21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Outline

21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018) examines the most pressing challenges of the present, from artificial intelligence and biotechnology to misinformation, nationalism, and the future of work. Yuval Noah Harari explores how these changes affect jobs, freedom, truth, and education, and what individuals can do to stay clear-minded in a confusing world. The book encourages readers to think carefully about the choices facing humanity.

• Artificial intelligence and biotechnology are among the most pressing challenges of the present, and they are already reshaping how people live and work.
• Technological change affects jobs, freedom, truth, and education, so each of these areas needs fresh thinking.
• Misinformation and nationalism make it harder to tell what is true, which raises the value of careful, critical thinking.
• Individuals can stay clear-minded in a confusing world by thinking carefully rather than reacting out of fear.
• Humanity faces real choices about its future, and the book asks readers to weigh them responsibly.

Yuval Noah Harari is an Israeli historian and author who lectures at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His books on human history and the future have been translated into dozens of languages. His other books include Sapiens, Homo Deus, and Nexus.