With famine, plague, and war behind us, what we are going to do in the 21st century?

Yuval Noah Harari, widely acclaimed author of Sapiens, delivers an impressive work about our future. The argumentation is remarkable. He asks the right questions, brings the most pertinent evidences, and debates about the possible, often dramatic, consequences. It’s hard to disagree, but it’s hard to totally agree, because we don’t necessarily hope for a future like this. I would not, however, define the book as pessimistic even if it will disturb you, for sure.

The book title outlines that we are slowly going to look at the Homo Sapiens as a disappearing species. Technology innovation, especially in biology in the upcoming decades, will result in the evolution of a new species, Homo Deus. The more readers there will be, the more we will be able to collectively change the future in a direction where this new species will ensure nobody is left out. As the disputed quote says, “Predictions are very difficult, especially about the future.” Yuval Noah Harari may be wrong, and he is probably on many points. Nonetheless, I consider that the pertinence of the book is elsewhere. Evolution will continue and books like Homo Deus place us in a better position to face the unique challenges to come, may the book be right or wrong.

Sapiens was about our past, Homo Deus is about our future, and the author’s latest book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is about the present. I read them all, I love them all, but Homo Deus is the one I find the most profound, the most debatable, and also the most terrifying.