21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

For instance, during the 2016 American presidential election, neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton discussed the implications of automation on job losses. Unfortunately, for many twenty-first-century politicians, technological disruption isn’t at the top of the agenda. Just imagine a future where governments have to patiently wait for algorithms to give them the green light on their budget or their tax-reform plans. The implications of this scenario for our political process are disturbing. As the twenty-first century continues and artificial intelligence advances, we may reach a stage where no human will be able to make any sense of financial data. Computers have already made our financial system fiendishly complicated – so much so, that very few humans are now able to understand how it works. But despite its massive impact, most politicians seem hardly able to comprehend this new innovation, and are even less capable of controlling it. But how will the West’s liberal-democratic system cope in the twenty-first century?ĭisturbingly, its vital signs aren’t good – and the revolution in information technology is to blame.įrom the 1990s onward, computer technology has arguably transformed our world more than any other force. Fast-forward to the late twentieth century and liberalism, which celebrates democracy, free enterprise and individual freedoms, was the clear winner.

Throughout the twentieth century, three distinct political ideologies vied for world supremacy – communism, fascism and liberalism.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari