meaks91's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. started very very strong, felt it just went on too long.
gsroney's review against another edition
3.0
Algorithm, algorithm, algorithm . . . algorithm.
“Each and every one of us has been born into a given historical reality, ruled by particular norms and values, and managed by a unique economic and political system. We take this reality for granted, thinking it is natural, inevitable and immutable. We forget that our world was created by an accidental chain of events, and that history shaped not only our technology, politics and society, but also our thoughts, fears and dreams. The cold hand of the past emerges from the grave of our ancestors, grips us by the neck and directs our gaze towards a single future. We have felt that grip from the moment we were born, so we assume that it is a natural and inescapable part of who we are. Therefore we seldom try to shake ourselves free, and envision alternative futures.”
“Each and every one of us has been born into a given historical reality, ruled by particular norms and values, and managed by a unique economic and political system. We take this reality for granted, thinking it is natural, inevitable and immutable. We forget that our world was created by an accidental chain of events, and that history shaped not only our technology, politics and society, but also our thoughts, fears and dreams. The cold hand of the past emerges from the grave of our ancestors, grips us by the neck and directs our gaze towards a single future. We have felt that grip from the moment we were born, so we assume that it is a natural and inescapable part of who we are. Therefore we seldom try to shake ourselves free, and envision alternative futures.”
akxreal's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
An oeuvre in all senses. Yuval decodes and understands the world in a way I have never seen before be done. Work so significant that should be read in order to get a grasp on the tumultuous changes that might happen in due course.
I was initially skeptic of this book because I feared it might fear-monger and condemn technology without giving it its deserved complete evaluation, however I was completely blown away! Yuval takes all the streams, ropes and ties that define our world and exposes them in clear and flowing language. Easily one of the best books I have read this year.
I was initially skeptic of this book because I feared it might fear-monger and condemn technology without giving it its deserved complete evaluation, however I was completely blown away! Yuval takes all the streams, ropes and ties that define our world and exposes them in clear and flowing language. Easily one of the best books I have read this year.
fdinh's review against another edition
4.0
Harari read brave new world and said, ima slap AI on top of this s**t
booksforjake's review against another edition
4.0
What a doozy!
Without a doubt, this was a book that will never allow me to look at the world think about the future in the same way ever again.
Lots of heady shit in here, each of which could be explored in a book of its own. Harari is great at taking grandiose, complicated ideas and distilling them down into *relatively* simple terms.
All in all, I thought this book was a bit more sprawling in scope than Sapiens. That made it a bit more convoluted and difficult to follow a single concept, but I think a lot of that is inherent to the focus of the book.
Whereas it’s much simpler to analyze and understand how our evolutionary past led humans to where we are today, it takes more mental gymnastics to understand the numerous possibilities Harari lays out for our future: from the cult of Dataism, to the fusion of humans with biotechnology, to the all-encompassing dogma of algorithms as the ultimate source of authority.
I long for our hunger-gatherer days :’(
Without a doubt, this was a book that will never allow me to look at the world think about the future in the same way ever again.
Lots of heady shit in here, each of which could be explored in a book of its own. Harari is great at taking grandiose, complicated ideas and distilling them down into *relatively* simple terms.
All in all, I thought this book was a bit more sprawling in scope than Sapiens. That made it a bit more convoluted and difficult to follow a single concept, but I think a lot of that is inherent to the focus of the book.
Whereas it’s much simpler to analyze and understand how our evolutionary past led humans to where we are today, it takes more mental gymnastics to understand the numerous possibilities Harari lays out for our future: from the cult of Dataism, to the fusion of humans with biotechnology, to the all-encompassing dogma of algorithms as the ultimate source of authority.
I long for our hunger-gatherer days :’(
usman44's review against another edition
4.0
Just finished reading this book. I was very much intrigued to read this book after read his first one, Sapiens.As always Harari shines in explaining a wide array of different perspectives and ideas of the world by utilizing his knowledge and by giving very interesting examples and comparisons for each topic so that general readers and experts alike are fascinated.This book is a page Turner and I am looking forward to read and see more from this mind.Though I may not agree with everything he says, he also tells some very ludicrous claims which can be overlooked but overall this is a good read for one who wants to broaden their horizon and mind.
dhealey6's review against another edition
4.0
5 stars for the history lesson. 3 stars for the discussion about the future.
lely12's review against another edition
4.0
Lo había empezado hace varios años y no lo terminé.
Ahora lo volví a escuchar en formato audiolibro y se me hizo harto más entretenido. Se sentía como una clase o charla con un presentador carismático (narrado por Carlos Manuel Vesga).
Interesante de leer, sobretodo considerando que se escribió antes del COVID-19 y antes de chatgpt.
He leído hartas cosas últimamente que hablan sobre la necesidad de las especies de sobrevivir. Así que todo se ha ido complementando un poco.
Ahora lo volví a escuchar en formato audiolibro y se me hizo harto más entretenido. Se sentía como una clase o charla con un presentador carismático (narrado por Carlos Manuel Vesga).
Interesante de leer, sobretodo considerando que se escribió antes del COVID-19 y antes de chatgpt.
He leído hartas cosas últimamente que hablan sobre la necesidad de las especies de sobrevivir. Así que todo se ha ido complementando un poco.