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greden's review against another edition
4.0
Harari explains how humanity has shifted away from a God-centered view and into humanistic religion, and we're now headed toward either a techno-humanistic religion or a data-centred religion.
After the "death of God", people have shifted toward humanistic thinking, but not ceased with religions, and Harari argues that many modern ideas such as countries, corporations, capitalism, communism, etc. are religions. And the meaning people derive from their lives is (still) based on fantasy. For example, before people would sacrifice their life for the glory of a god, and now, modern soldiers are told to sacrifice our lives for the idea of liberty.
There is no real need for spirituality in religion, Harrari argues. He says that the two are actually at odds to each other. Spirituality is about individualistic searching and exploration while religion is about organizing society and adhering to the rules.
In the West today we are encouraged to find the answers within, where our feelings and authentic self is the source of truth. Harari argues that our advancements in science will render liberal humanism obsolete, and says that the myth of the individual, the authentic self and the soul does not make sense. The soul cannot co-exist with the theory of evolution. The myth of the individual cannot co-exist with neuroscience. He argues that science can prove that all organisms, including humans, are just a bunch of biochemical algorithms, with no free-will. And these algorithms can be optimized by technology.
Harari explains how AI outperforms humans in many fields, including composing classical music and knowing our personality better than our spouse. AI will only get more intelligent, and it will know ourselves better than we do. Why trust our gut instinct when an AI with billions of data-points, can accurately predict the best action to take? The new religion of data is emerging, where data will provide the answers to all our problems.
As value is increasingly becoming digital instead of physical resources, warfare will probably not be about conquering the land, but having control over data and technology. The legislation of democratic governments will be too slow to keep up with technological progress and because of the ever-increasing complexity of the world and centralized governments will no longer work. Governments will be less about leading a country, and more about keeping order.
Religion is increasingly becoming obsolete in moral questions since the new ethical questions are about radically different technologies, with the new technology, holding tight to religious texts will not prove the same benefit as it once did. Religious fundamentalists and radicals are not really worth serious concern anymore, and the new technological age will simply brush them aside.
Although Harari makes strong points against religion, I find some of it a bit reductionistic. "Religious people are on the same developmental stage as five-year-olds, as they think the entire universe revolves around them."
Harari admits consciousness is a complete mystery. Why have consciousness with all our actions are determined by biochemical algorithms? It's a question worth meditating on. Harari however, disregards its importance, as the advent of AI will decouple intelligence from consciousness.
I disagree when it comes to the unimportance of conscious individual. Harari says "observe your mind for one minute" and since our thoughts come out of nowhere, we see that we don't have control over our stream of thoughts, there is nobody in control. There is no self. Just biochemical algorithms. He points out the narrative-self/experiencing-self dichotomy, and some experiments in how left brain/right brain hemispheres, etc in order to point out there's no oneself and the unimportance of consciousness. For instance, people would rather have a mediocre vacation they can remember than a fantastic vacation, but with their memory erased. The narrative mind is more valued than the experiencing mind. Moreover, as we're entering the data-age, people are increasingly concerned about documenting and sharing the vacation more than experiencing (or even remembering.)
I mean, the idea that we're made out of many parts are not new. Okay, we're complex. Thoughts and ideas come out of nowhere, and sure, the details of conscious experience might not be as important as the narrative meaning. But I'm not on board of the uselessness of consciousness.
My view on consciousness is when an intelligent system has multiple sensory inputs that have relevant information to each other, a space is generated in which they can be interpreted simultaneously and connect to generate meaning to perform more coordinated action. Is this view flawed and incomplete? Yes. Contemplating consciousness is the most reliable way to get a headache. But I just cannot accept that consciousness is merely observing reality, an unimportant phenomenon which accidentally happened to exist in biological creatures that gave rise to a new age of machines that has no need for it.
The book is pretty powerful. It's dark and nihilistic, and I wouldn't recommend this to everyone and anyone. It paints a sort of "Huxleyian" view of the future and shows how we're already on our way. Larger inequality due to advancing body/mind-enhancing technology. It predicts that human beings will be obsolete. And our privacy will most likely be lost. We will lose our most human features, etc etc...
I agree with a lot, but I think there is plenty of room to be optimistic about humanism. For instance, I reject the idea that human beings will be obsolete, in fact, our work will be more interesting. As automation increases, our work will function at a higher abstraction. Our work will be evermore meaningful and less repetitious. Our work will be more about how to interact with our intelligent tools, rather than the monotonous work it does for us.
After the "death of God", people have shifted toward humanistic thinking, but not ceased with religions, and Harari argues that many modern ideas such as countries, corporations, capitalism, communism, etc. are religions. And the meaning people derive from their lives is (still) based on fantasy. For example, before people would sacrifice their life for the glory of a god, and now, modern soldiers are told to sacrifice our lives for the idea of liberty.
There is no real need for spirituality in religion, Harrari argues. He says that the two are actually at odds to each other. Spirituality is about individualistic searching and exploration while religion is about organizing society and adhering to the rules.
In the West today we are encouraged to find the answers within, where our feelings and authentic self is the source of truth. Harari argues that our advancements in science will render liberal humanism obsolete, and says that the myth of the individual, the authentic self and the soul does not make sense. The soul cannot co-exist with the theory of evolution. The myth of the individual cannot co-exist with neuroscience. He argues that science can prove that all organisms, including humans, are just a bunch of biochemical algorithms, with no free-will. And these algorithms can be optimized by technology.
Harari explains how AI outperforms humans in many fields, including composing classical music and knowing our personality better than our spouse. AI will only get more intelligent, and it will know ourselves better than we do. Why trust our gut instinct when an AI with billions of data-points, can accurately predict the best action to take? The new religion of data is emerging, where data will provide the answers to all our problems.
As value is increasingly becoming digital instead of physical resources, warfare will probably not be about conquering the land, but having control over data and technology. The legislation of democratic governments will be too slow to keep up with technological progress and because of the ever-increasing complexity of the world and centralized governments will no longer work. Governments will be less about leading a country, and more about keeping order.
Religion is increasingly becoming obsolete in moral questions since the new ethical questions are about radically different technologies, with the new technology, holding tight to religious texts will not prove the same benefit as it once did. Religious fundamentalists and radicals are not really worth serious concern anymore, and the new technological age will simply brush them aside.
Although Harari makes strong points against religion, I find some of it a bit reductionistic. "Religious people are on the same developmental stage as five-year-olds, as they think the entire universe revolves around them."
Harari admits consciousness is a complete mystery. Why have consciousness with all our actions are determined by biochemical algorithms? It's a question worth meditating on. Harari however, disregards its importance, as the advent of AI will decouple intelligence from consciousness.
I disagree when it comes to the unimportance of conscious individual. Harari says "observe your mind for one minute" and since our thoughts come out of nowhere, we see that we don't have control over our stream of thoughts, there is nobody in control. There is no self. Just biochemical algorithms. He points out the narrative-self/experiencing-self dichotomy, and some experiments in how left brain/right brain hemispheres, etc in order to point out there's no oneself and the unimportance of consciousness. For instance, people would rather have a mediocre vacation they can remember than a fantastic vacation, but with their memory erased. The narrative mind is more valued than the experiencing mind. Moreover, as we're entering the data-age, people are increasingly concerned about documenting and sharing the vacation more than experiencing (or even remembering.)
I mean, the idea that we're made out of many parts are not new. Okay, we're complex. Thoughts and ideas come out of nowhere, and sure, the details of conscious experience might not be as important as the narrative meaning. But I'm not on board of the uselessness of consciousness.
My view on consciousness is when an intelligent system has multiple sensory inputs that have relevant information to each other, a space is generated in which they can be interpreted simultaneously and connect to generate meaning to perform more coordinated action. Is this view flawed and incomplete? Yes. Contemplating consciousness is the most reliable way to get a headache. But I just cannot accept that consciousness is merely observing reality, an unimportant phenomenon which accidentally happened to exist in biological creatures that gave rise to a new age of machines that has no need for it.
The book is pretty powerful. It's dark and nihilistic, and I wouldn't recommend this to everyone and anyone. It paints a sort of "Huxleyian" view of the future and shows how we're already on our way. Larger inequality due to advancing body/mind-enhancing technology. It predicts that human beings will be obsolete. And our privacy will most likely be lost. We will lose our most human features, etc etc...
I agree with a lot, but I think there is plenty of room to be optimistic about humanism. For instance, I reject the idea that human beings will be obsolete, in fact, our work will be more interesting. As automation increases, our work will function at a higher abstraction. Our work will be evermore meaningful and less repetitious. Our work will be more about how to interact with our intelligent tools, rather than the monotonous work it does for us.
crankylibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Some good ideas and stimulating observations, but even more oversimplifications and faulty logic. Harari conflates political systems (democracy, totalitarianism) with economic systems (free market capitalism, socialism) ignoring the existence of say democratic socialism. His lengthy chapter on the flaws of humanism and liberalism use definitions many would disagree with (that humanism is all about glorifying “feelings” for example). Likewise his equating of “dataism” and humanism with “failed religions, and his contempt for Islam in particular give one pause.
Yet there is a lot worth pondering. Do states insitute social welfare programs merely to breed healthy armies and worker bees? Once the majority of workers are replaced by AI, will that mean these dispensable humans will be…dispensed with? Writing in 2014-16, Harari was prescient about the anxieties we now face as AI becomes
more entrenched in our lives, threatening dozens of professions and occupations. The most frightening of his predictions is not the elimination of humanity by machines but the elimination of our sense of purpose. Harari’s imagined future of nonproductive humans spending their lives playing virtual reality games is the true horror.
Yet there is a lot worth pondering. Do states insitute social welfare programs merely to breed healthy armies and worker bees? Once the majority of workers are replaced by AI, will that mean these dispensable humans will be…dispensed with? Writing in 2014-16, Harari was prescient about the anxieties we now face as AI becomes
more entrenched in our lives, threatening dozens of professions and occupations. The most frightening of his predictions is not the elimination of humanity by machines but the elimination of our sense of purpose. Harari’s imagined future of nonproductive humans spending their lives playing virtual reality games is the true horror.
stumpnugget's review against another edition
4.0
Sapiens is one of my favorite books of the year. This repeated a lot of ideas from that book. Still super engaging and his speculations about the future are pretty fascinating
deschatjes's review against another edition
4.0
I have a small problem with reviewing this - on the one hand it was very interesting and insightful, on the other I kept on wanting to say "yes but ..." - the thing is it's easy to make these sweeping statements about the world and humanity and technology when viewed from 50,000 feet, but the reality on the ground is a little less prosaic and somewhat more messy. In fact a lot more messy. Added to this I'd just been listening to a freakanomics podcast in parallel on "prophets and wizards" and he is definitely is on the prophet side of things.
The thing is that nothing works quite as well as advertised and most technology is shockingly badly designed and executed, with vast tracts of interactions occurring with legacy systems from pre-2000 - ever tried to change your bank account address? I also have to bristle when authors make assumptions and projections based on flying into and out of countries (like the one on Beijing - where the day to day reality is so different from whatever snapshop he may have had in the moment he happened to be here).
But still it was a worthwhile read (listen), and I'm just pausing before embarking on Sapiens. I do however think that fiction writers do a better job on dystopian future than nonfiction writers.
The thing is that nothing works quite as well as advertised and most technology is shockingly badly designed and executed, with vast tracts of interactions occurring with legacy systems from pre-2000 - ever tried to change your bank account address? I also have to bristle when authors make assumptions and projections based on flying into and out of countries (like the one on Beijing - where the day to day reality is so different from whatever snapshop he may have had in the moment he happened to be here).
But still it was a worthwhile read (listen), and I'm just pausing before embarking on Sapiens. I do however think that fiction writers do a better job on dystopian future than nonfiction writers.
furlanius's review against another edition
5.0
Continuing on from Sapiens, Harari sets up where to for Homp Sapiens. well researched and thought provoking, Harari, provides a number of alternate theories as to our future.