arguing that they are, in a sense, an odd couple.

While science strives for objective truth about the world, fiction—often embodied through myths, religions, and ideologies—creates shared beliefs that humans use to cooperate in large groups.

Harari points out that these shared stories are vital to human society, enabling the creation of systems like nations, corporations, and religions that hold power over billions of people, even though they exist solely in human imagination.

However, Harari challenges the perception that science has fully replaced these myths. While modern society heavily relies on scientific knowledge, many social structures, like money and national borders, still depend on shared beliefs that have no objective existence.

For example, a country’s borders or a corporation’s value aren’t tangible, yet people act as though they are real, making decisions and even going to war in their service.

The chapter explores how these stories, though fictional, serve as tools for organizing human societies. Harari acknowledges that fiction isn’t inherently bad—it allows us to cooperate on massive scales, something animals cannot do.

Yet, the issue arises when we forget that these fictions are just that—stories—and begin to treat them as truths, often to the detriment of real human welfare.

Harari suggests that this leads to tragic consequences, such as wars fought to protect national interests or corporations, despite the fact that these entities are mere human creations.

The chapter ultimately underscores the power of human imagination—while science helps us understand the world, it’s fiction that drives humanity’s large-scale cooperation. However, this cooperation can go astray when people forget that these stories are not the ultimate truths and start treating them as such.

Chapter 6 – The Modern Covenant

In this chapter, Harari introduces the concept of modernity as a “deal” that all of us sign up for at birth. This deal governs the entirety of human life, from what we eat to who we love, how we work, and ultimately how we die.

But, Harari argues, this deal is surprisingly simple when broken down: humans agree to give up meaning in exchange for power.

Before modern times, societies believed that life had meaning because humans played a role in a larger cosmic plan—one crafted by gods or nature itself. This plan provided a sense of purpose but also placed strict limits on human power.

People could not live forever or escape disease, for example, because their lives were predetermined within this cosmic drama.

Modernity, however, rejects the notion of a cosmic plan. Instead of meaning derived from divine forces, humans are now free to create their own meaning. In exchange for this freedom to shape our own lives, we’ve been promised power—the power to understand the world through science, to manipulate nature, and to overcome our biological limits.

This power has led to unprecedented advances in technology and medicine, allowing humanity to achieve things once thought impossible.

However, this promise of power comes at a price: a sense of existential emptiness. In a world where nothing is divinely ordained and everything is up to us, there’s no ultimate purpose beyond what we create ourselves.

Harari explores how modernity’s pursuit of power has led to progress in curing diseases, achieving economic growth, and even imagining a future where humans might achieve immortality.

But he also stresses that this power comes with a deep sense of meaninglessness, an inherent existential crisis at the heart of modern life.

Harari wraps up by suggesting that humanism, a belief system that elevates human experience as the source of meaning, has emerged as the modern solution to this void.

Humanism tells us that while there may be no grand cosmic plan, we are the authors of our own stories, and we can find meaning through our actions and experiences.

The chapter hints that while this humanist worldview has provided a way to navigate the emptiness of a purposeless universe, it’s on the verge of evolving, potentially giving way to a new belief system in the future—one that will combine the advances of science with new, post-humanist ideologies.

This chapter sets the stage for further exploration into how humans might deal with the implications of this shift and whether new technologies will challenge the very foundation of our understanding of power and meaning.

Chapter 7 – The Humanist Revolution

In this chapter, Harari traces the rise of humanism, which he describes as a revolutionary belief system that has fundamentally reshaped human society.

The core of humanism is the belief that humans are the ultimate source of meaning and authority in the universe, replacing the role that gods or cosmic forces once played.

This marks a pivotal shift: instead of seeing humans as mere subjects in a divine plan, humanism teaches that individuals must create their own meaning from their inner experiences.

Harari emphasizes that the humanist revolution didn’t just emerge overnight; it was a gradual process that unfolded over centuries. Philosophers, politicians, and artists worked together to reshape the idea of the human experience, convincing humanity that we are not bound by a divine law or cosmic destiny, but are free to shape our lives as we see fit.

This belief was a breakthrough, as it provided an alternative to the idea that life’s meaning was defined by external forces, such as God.

A central element of this revolution was the idea that human beings themselves could determine what is good, beautiful, and just.

In medieval times, people believed that only God could create these definitions, but by the time of the Renaissance and beyond, thinkers and artists began to assert that humans had the power to define their own values.

Harari suggests that this shift to human-centered thinking laid the foundation for modern politics, culture, and economics.

However, Harari also warns that humanism, like other belief systems, comes with its own contradictions. While humanism has led to incredible advances, it also faces internal challenges.

For example, it often emphasizes individual freedom, but this has led to inequalities in society, as not everyone has the same opportunities to live freely or to create meaning.

Harari draws attention to the humanist wars of religion in the 20th century, where different schools of humanism—liberalism, socialism, and evolutionary humanism—fought bitterly, each claiming to offer the best version of the humanist dream.

In essence, this chapter is about how humanism became the dominant ideology that guides modern life, giving us freedom, power, and the responsibility to shape our own meaning in a world that no longer relies on divine forces.

But Harari leaves us with a sense that this revolution, like all ideologies, is vulnerable to change. As we continue to push the boundaries of human capabilities, new forces—such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology—could challenge the very foundations of humanism.

Chapter 8 – The Time Bomb in the Laboratory

In this chapter, Harari confronts a profound challenge to liberalism—the belief in free will—by drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience and genetics.

For centuries, liberalism has upheld the idea that humans possess the ability to make free choices, arguing that our decisions are not predetermined or random but come from our conscious, free will.

This concept of individual liberty has been foundational to modern political systems, economics, and the very concept of human rights.

However, as Harari points out, scientific advancements are increasingly undermining this idea. In modern times, scientists have discovered that human behavior is driven more by biochemical processes, genetic makeup, and environmental factors than by the mysterious “free will” we once believed in.

Studies have shown that even our most personal decisions—like whether to commit a crime or make a career choice—are influenced by complex neurological processes and genetic predispositions that often work without our conscious awareness.

One of the chapter’s core points is that there is no room for free will in deterministic processes. For example, when a person makes a choice, it could be a result of the brain’s response to external stimuli, or even from random subatomic events, but it is never truly free.

This scientific view challenges the very notion of personal responsibility, which liberalism depends on. If our decisions are merely outcomes of chemical reactions, what does this mean for our understanding of ethics, justice, and society?

Harari also brings up the ethical implications of this realization. If people are not fully responsible for their actions, can we still hold them accountable in a moral or legal sense? This puts the entire concept of justice in a new light, forcing us to rethink how we approach crime, punishment, and societal norms.

Harari suggests that this is a “time bomb” in the laboratory—something that could radically reshape how we perceive human behavior and societal organization if the implications are fully realized.

Ultimately, this chapter raises a crucial question: if we accept that humans may not have the free will we once believed in, how will we construct a society that reflects this new understanding of human nature?

How will we redefine concepts like freedom, justice, and responsibility in a world where science proves that human behavior is not entirely within our control?

Chapter 9 – The Great Decoupling

In this chapter, Harari looks at how technological advancements in the 21st century are creating a new reality for humanity, one where humans are increasingly less valuable in economic and military terms. He refers to this as the process of decoupling: as technology becomes more advanced, humans lose their roles as the primary drivers of economies and societies.

Harari lays out three possible future scenarios in which the value of humans to the system declines:

1. Humans will become economically and militarily obsolete, meaning that technology will take over the roles humans once held, from labor to combat.
2. Humans will still have collective value, but individual uniqueness will no longer be important—societies will function without needing to value people for their individual characteristics.
3. A small elite of upgraded superhumans will continue to hold value, while the rest of the population becomes irrelevant to the system, as new technologies create a class divide based on enhanced abilities.

The first scenario challenges liberalism’s foundational belief in the intrinsic value of every individual. If humans lose their economic or military usefulness, it raises serious questions about the future of democratic systems, which depend on the idea that each person is a valuable contributor to society.

Harari emphasizes that free markets and democratic institutions were built on the idea that every person has worth. For example, in past wars, everyone from soldiers to civilians played an essential role, but as technology advances, machines and algorithms are increasingly taking on these functions.

In the modern world, we already see examples of this process, such as automation in factories or AI systems in decision-making roles. As a result, the liberal framework that sees humans as valuable because of their individual contributions could be rendered obsolete.

The chapter highlights that political systems may struggle to adapt to these changes. As technology outpaces governance, traditional democratic structures may no longer be capable of processing data and making decisions as quickly as the pace of technological change requires.

This creates a potential crisis, where humans lose their place in the system, and governance is no longer able to respond effectively to global challenges.

Ultimately, Harari argues that this great decoupling of humans from the system will lead to profound societal changes. The future could see a new elite emerge—people who have enhanced abilities through genetic engineering or cybernetic upgrades, leaving the rest of humanity behind.

This chapter sets the stage for the exploration of how the rise of superhumans and artificial intelligence could further disrupt society and challenge the ideals of equality and democracy that have underpinned modern civilization.

Chapter 10 – The Ocean of Consciousness

In this chapter, Harari explores the vast and largely uncharted territory of human consciousness, describing it as an ocean where most of the landscape remains unknown.

He uses the analogy of humans living on a tiny island in a sea of consciousness—an island we know very little about.

While human consciousness is a well-known and regularly explored topic, the full mental spectrum is far wider and more complex than we can imagine.

Harari argues that just as we can only see a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum (visible light), our understanding of mental states is similarly limited, focusing mostly on a narrow range of human experiences.

One of the key ideas in this chapter is the bias of scientific studies.

Harari points out that for over a century, research on human consciousness has focused primarily on Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies, leaving out vast swathes of human diversity. This has led to a distorted understanding of the human mind, as studies often base their findings on people who are not representative of the broader human population. In fact, most psychological studies have relied on university students from wealthy nations, which Harari humorously critiques by suggesting that scientific journals should rename themselves to reflect the narrow scope of their sample groups.

Another intriguing point Harari raises is that humans are likely unaware of the true extent of mental experiences. For example, other animals such as bats, whales, or tigers may experience mental states far beyond what we can comprehend.

He suggests that whales might experience emotions or sounds in ways that are incomprehensible to us. This leads to the thought-provoking idea that even if humans could understand every aspect of their own consciousness, there may still be vast mental territories that no human has ever ventured into.

As we advance technologically, Harari suggests that we may begin to unlock new states of consciousness through genetic engineering, brain-computer interfaces, or other technologies. This would be like embarking on an exploration of the vast, uncharted ocean of consciousness.

However, the challenge lies in the fact that science has barely begun mapping these new territories, and we don’t even know where to aim or what we will encounter in these unfamiliar mental states.

Ultimately, Harari points out that understanding consciousness is crucial as we move toward an era of artificial intelligence and human enhancement. If we cannot fully grasp how our own minds work, how can we design technologies that may soon operate at an intellectual level beyond our own?

This lack of understanding could become one of the biggest challenges humanity faces as it develops superintelligent systems that may have entirely different forms of consciousness—or none at all.

In summary, this chapter lays the groundwork for the profound impact that new technologies and a deeper understanding of consciousness will have on the future of human identity and society.

Chapter 11 – The Data Religion

Harari introduces the concept of Dataism, a new belief system or “religion” that is rapidly gaining traction, especially in the scientific and technological fields.

According to Dataism, the universe can be understood as a system of data flows, and the value of any phenomenon is determined by its ability to contribute to data processing.

Unlike traditional religions that focus on gods, humans, or spiritual ideals, Dataism venerates data itself. In this view, the purpose of life is not to find personal meaning or to connect with a divine entity, but rather to process and transmit data efficiently.

The idea of Dataism arose from the intersection of two scientific fields: biology and computer science.

Harari explains that just as life forms (humans, animals, plants) are seen as complex biochemical algorithms, machines can be designed to perform similar functions.

Over time, this approach has led to the belief that data—and the ability to process it—defines all living systems. Essentially, everything, from the economy to biology, can be interpreted as a data-processing system.

The chapter dives into how Dataism flips the traditional understanding of knowledge and intelligence.

Whereas in the past, data was seen as the foundation from which we built information, knowledge, and wisdom, Dataism argues that humans can no longer process data at the required scale.

This has led to a shift in thinking, where instead of humans managing data, the algorithms—powered by machines—are now responsible for processing data more efficiently than any human ever could.

One of the most interesting implications of Dataism is its rejection of human-centered thinking. In this new belief system, human experiences are no longer valued unless they can be translated into data.

Human beings, once seen as the apex of creation, are now just another form of data-processing system, with our worth being measured by how much data we can produce, share, and process.

Harari points out that Dataism is not just a philosophical viewpoint but is already shaping the future of technology and society.

The rise of Big Data and artificial intelligence further strengthens this movement, and its impact could be immense. In the future, Dataism could lead to the creation of intelligent algorithms that will surpass human cognitive abilities, making humans obsolete in certain areas of life.

This opens up a series of profound questions about our role in the future, the meaning of human life, and the value of individual experiences in a world dominated by data.

This chapter raises critical questions about the future direction of society. If Dataism continues to grow, it might reshape our values and possibly even make human experiences seem less meaningful in comparison to the efficiency and power of algorithms.

In this world, the most important goal may no longer be human happiness or wellbeing, but the optimization of data flows.

This shift from human-centered thinking to data-centered thinking could radically change how we view ourselves and our place in the world. It is a powerful force, not just in science, but also in shaping social structures, economies, and even ethical standards.

The chapter leaves us questioning: What happens to humanism and our sense of purpose when data becomes the ultimate force driving the world?

4 Key Ideas from Homo Deus

6 Main Lessons from Homo Deus

My Book Highlights & Quotes

This is the best reason to learn history: not in order to predict the future but to free yourself of the past and imagine alternative destinies. Of course, this is not total freedom – we cannot avoid being shaped by the past. But some freedom is better than none

We do not become satisfied by leading a peaceful and prosperous existence. Rather, we become satisfied when reality matches our expectations. The bad news is that as conditions improve, expectations balloon

The most common reaction of the human mind to achievement is not satisfaction, but craving for more

People are usually afraid of change because they fear the unknown. But the single greatest constant of history is that everything changes

The greatest scientific discovery was the discovery of ignorance. Once humans realized how little they knew about the world, they suddenly had a very good reason to seek new knowledge, which opened up the scientific road to progress

In 2012 about 56 million people died throughout the world; 620,000 of them died due to human violence. In contrast, 800,000 committed suicide, and 1.5 million died of diabetes. Sugar is now more dangerous than gunpowder

Even the welfare system was originally planned in the interest of the nation rather than of needy individuals. When Otto von Bismarck pioneered state pensions and social security in late nineteenth-century Germany, his chief aim was to ensure the loyalty of the citizens rather than to increase their well-being

For 300 years the world has been dominated by humanism, which sanctifies the life, happiness, and power of Homo sapiens. The attempt to gain immortality, bliss, and divinity merely takes the long-standing humanist ideals to their logical conclusion

Do you want to know how super-intelligent cyborgs might treat ordinary flesh-and-blood humans? You better start by investigating how humans treat their less intelligent animal cousins. It’s not a perfect analogy, of course, but it is the best archetype we can actually observe rather than just imagine

In the animistic cosmos, everyone talked with everyone directly. If you needed something from the caribou, the fig trees, the clouds, or the rocks, you addressed them yourself. In the theist cosmos, all non-human entities were silenced. Consequently, you could no longer talk with trees and animals

Hinduism, for example, has sanctified cows and forbidden eating beef but has also provided the ultimate justification for the dairy industry, alleging that cows are generous creatures that positively yearn to share their milk with humankind

During the Agricultural Revolution humankind silenced animals and plants, and turned the animist grand opera into a dialogue between man and gods. During the Scientific Revolution, humankind silenced the gods too. The world was now a one-man show

Sapiens often use visual marks such as a turban, a beard, or a business suit to signal ‘you can trust me, I believe in the same story as you’

In illiterate societies, people make all calculations and decisions in their heads. In literate societies people are organized into networks, so each person is only a small step in a huge algorithm, and it is the algorithm as a whole that makes the important decisions. This is the essence of bureaucracy

Yet officials who cared little for the plight of human beings nevertheless had a deep reverence for documents, and the visas Sousa Mendes issued against orders were respected by French, Spanish and Portuguese bureaucrats alike, spiriting up to 30,000 people out of the Nazi death trap. Sousa Mendes, armed with little more than a rubber stamp, was responsible for the largest rescue operation by a single individual during the Holocaust

Just as the gap between religion and science is narrower than we commonly think, so the gap between religion and spirituality is much wider. Religion is a deal, whereas spirituality is a journey

Yet, in fact, modernity is a surprisingly simple deal. The entire contract can be summarised in a single phrase: humans agree to give up meaning in exchange for power

Modern culture is the most powerful in history, and it is ceaselessly researching, inventing, discovering, and growing. At the same time, it is plagued by more existential angst than any previous culture

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as humanism gained increasing social credibility and political power, it sprouted two very different offshoots: socialist humanism, which encompassed a plethora of socialist and communist movements, and evolutionary humanism, whose most famous advocates were the Nazis

Though Toyota or Argentina has neither a body nor a mind, they are subject to international laws, they can own land and money, and they can sue and be sued in court. We might soon grant similar status to algorithms

If such algorithms consistently outperform human capitalists, we might end up with an algorithmic upper class owning most of our planet. This may sound impossible, but before dismissing the idea, remember that most of our planet is already legally owned by non-human intersubjective entities, namely nations, and corporations

As both the volume and speed of data increase, venerable institutions like elections, political parties, and parliaments might become obsolete – not because they are unethical, but because they can’t process data efficiently enough. These institutions evolved in an era when politics moved faster than technology

In the eighteenth century, humanism sidelined God by shifting from a deo-centric to a homo-centric worldview. In the twenty-first century, Dataism may sideline humans by shifting from a homo-centric to a data-centric view

More people die today from eating too much than from eating too little

More people commit suicide than are killed by soldiers, terrorists, and criminals combined

Today the main source of wealth is knowledge. And whereas you can conquer oil fields through war, you cannot acquire knowledge that way. Hence as knowledge became the most important economic resource, the profitability of war declined and wars became increasingly restricted to those parts of the world – such as the Middle East and Central Africa – where the economies are still old-fashioned material-based economies

Terrorists provoke their enemies to overreact. Terrorism is a show. Terrorists stage a terrifying spectacle of violence that captures our imagination and makes us feel as if we are sliding back into medieval chaos. Consequently states often feel obliged to react to the theatre of terrorism with a show of security, orchestrating immense displays of force, such as the persecution of entire populations or the invasion of foreign countries. In most cases, this overreaction to terrorism poses a far greater threat to our security than the terrorists themselves. Terrorists are like a fly that tries to destroy a china shop. Islamic fundamentalists could never have toppled Saddam Hussein by themselves. Instead, they enraged the USA with the 9/11 attacks, and the USA destroyed the Middle Eastern China shop for them. Now they flourish in the wreckage. By themselves, terrorists are weak

We never react to events in the outside world, but only to sensations in our own bodies. Nobody suffers because she lost her job. The only thing that makes people miserable is unpleasant sensations in their own bodies

The knowledge that does not change behavior is useless

The relationship between humans and animals is the best model we have for future relations between superhumans and humans

Rome conquered Greece not because the Romans had larger brains or better tool-making techniques, but because they were able to cooperate more effectively

Conclusion

Reading Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari is a thought-provoking journey that challenges our perspectives on the past, present, and future of humanity. 

Through his insightful exploration of history, technology, and data, Harari compels readers to contemplate the potential paths our species might take. 

While opinions may differ on the level of connection felt with his discussions about the present and future, the book offers a wealth of knowledge and a captivating narrative that sheds light on the human experience.

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