Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

By Yuval Noah Harari

International Bestseller

From the author of the international bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind comes an extraordinary new book that explores the future of the human species.

Yuval Noah Harari, author of the bestselling Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, envisions a not-too-distant world in which we face a new set of challenges. In Homo Deus, he examines our future with his trademark blend of science, history, philosophy and every discipline in between.

Homo Deus explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century – from overcoming death to creating artificial life. It asks the fundamental questions: Where do we go from here? And how will we protect this fragile world from our own destructive powers? This is the next stage of evolution. This is Homo Deus.

War is obsolete
You are more likely to commit suicide than be killed in conflict

Famine is disappearing
You are at more risk of obesity than starvation

Death is just a technical problem
Equality is out – but immortality is in

What does our future hold?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9780771038693

Yuval Noah Harari

Prof. Yuval Noah Harari, bestselling historian and philosopher, is considered one of the world’s most influential intellectuals today. His popular books—including Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind; Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow; 21 Lessons for the 21st Century; and the series Sapiens: A Graphic History and Unstoppable Us—have sold more than 45 million copies in 65 languages. Harari co-founded Sapienship, a social impact company with projects in the fields of education and storytelling, whose main goal is to focus the public conversation on the most important global challenges facing the world today. Harari has a PhD in history from the University of Oxford and currently lectures in the department of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

Reviews for Homo Deus

[datrappert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book, a follow up to Sapiens, is just about as much a page-turner as Harari, better than anyone I can remember recently, is able to make the most complex ideas and subjects clear in his writing. The story here, however, is even more depressing than that of Sapiens. Essentially, now that Sapiens, that is Man, controls everything, what will he do with it? Harari stresses that these are only "possible" futures, but there is little doubt that the super-rich and super-powerful will take advantage of medical advances to extend their own lifespans and further increase their dominance over the rest of us. In Harari's worst scenario, most human beings simply don't have any reason for existence in the brave new world that is coming closer every day. And when that happens, will the rich even care to feed us? Or will they think of us the same way we think of cows and pigs, merely lower animals to be exploited? Yes, it's bleak, and my summary doesn't begin to do it justice, but you need to read it. Yes, Harari can be a bit annoying at times. He is so sure of so many things, and he makes broad sweeping statements indicating that religion really doesn't count for much these days. Obviously he doesn't live in the United States.

[danielstj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a spellbinding, captivating book. The problems of tomorrow, interrelated with the outcomes of the day, permeate this book and facilitate comprehension of what it is to be in a world full of humans who no longer understand their place. Harari's work is commendable, multilayered, and written eloquently. The questions that he poses, his answers, and the possible scenarios are desirable, yet left open-ended at the same time. This is one of the best recent non-fiction books I have read in some time. I recommend it for everyone.5 stars-- and well deserved.

[johnverdon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Few Thinkers today - have such a broad and deep grasp of where the future can go.Harari is a MUST READ - even if you don't agree with him - he will deepen your understanding of the forces at work today that are shaping the future we are creating. His grasp of the future is based on a deep understanding of the past and the emergence of humans.

[nivramkoorb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is the follow up to Sapiens which I thought was one of the best non-fiction books that I have ever read. In this book Harari spends much of the book rehashing concepts that he introduced in Sapiens. For me this helped build on these complex theories. Having had a chance to look at things through Harari's prism, I do see the concept of myths that dominate our society. He continues to build on these concepts while getting into the influence of "humanism" over the last 300 years. You begin to understand the impact of religion in restricting society from advancing against famine, plague, and war. Once the value of the human is introduced and the concept of expanding knowledge becoms the reality, we begin to see the incredible advancements that the world has made in the last 300 years. With this foundation in place, Harari begins to paint a future that is based on science and the belief that we are nothing more than algorithms of our neurons that determine behavior. He splits hairs on the concept of free will with what we feel is free choice is nothing more than an algorithm. One can debate this concept, but ultimately he postures that increased AI developments along with data gathering through google, facebook etc, and biological data gathering through devices like the Apple watch can lead to enough data being available to eliminate the need to for humans to make choices. Given this book was written in 2016, he gives examples on how data from facebook can be used to influence election strategy. Very prescient! You may not agree with his predictions but this is a thought provoking book that will make you think about the big concepts that you base your life on such as organized religion, government, and science. Along with Sapiens these are 2 books that are must reads.

[breic-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Some retreading of "Sapiens". The new material was highly speculative and generally ill-informed. Harari seems to have toured Silicon Valley after writing Sapiens, and his thoughts on technology are inaccurate and often factually wrong; one gets the impression that he credulously reads emojied Twitter posts based on clickbait Wired articles based on university press releases based on scientific papers, and never actually looks to the source itself. The book is full of ridiculous syllogisms, as in: Information is important, Humans process information, Therefore humans will outsource their decisions to Google and thanks to the Internet of Things conquer the solar system, the galaxy, and the entire universe! I very much enjoyed Sapiens, so the sloppy thinking here was quite disappointing. One star for being provocative.

[kristilabrie · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I lost my review of this awhile back, so adding another. I think I was nicer right after I finished reading this book, but it didn't age well over time, on me. There were some interesting suggestions brought up (albeit nothing very original), and I enjoyed considering what the future of humanity and technology might look like. Now, what I remember from reading the book, is that it was long-winded, presumptive, and rather generous as far as logic goes...meh.

[rajivc_18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This, at many levels, is a disturbing book. It is indeed disturbing if the gentle reader pauses to contemplate the future. The thoughts he leaves us with are not new. They have been predicted by science fiction writers, and if you apply the Big Brother concept of 1984 to today's world, you will get an idea of how disturbing this can be. Indeed, in today's world of big data, electronic eavesdropping, AI, genetic research etc, indeed the possibility of a race of 'superhuman', with the mass of humanity being stooges of the same, is not that remote a possibility. The question then becomes, what happens to nations? The book is indeed well written, and is quite accessible in its style. You could argue some points. I personally believe that, despite our data and the modern rush towards algorithms, we are not algorithms. We are emotional beings who will burn the planet (and ourselves) to extinction. Having said that, he raises many pertinent issues, and it would be a mistake to dismiss them as mere speculation. An excellent book, and one that we should all read, and ponder over.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting and engaging look at social forces that have shaped currently politics and philosophy with hypotheses for what the future may hold. Forecast is concerning and thought-provoking.

[zoneseek-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Basically, technological advances will challenge liberal ideas of self and human importance. Some entertaining factoids, but if you're familiar with transhumanism you can skip the first two-thirds.

[guide2_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not as good as the first book, but still a lot to think about while reading it.

[the7ken7petersen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Until the last two chapters, I was with this book. Harari has written a book which many reviewers have taken as a dystopian prediction of the future but, which is in reality, a discussion document looking at potential futures, working on current trends.If you are as old as me, you will remember those 'Tomorrow's World' type programmes on the television: if their 1970's ideas as to life in the 21st century had been accurate, we would all be using flying cars, have limitless free energy and be living the life of luxury whilst robots undertake all the work. I don't need to tell you, that this is not quite the way things worked out! Similarly, this book is most unlikely to be a pre-history.The author does raise many interesting concepts: the end of the liberal era is something which I could see coming to pass but, I did find his dismissive attitude to religion irritating. Naturally, Mr Harari is entitled to his view as to whether a, or indeed any, religion is based on more than superstition, but to write a supposedly factual book and simply state that religion is now dead, is a little far fetched. Mr Harari goes further than this, he offers us the replacement 'religion' for the new era; he calls this 'Dataism'.Dataism is described as a new, fact based religion. It seems that human beings, if they survive, will become a sort of universal virus, collecting information just for the pleasure of knowledge. I say, 'if they survive, because the suggestion is that artificial intelligence will be far more effective at this task and that we will either become enhanced human/computer mergers or, we will replace ourselves with a homo sapiens creation. This seems unlikely to me.The wealthy, the influential, the high rollers will not negotiate themselves into a position of less power and the underclasses are sadly showing a lack of concern for the issues of significance; they are neatly side tracked into a world of 'needing the latest technology', and playing with these new toys. Capitalism will not go gently into that good night. Interestingly, a brief study of t'interweb, shows that the whole concept of 'Dataism' is far from a rapidly expanding new religion, it is a crank idea with little following.An interesting book, but don't expect it to change your life.

[marthajeanne · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I gave up. This is pure opinion, and he is too sure of his opinions.

[dcunning11235 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While I have fallen out of love with sweeping histories, sweeping predictions, and other grand-picture types of books, Home Deus is well worth 4 stars... maybe even 5, modul0 my feeling just mentioned. Harari sets out much more and much less than a map of the future here; he's laying out a framework or paradigm for analyzing the present and future. What he is talking about is not necessarily new; much of it was not new for me. He does synthesize all of it compellingly. And it is compelling.

I think even if you have read other books re: the future of employment, privacy and (or vs.) information freedom, post/trans-humanism, etc. you'll still find this read worthwhile.

[litalex · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It seems the author forgot his original premise about how our species will become like gods and ended up focusing on how humans will be reduced to algorithms in the future instead. I also disagree with his definition of what constitutes a religion.The prose reads fine, though I don't find it as convincing as Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.

[infjsarah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was as well written and easy to read as "Sapiens". And equally thought provoking. Of course most predictions of the future are seen as laughable when you reach the future but I think I'm kind of glad that I'm not going to live to see some of these possibilities. I don't want to be "superhuman" though I'd be very happy for someone to solve the need for reading glasses past 45. Oh and to invent the dentbots of "Long way to small angry planet".

[jane3phillips-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fantastic and very readable follow up to "Sapiens", in which the author explores where humanity goes from where we are at the moment. How will technicological advances effect our work enviroments, are we going to make ourselves redundant are some questions I came out of reading the book asking.

[martialalex92 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Spends 75% of the book just looking at historical changes in humanity then spends the last 25% just kind of shrugging his shoulders and says "data, man". Sapiens can get you a lot better info on the historical piece and there's better future prediction books out there

[sjh4255 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Definitely gets you thinking about what's next for Humanity. The book does a good job of summing up where we are now and how we got here, (reading Sapiens is not required, but I highly recommend it) the last part of the book looks into what the next possible leap for humankind is and whether it will be a very different outcome for the individual and the choices they are able to make, and the possibility of a superhuman class for those that can afford it, leaving everyone else behind. Yuval has an amazing ability to get you thinking... he presents the data that is currently known, and offers his opinion, but at the same time not forcing it on you, allowing you the opportunity to have your own opinion and respecting those that differ from his. With today's ever changing world, the book has become somewhat out of date with some of the topics covered, but that's to be expected with unpredictable events we face in these times. Can't wait for his next project!

[fionaanne · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harari does a wonderful job of weaving disparite things together.

[ken5me5old5mate · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the follow up to Sapiens and it is as excellent as Sapiens. A follow up and expansion. If you liked Sapiens then you mist read this, if you didn't like Sapiens then you aren't going to find much here either.

[lady_lazarus · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Catchy, easy and partly also entertaining to read. Partly just irritating. Many times I had a feeling Harari was just filling in the space with words, rephrasing the same thing multiple times. The message did not deserve a whole book to be told, but at least there is a message. It is not very original and the material provided to support the theory is mostly superficial. Therefore I felt this book did not have much to offer.

[glennbell_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have read several other books by Yuval and liked the others better. This book has a lot of good ideas and I agree with much of it but his definition of religion in this book is flawed in my opinion. He also introduces the concept of datatism at the end that seems strange. Overall I recommend this book but not as strongly as his other books.

[nicdevera-16450 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Basically, technological advances will challenge liberal ideas of self and human importance. Some entertaining factoids, but if you're familiar with transhumanism you can skip the first two-thirds.

[paul_s-289480 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A lot of exaggerations to make the messy world conform to the grand ideas presented. The future, I'm afraid, is being wildly oversold in this one.

[iffland · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing and a bit horrifying at the same time!

[stevetempo_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A most illuminating book! It is not super strong on specific predictions for the future, but what it may not completely achieve for the expectations of others, it exceeds tremendously in presenting, discussing and supporting the arc of possibilities for humanity. Harari uses history, biology and science to take us through the currents and forces propelling us. It altered my perspective much. Highly recommended for the deep speculative thinker!

[pdcread · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In Yuval Noah Harari’s previous book, Sapiens, he considered how humanity got to where we are today from a hunter-gatherer culture to a modern industrial farming systems that can support millions. In this latest volume, Home Deus, he contemplates the future; our future, and the events that will shape us in the twenty-first century.

We have reached the apex of our abilities with current technology. Going back only a hundred years our lives were frequently cut short by famine, war and illness. Today, in the Western world at least, we have mostly conquered disease and extended our lifespan, but now we are as likely to suffer from obesity or contemplate suicide, total different challenges for the coming decades. He suggests that these will be met as we embrace the modern age of data, pervasive networks and genetic modification. That is assuming that we have a place to live as our world too is under threat because of our relentless pursuit of extracting the maximum resources for the cheapest price.

So, what does the future hold for humanity?

Harari ponders the possibilities and pitfalls of our future self. He asks and goes some way to answer the questions that we will have to address in the coming years. He proposes that our obsession with information flow may almost become a religion, dataism. How will we deal with the dilemma of choosing between intelligence and consciousness and what is the possibility that we might become part of a wider algorithm or part of the internet of things. These are all interesting questions and whilst he goes some way to answering them, there is a fair amount that is pure speculation and conjecture, but that is what makes this actually quite an interesting book. 3.5 stars overall.

[aadyer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good, if somewhat long prophecy and pitch for the future of humanity and how society and humanism is going to change in this process. Whilst interesting, thought provoking and certainly well argued, with layered thoughts and conclusions, this was prophecy with a heart of ice. Do we seek these changes that are happening to us? Are we happy with them? Is it what we want long term? Thought provoking and intriguing

[santhony_35 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Since its earliest existence, the human race has devoted virtually all of its resources and attention to address three vital issues; famine, disease and war. It is the author’s premise that entering the 21st century, these previously overriding concerns have been largely conquered, leaving the question, “What now”?Well, according to the author, “what now” is a quest for immortality, and the concept may not be as far-fetched as many people think, leading to a new form of human, hence the title of the book, Homo Deus. I purchased this book, because I thought it might contain a lot of predictions on the future of the human race, based upon recent advances in biotechnology and medical sciences. Instead, it largely consisted of long screeds on the development of humanistic philosophies, with only very broad, non-specific statements on what the future may hold. In other words, a lot of philosophical discussion of the past and current state of the human race, and very little on the future.Finally, this is the densest book I have ever read. No, not necessarily the subject matter, though if you are not into philosophy, the subject matter may (will) bore you to tears. I’m talking about physical density. I don’t know what kind of paper stock the publisher used, but this book weighed about 10 pounds. If Dickens had used similar stock, David Copperfield would have required a forklift to move.

[antao-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When I was little, I believed (sort of) that Santa Claus existed. It was a working hypothesis that worked, and I didn't look behind it until it became untenable. Now I effectively assume my continuing identity as a person - because that works, sort of, too. In me, and most people I know, the baton of consciousness, of awareness of one's I-ness, is repeatedly exchanged at unimaginable speeds between the two hemispheres. That baton seems to get dropped by people suffering certain forms of dementia - with increasing frequency as their condition worsens, being eventually only picked up and handed to and fro for brief, sometimes apparently fortuitous periods, if at all. How cruel (alongside other pains and indignities) to lose the working hypothesis that everyone else lives by. But perhaps, isolated in the permanently unfamiliar and frightening. Now they may be closer to the reality of the human condition than the rest of us. As with Santa, the mere fact that a working hypothesis produces a desirable and convenient result does not make it correct.Take famine. We are told that "famine is rare". But across what data-set is that claim true? Across the data-set of what we actually know, about what is actually happening, at the present time? But that is a profoundly-inadequate data-set. We ought to consider also what we don't know about what is happening right now (Do we know whether or not, even right now, a serious famine is underway in under-reported/remote in parts of Africa?). More important, we ought to consider what might have happened, in recent history (has humanity quite possibly been merely lucky not to have experienced a mega-famine, in recent times (we may have come close, for instance, in 2007-9, during which period most of the world's countries resorted to banning food exports)? If so, then we can take very little consolation from the fact that it didn't happen). Most importantly of all, we ought to consider what might be about to happen (Can we really be confident that we’re not in the position of the turkey who claims loudly to any other turkeys that will listen to have ever-increasing evidence that famine is a thing of the past, the closer it gets to Christmas? Perhaps in a decade's time, historians will look back on casual remarks along the lines of some people I know as some kind of cruel or bizarre joke. (Assuming that there are historians to look back, at all).The so-called 'evidence' of our power isn't really statistically-significant evidence, once we take into account the vast seas of our ignorance. In order to be (justifiably) confident that "famine is rare", we would need to be justifiably confident that our systems are not fragile. That we have enough resilience to weather the storms of misfortune, which might for instance be about to hit us by way of unprecedented climate-disasters, now that our weather appears to be tipping into an unprecedented state. We would need a data-set that covered the three categories of unknowns that I outlined in the previous paragraph.Of course, the vastly-greater 'data-set' of which I speak here is in principle unavailable to us, stuck as we are in highly-limited epistemic horizons, unable to experience history's counter-factuals, let alone those of the future. The thoroughly counter-factual nature of the 'data-set' that would be needed in order to undergird Harari's claims ensures that we will never become the kinds of masters of the universe that it is so tempting to imagine ourselves being or becoming.So what can we do? For starters, we can stop patting ourselves on the back that we are living in a safe and secure world, when we simply don't know that. Harari tells us that we have "conquered nature" (my reading); on the contrary, in the very act of struggling to outgrow (our) nature we are unleashing terrifying new post-natural forces that are quite likely to unravel the complex systems and long-supply lines we have created. We are radically fragilising ourselves and our one and only home. What can we do? We can stop doing this. But only if we adopt a radically different vision from the widespread complacent 'progressivism' of Harari and a million other well-fed intellectuals. The real, Janus-faced evidence of our power is in the extent to which we have created a world that is hurtling ever further out of our control. The only way to turn this around is to stop pretending that we have evidence that we are in control, and start taking a properly precautionary attitude. That means starting to radically 'build down' the level of our impacts upon the world around us. Rather than self-defeatingly fantasising ourselves a 'God-species', we need to start acting as if we are what we are: one species, with a responsibility not to destroy our descendants and ourselves -- and not to take most of the other species with us.What I sense behind the Data driven mindset is the age old human need to eradicate uncertainty. Just to stop having to live in an uncertain world. So no surprises, nothing off the wall, everything predicted, containable, knowable in all its parts. Yet the problem to be dealt with is not really social life and data, the problem is existential and profound, it's intrinsically unmanageable, something functioning entirely within what in the end is an open-ended universe of possibilities (predict that Jimmy) also known to us all as human self-consciousness. I sympathise with the drive (I have one too, a consciousness solid until searched for then turning to air) but no sympathy for the infantile drive of the methodology. There is now way out of our predicament, if there is a way through it may be to live deeply enjoyably, with deep uncertainty.Bottom-line: I enjoy the way that Harari considers big issues, but so far a number of the ideas seem to reiterate Karl Popper's notion of "world 3", and other themes have been covered in previous SF by Olaf Stapledon (“First and Last Men”), and Isaac Asimov, passim. A bigger problem is that by writing this book Harari has highlighted a problem with the "big history" approach, promoted by people such as Bill Gates. His previous book, “Sapiens”, was a good example of the genre and sought to see human history both in how it fits into the history of the cosmos, biological life, mammal physiology, and the long period in which modern humans existed but wrote nothing. From that Olympic perspective "big history" seeks to move away from both the modern academic resistance to "grand narratives" and from the antiquarianism and micro-history into which some modern academics have retreated. The problem for Harari is that once you have written one "big history" book, there is not really a need to write another, or at least not until new information (from science, diligent archivists, or even intelligent algorithms) changes the big picture. Hence this book is a mix of shitty philosophy, Alvin Toffler-style futurism, and a whole jumble of the author's personal fads and prejudices. Whatever it is, it is not "history".And that presents a problem. If even author the greatest recent publishing success in "big history" cannot produce a second book on the subject, the whole area does not look that promising for other authors. Provocative book? Not in the least. If you want “provocative” you should instead read “The Trouble with Physics” by Lee Smolin.SF = Speculative Fiction.