60 of Yuval Noah Harari's claims fit
16 mental models. Most often: The map is not the territory , Collective action problems , Error correction .
Models we see in what they say (14)
Models they name
Their own words name the idea.
Nobody and nothing is infallible, so judge a person, a text or an institution by whether it can notice its own mistakes and fix them, not by its claim to be right.
Used by 7 others
Yuval Noah Harari
11 Dec 2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
And in good institutions, they are characterized by having strong self-correcting mechanisms. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari: Why advanced societies fall for mass delusion | Big Think youtube.com · 11 Dec 2025 · 29:29 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words And in good institutions, they are characterized by having strong self-correcting mechanisms. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
11 Dec 2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The Bible, the 10 Commandments for instance, endorses slavery. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari: Why advanced societies fall for mass delusion | Big Think youtube.com · 11 Dec 2025 · 32:12 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words The Bible, the 10 Commandments for instance, endorses slavery. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
14 Sept 2018 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Liberalism’s great advantage over other ideologies is that it is flexible and undogmatic. It can sustain criticism better than any other social order. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari: the myth of freedom (The Guardian) theguardian.com · 14 Sept 2018 All korrents from this piece
Their words Liberalism’s great advantage over other ideologies is that it is flexible and undogmatic. It can sustain criticism better than any other social order. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2024–2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The holy book is supposed to be infallible. The self-correcting mechanism embraces fallibility. ↗ Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, 2025 paperback edition) books.google.com · c. 2024–2025 All korrents from this piece
Their words The holy book is supposed to be infallible. The self-correcting mechanism embraces fallibility. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2024–2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Science is a team effort, relying on institutional collaboration rather than on individual scientists or, say, a single infallible book. Of course, institutions too are prone to error. Scientific institutions are nevertheless different from religious institutions, inasmuch as they reward skepticism and innovation rather than conformity. ↗ Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, 2025 paperback edition) books.google.com · c. 2024–2025 All korrents from this piece
Their words Science is a team effort, relying on institutional collaboration rather than on individual scientists or, say, a single infallible book. Of course, institutions too are prone to error. Scientific institutions are nevertheless different from religious institutions, inasmuch as they reward skepticism and innovation rather than conformity. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2024–2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Self-correcting mechanisms are ubiquitous in nature. Children learn how to walk thanks to them. ↗ Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, 2025 paperback edition) books.google.com · c. 2024–2025 All korrents from this piece
Their words Self-correcting mechanisms are ubiquitous in nature. Children learn how to walk thanks to them. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2024–2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Crucially, scientific institutions are willing to admit their institutional responsibility for major mistakes and crimes. ↗ Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, 2025 paperback edition) books.google.com · c. 2024–2025 All korrents from this piece
Their words Crucially, scientific institutions are willing to admit their institutional responsibility for major mistakes and crimes. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2024–2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
These self-correcting mechanisms are costly, but if you want to get the truth, you must invest in them. Silicon Valley thought it was exempt from this historical rule. ↗ Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, 2025 paperback edition) books.google.com · c. 2024–2025 All korrents from this piece
Their words These self-correcting mechanisms are costly, but if you want to get the truth, you must invest in them. Silicon Valley thought it was exempt from this historical rule. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2024–2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
To guard against a plethora of unforeseeable problems, our best bet is to create living institutions that can identify and respond to the threats as they arise. ↗ Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, 2025 paperback edition) books.google.com · c. 2024–2025 All korrents from this piece
Their words To guard against a plethora of unforeseeable problems, our best bet is to create living institutions that can identify and respond to the threats as they arise. Show less
Test an idea in your head first, by imagining the case that would break it.
Used by 4 others
Mental model When a measure becomes a target
Yuval Noah Harari
5 Sept 2024 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
In the very same years, that Nick Bostrom came up with this thought experiment in 2014, the managers of Facebook and YouTube, they told their algorithms, your goal is to increase user engagement. And the algorithms of social media, they conquered the world and turned the whole world into user engagement, which was what they were told to do. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari: They Are Lying About AI! The Trump Kamala Election Will Tear The Country Apart! youtube.com · 5 Sept 2024 · 1:18:15 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words In the very same years, that Nick Bostrom came up with this thought experiment in 2014, the managers of Facebook and YouTube, they told their algorithms, your goal is to increase user engagement. And the algorithms of social media, they conquered the world and turned the whole world into user engagement, which was what they were told to do. Show less
Models we see in what they say
Our reading: their claim applies the idea without naming it. The claim is theirs; filing it here is ours.
Every model, word or plan is a simplified map of reality; useful when its structure matches, misleading when mistaken for the thing itself.
Used by 56 others
Yuval Noah Harari
24 Jul 2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Human rights, just like God and heaven, are just a story that we've invented. They are not an objective reality; they are not some biological effect about homo sapiens. ↗ Why humans run the world | Yuval Noah Harari | TED youtube.com · 24 Jul 2015 · 9:35 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words Human rights, just like God and heaven, are just a story that we've invented. They are not an objective reality; they are not some biological effect about homo sapiens. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
21 Feb 2017 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The simplest one, the best one that I can say in short, is the test of suffering. If it can suffer, it's real. If it can't suffer, it's not real. A nation cannot suffer. ↗ Nationalism vs. globalism: the new political divide | Yuval Noah Harari (TED Dialogues) youtube.com · 21 Feb 2017 · 0:42:35 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words The simplest one, the best one that I can say in short, is the test of suffering. If it can suffer, it's real. If it can't suffer, it's not real. A nation cannot suffer. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
21 Feb 2017 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Identity is always problematic, because identity is always based on fictional stories that sooner or later collide with reality. ↗ Nationalism vs. globalism: the new political divide | Yuval Noah Harari (TED Dialogues) youtube.com · 21 Feb 2017 · 0:32:32 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words Identity is always problematic, because identity is always based on fictional stories that sooner or later collide with reality. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
11 Oct 2018 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
And the other thing is that at least the meditation that I practice, which is with passive meditation, it's all about really knowing the difference between the fictions and stories generated by our mind and the reality. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari | 21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Talks at Google youtube.com · 11 Oct 2018 · 49:03 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words And the other thing is that at least the meditation that I practice, which is with passive meditation, it's all about really knowing the difference between the fictions and stories generated by our mind and the reality. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
11 Oct 2018 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The key is to remember that we created them to serve us, and not that we are here in order to serve them. The trouble really begins when people lose sight of the simple reality that we are real, they are not. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari | 21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Talks at Google youtube.com · 11 Oct 2018 · 33:34 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words The key is to remember that we created them to serve us, and not that we are here in order to serve them. The trouble really begins when people lose sight of the simple reality that we are real, they are not. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2011–2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
An imagined reality is not a lie. ↗ Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Vintage, 2015 edition; first published in Hebrew 2011; translated by the author with John Purcell and Haim Watzman) books.google.com · c. 2011–2015 All korrents from this piece
Their words An imagined reality is not a lie. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2011–2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
We believe in a particular order not because it is objectively true, but because believing in it enables us to cooperate effectively and forge a better society. ↗ Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Vintage, 2015 edition; first published in Hebrew 2011; translated by the author with John Purcell and Haim Watzman) books.google.com · c. 2011–2015 All korrents from this piece
Their words We believe in a particular order not because it is objectively true, but because believing in it enables us to cooperate effectively and forge a better society. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2015–2017 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The soul is a story that some people accept while others reject. ↗ Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (Vintage, 2017 edition; first published in English by Harvill Secker, 2016; Hebrew 2015) books.google.com · c. 2015–2017 All korrents from this piece
Their words The soul is a story that some people accept while others reject. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2015–2017 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
To think historically means to ascribe real power to the contents of our imaginary stories. ↗ Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (Vintage, 2017 edition; first published in English by Harvill Secker, 2016; Hebrew 2015) books.google.com · c. 2015–2017 All korrents from this piece
Their words To think historically means to ascribe real power to the contents of our imaginary stories. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2018–2019 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Humans think in stories rather than in facts, numbers or equations, and the simpler the story, the better. ↗ 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (Vintage, 2019 edition; first published by Jonathan Cape, 2018) books.google.com · c. 2018–2019 All korrents from this piece
Their words Humans think in stories rather than in facts, numbers or equations, and the simpler the story, the better. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2024–2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Contrary to the naive view, information isn't the raw material of truth, and human information networks aren't geared only to discover the truth. But contrary to the populist view, information isn't just a weapon, either. ↗ Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, 2025 paperback edition) books.google.com · c. 2024–2025 All korrents from this piece
Their words Contrary to the naive view, information isn't the raw material of truth, and human information networks aren't geared only to discover the truth. But contrary to the populist view, information isn't just a weapon, either. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2024–2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
By inventing a new order and imposing it on the world, bureaucracy distorted people's understanding of the world in unique ways. ↗ Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, 2025 paperback edition) books.google.com · c. 2024–2025 All korrents from this piece
Their words By inventing a new order and imposing it on the world, bureaucracy distorted people's understanding of the world in unique ways. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2024–2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The witch-hunting bureaucracy did what bureaucracy often does: it invented the intersubjective category of “witches” and imposed it on reality. ↗ Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, 2025 paperback edition) books.google.com · c. 2024–2025 All korrents from this piece
Their words The witch-hunting bureaucracy did what bureaucracy often does: it invented the intersubjective category of “witches” and imposed it on reality. Show less
What everyone would gain from, nobody provides alone, so shared goods need someone or something to hold people together.
Used by 22 others
Yuval Noah Harari
24 Jul 2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
We can cooperate flexibly with countless numbers of strangers, because we alone, of all the animals on the planet, can create and believe fictions, fictional stories. ↗ Why humans run the world | Yuval Noah Harari | TED youtube.com · 24 Jul 2015 · 7:04 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words We can cooperate flexibly with countless numbers of strangers, because we alone, of all the animals on the planet, can create and believe fictions, fictional stories. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
24 Jul 2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Humans control the planet because they are the only animals that can cooperate both flexibly and in very large numbers. ↗ Why humans run the world | Yuval Noah Harari | TED youtube.com · 24 Jul 2015 · 1:59 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words Humans control the planet because they are the only animals that can cooperate both flexibly and in very large numbers. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
21 Feb 2017 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
In essence, what you can say is that we now have global ecology, we have a global economy but we have national politics, and this doesn't work together. ↗ Nationalism vs. globalism: the new political divide | Yuval Noah Harari (TED Dialogues) youtube.com · 21 Feb 2017 · 0:05:32 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words In essence, what you can say is that we now have global ecology, we have a global economy but we have national politics, and this doesn't work together. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
22 Jun 2019 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
But the most important thing is to join an organisation. Cooperation is what makes humans powerful. ↗ 50 years after Stonewall: Yuval Noah Harari on the new threats to LGBT rights (The Guardian) theguardian.com · 22 Jun 2019 All korrents from this piece
Their words But the most important thing is to join an organisation. Cooperation is what makes humans powerful. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
23 Jan 2020 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
the global order is now like a house that everybody inhabits and nobody repairs it can hold on for a few more years but if we continue like this it will collapse ↗ How to Survive the 21st Century | DAVOS 2020 youtube.com · 23 Jan 2020 · 26:52 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words the global order is now like a house that everybody inhabits and nobody repairs it can hold on for a few more years but if we continue like this it will collapse Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
23 Jan 2020 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
if we allow such an arms race to develop in fields like AI and bioengineering it doesn't really matter who wins the arms race the loser will be humanity ↗ How to Survive the 21st Century | DAVOS 2020 youtube.com · 23 Jan 2020 · 20:44 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words if we allow such an arms race to develop in fields like AI and bioengineering it doesn't really matter who wins the arms race the loser will be humanity Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
15 Mar 2020 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
However, while short-term quarantine is essential to stop epidemics, long-term isolationism will lead to economic collapse without offering any real protection against infectious diseases. Just the opposite. The real antidote to epidemic is not segregation, but rather cooperation. ↗ In the Battle Against Coronavirus, Humanity Lacks Leadership (TIME) time.com · 15 Mar 2020 All korrents from this piece
Their words However, while short-term quarantine is essential to stop epidemics, long-term isolationism will lead to economic collapse without offering any real protection against infectious diseases. Just the opposite. The real antidote to epidemic is not segregation, but rather cooperation. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
28 Oct 2024 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The key is institutions. Because you can't build a personal intimate relationship with millions of people. ↗ Our AI Future Is WAY WORSE Than You Think | Yuval Noah Harari youtube.com · 28 Oct 2024 · 1:20:34 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words The key is institutions. Because you can't build a personal intimate relationship with millions of people. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2011–2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The difficulty lies not in telling the story, but in convincing everyone else to believe it. ↗ Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Vintage, 2015 edition; first published in Hebrew 2011; translated by the author with John Purcell and Haim Watzman) books.google.com · c. 2011–2015 All korrents from this piece
Their words The difficulty lies not in telling the story, but in convincing everyone else to believe it. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2011–2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Even if by some superhuman effort I succeed in freeing my personal desires from the grip of the imagined order, I am just one person. ↗ Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Vintage, 2015 edition; first published in Hebrew 2011; translated by the author with John Purcell and Haim Watzman) books.google.com · c. 2011–2015 All korrents from this piece
Their words Even if by some superhuman effort I succeed in freeing my personal desires from the grip of the imagined order, I am just one person. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2011–2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
In fact, no social animal is ever guided by the interests of the entire species to which it belongs. ↗ Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Vintage, 2015 edition; first published in Hebrew 2011; translated by the author with John Purcell and Haim Watzman) books.google.com · c. 2011–2015 All korrents from this piece
Their words In fact, no social animal is ever guided by the interests of the entire species to which it belongs. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2018–2019 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The merger of infotech and biotech threatens the core modern values of liberty and equality. Any solution to the technological challenge has to involve global cooperation. ↗ 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (Vintage, 2019 edition; first published by Jonathan Cape, 2018) books.google.com · c. 2018–2019 All korrents from this piece
Their words The merger of infotech and biotech threatens the core modern values of liberty and equality. Any solution to the technological challenge has to involve global cooperation. Show less
Look at what people are rewarded for; it explains more behaviour than what they say, your own included.
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Yuval Noah Harari
23 Jun 2017 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Nuclear weapons and cyber warfare, by contrast, are high-damage, low-profit technologies. You could use such tools to destroy entire countries, but not to build profitable empires. ↗ Why Russia, U.S. and Israel Probably Won’t Start a World War (TIME) time.com · 23 Jun 2017 All korrents from this piece
Their words Nuclear weapons and cyber warfare, by contrast, are high-damage, low-profit technologies. You could use such tools to destroy entire countries, but not to build profitable empires. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
23 Jun 2017 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Today, the main economic assets consist of technical and institutional knowledge — and you cannot conquer knowledge through war. ↗ Why Russia, U.S. and Israel Probably Won’t Start a World War (TIME) time.com · 23 Jun 2017 All korrents from this piece
Their words Today, the main economic assets consist of technical and institutional knowledge — and you cannot conquer knowledge through war. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
11 Oct 2018 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
And on the collective level, I think the solution to this problem would be to change the model of the news market to high-quality news that costs you a lot of money, but don't abuse your attention. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari | 21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Talks at Google youtube.com · 11 Oct 2018 · 35:52 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words And on the collective level, I think the solution to this problem would be to change the model of the news market to high-quality news that costs you a lot of money, but don't abuse your attention. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
5 Sept 2024 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The key issue is who has liability, that it's the company that is liable for what the algorithm is doing and not the human individual liable for what they are saying. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari: They Are Lying About AI! The Trump Kamala Election Will Tear The Country Apart! youtube.com · 5 Sept 2024 · 1:25:59 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words The key issue is who has liability, that it's the company that is liable for what the algorithm is doing and not the human individual liable for what they are saying. Show less
Ask "and then what?": follow a decision past its first effect to the ones that come after.
Used by 88 others
Yuval Noah Harari
21 Feb 2017 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
During the agricultural revolution, what happened is that immense technological and economic revolution empowered the human collective, but when you look at actual individual lives, the life of a tiny elite became much better, and the lives of the majority of people became considerably worse. ↗ Nationalism vs. globalism: the new political divide | Yuval Noah Harari (TED Dialogues) youtube.com · 21 Feb 2017 · 0:15:38 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words During the agricultural revolution, what happened is that immense technological and economic revolution empowered the human collective, but when you look at actual individual lives, the life of a tiny elite became much better, and the lives of the majority of people became considerably worse. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
28 Oct 2024 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
People thought they were building paradise for humans. Turned out they were building paradise for germs. ↗ Our AI Future Is WAY WORSE Than You Think | Yuval Noah Harari youtube.com · 28 Oct 2024 · 1:16:18 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words People thought they were building paradise for humans. Turned out they were building paradise for germs. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2011–2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The pursuit of an easier life resulted in much hardship, and not for the last time. ↗ Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Vintage, 2015 edition; first published in Hebrew 2011; translated by the author with John Purcell and Haim Watzman) books.google.com · c. 2011–2015 All korrents from this piece
Their words The pursuit of an easier life resulted in much hardship, and not for the last time. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2015–2017 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
But once we come nearer to achieving these goals the resulting upheavals are likely to deflect us towards entirely different destinations. ↗ Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (Vintage, 2017 edition; first published in English by Harvill Secker, 2016; Hebrew 2015) books.google.com · c. 2015–2017 All korrents from this piece
Their words But once we come nearer to achieving these goals the resulting upheavals are likely to deflect us towards entirely different destinations. Show less
Every choice gives something up, so name the cost; and check, because some trade-offs everyone assumes are not real.
Used by 61 others
Yuval Noah Harari
11 Jan 2024 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
And I think that in this case, societies that will choose to progress more slowly and safely, they will actually have an advantage. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari: An Urgent Warning They Hope You Ignore. More War Is Coming! youtube.com · 11 Jan 2024 · 1:04:02 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words And I think that in this case, societies that will choose to progress more slowly and safely, they will actually have an advantage. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
11 Jan 2024 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
What worries me is that a lot of these things will turn out actually to be downgrades. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari: An Urgent Warning They Hope You Ignore. More War Is Coming! youtube.com · 11 Jan 2024 · 1:01:36 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words What worries me is that a lot of these things will turn out actually to be downgrades. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2015–2017 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
In exchange for power, the modern deal expects us to give up meaning. ↗ Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (Vintage, 2017 edition; first published in English by Harvill Secker, 2016; Hebrew 2015) books.google.com · c. 2015–2017 All korrents from this piece
Their words In exchange for power, the modern deal expects us to give up meaning. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2024–2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
The biggest advantage of the centralized totalitarian network is that it is extremely orderly, which means it can make decisions quickly and enforce them ruthlessly. ↗ Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, 2025 paperback edition) books.google.com · c. 2024–2025 All korrents from this piece
Their words The biggest advantage of the centralized totalitarian network is that it is extremely orderly, which means it can make decisions quickly and enforce them ruthlessly. Show less
A system moves only as fast as its narrowest point; speed up anything else and nothing changes.
Used by 89 others
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2011–2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Most people can neither intimately know, nor gossip effectively about, more than 150 human beings. ↗ Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Vintage, 2015 edition; first published in Hebrew 2011; translated by the author with John Purcell and Haim Watzman) books.google.com · c. 2011–2015 All korrents from this piece
Their words Most people can neither intimately know, nor gossip effectively about, more than 150 human beings. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2011–2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Even today, a critical threshold in human organisations falls somewhere around this magic number. ↗ Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Vintage, 2015 edition; first published in Hebrew 2011; translated by the author with John Purcell and Haim Watzman) books.google.com · c. 2011–2015 All korrents from this piece
Their words Even today, a critical threshold in human organisations falls somewhere around this magic number. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2024–2025 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Technical difficulties often prevent dictators from becoming totalitarian. ↗ Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, 2025 paperback edition) books.google.com · c. 2024–2025 All korrents from this piece
Their words Technical difficulties often prevent dictators from becoming totalitarian. Show less
Your mind jumps to conclusions and defends them; look for the evidence against you and use checklists.
Used by 18 others
Yuval Noah Harari
25 Sept 2015 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
This is the basic lesson of evolutionary psychology: a need shaped thousands of generations ago continues to be felt subjectively even if it is no longer necessary for survival and reproduction in the present. ↗ Industrial farming is one of the worst crimes in history (The Guardian) theguardian.com · 25 Sept 2015 All korrents from this piece
Their words This is the basic lesson of evolutionary psychology: a need shaped thousands of generations ago continues to be felt subjectively even if it is no longer necessary for survival and reproduction in the present. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
11 Oct 2018 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
So if you want to instigate genocide, you start by hacking the disgust mechanisms in the human brain. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari | 21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Talks at Google youtube.com · 11 Oct 2018 · 57:02 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words So if you want to instigate genocide, you start by hacking the disgust mechanisms in the human brain. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
c. 2018–2019 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Observing the truth about yourself is just so difficult! Even if you somehow manage to get most humans to try it, many of us will quickly distort the truth we encounter into some story with heroes, villains and enemies, and find really good excuses to go to war. ↗ 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (Vintage, 2019 edition; first published by Jonathan Cape, 2018) books.google.com · c. 2018–2019 All korrents from this piece
Their words Observing the truth about yourself is just so difficult! Even if you somehow manage to get most humans to try it, many of us will quickly distort the truth we encounter into some story with heroes, villains and enemies, and find really good excuses to go to war. Show less
Reward a number and people, or machines, will find ways to move the number without the thing it measured (Goodhart's law).
Used by 13 others
Yuval Noah Harari
11 Jan 2024 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
according to this measurement, 1 hour of outrage is better than 10 minutes of joy and certainly better than 1 hour of sleep. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari: An Urgent Warning They Hope You Ignore. More War Is Coming! youtube.com · 11 Jan 2024 · 1:28:02 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words according to this measurement, 1 hour of outrage is better than 10 minutes of joy and certainly better than 1 hour of sleep. Show less
Yuval Noah Harari
5 Sept 2024 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
Now, the great thing about make money or increase user engagement is that it's very easy to measure it mathematically. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari: They Are Lying About AI! The Trump Kamala Election Will Tear The Country Apart! youtube.com · 5 Sept 2024 · 1:21:46 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words Now, the great thing about make money or increase user engagement is that it's very easy to measure it mathematically. Show less
Mental model Thought experiments
Yuval Noah Harari
5 Sept 2024 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
In the very same years, that Nick Bostrom came up with this thought experiment in 2014, the managers of Facebook and YouTube, they told their algorithms, your goal is to increase user engagement. And the algorithms of social media, they conquered the world and turned the whole world into user engagement, which was what they were told to do. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari: They Are Lying About AI! The Trump Kamala Election Will Tear The Country Apart! youtube.com · 5 Sept 2024 · 1:18:15 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words In the very same years, that Nick Bostrom came up with this thought experiment in 2014, the managers of Facebook and YouTube, they told their algorithms, your goal is to increase user engagement. And the algorithms of social media, they conquered the world and turned the whole world into user engagement, which was what they were told to do. Show less
Carry many models from many fields and use them together; with only one, every problem looks like a nail for your hammer.
Used by 16 others
Mental model Probabilistic thinking
Yuval Noah Harari
11 Oct 2018 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
If you see just one possibility, you're not looking wide enough. If you see two or three, it's probably also not wide enough. You need a map of, like, four or five different possibilities, minimum. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari | 21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Talks at Google youtube.com · 11 Oct 2018 · 54:36 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words If you see just one possibility, you're not looking wide enough. If you see two or three, it's probably also not wide enough. You need a map of, like, four or five different possibilities, minimum. Show less
Think in odds, not certainties, and bet heavily only when the odds are clearly yours.
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Mental model Many models, not one
Yuval Noah Harari
11 Oct 2018 Israeli historian and philosopher, born in 1976
If you see just one possibility, you're not looking wide enough. If you see two or three, it's probably also not wide enough. You need a map of, like, four or five different possibilities, minimum. ↗ Yuval Noah Harari | 21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Talks at Google youtube.com · 11 Oct 2018 · 54:36 into the video All korrents from this video
Their words If you see just one possibility, you're not looking wide enough. If you see two or three, it's probably also not wide enough. You need a map of, like, four or five different possibilities, minimum. Show less