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amarettto's review against another edition
4.0
I already knew for the most part was I was in for with this book, since I read Sapiens and the last chapter(s) gave us a glimpse of what the author envisioned the future of humanity would look like. That part of the book was the most intriguing to me which is why I was really excited that there was a follow up to it.
There were some ideas that were reiterated in this book that were already covered in Sapiens, so I thought that was a bit unnecessary but I loved the parts that covered why he thinks humans are on the path that they are, and what we as a race think we are headed toward (vs. what we actually may be headed toward). At times when we struggle to find meaning in things because today is so different from centuries ago and what was meaningful then, precisely that is important to keep in mind - that we are in a different era altogether and are approaching a new religion that is dataism. It is acceptable to change your faith and have new beliefs. At the same time, it is perhaps time to accept that a future of intelligence without consciousness is very real. I particularly liked the example of the "stock market having no consciousness" because though it behaves like it has mood swings and really possesses an immense amount of information and intelligence, yes, it has no conscious mind and is the perfect example of what the new mind looks like.
There are perhaps too many notes and quotes I've bookmarked from the book, but one of my favorites was the idea that the source of meaning and authority has relocated from the sky to human feelings. What people saw as the universe teeming with gods and spirits before, people have now come to find within themselves. Being self aware and looking into an interior world has transformed heaven and hell from being "real" places to inner forces within our psyche, forms our brain tends to take up. Reading about shifts in thinking and what could be was amazing, I enjoyed the perspective the author brought, as always, and am comforted that this change in what is real and possible today is something that should be and is acknowledged, because now we know to change our ways of thinking too and not accept that what was meaningful or possible only back in time, is also so today.
There were some ideas that were reiterated in this book that were already covered in Sapiens, so I thought that was a bit unnecessary but I loved the parts that covered why he thinks humans are on the path that they are, and what we as a race think we are headed toward (vs. what we actually may be headed toward). At times when we struggle to find meaning in things because today is so different from centuries ago and what was meaningful then, precisely that is important to keep in mind - that we are in a different era altogether and are approaching a new religion that is dataism. It is acceptable to change your faith and have new beliefs. At the same time, it is perhaps time to accept that a future of intelligence without consciousness is very real. I particularly liked the example of the "stock market having no consciousness" because though it behaves like it has mood swings and really possesses an immense amount of information and intelligence, yes, it has no conscious mind and is the perfect example of what the new mind looks like.
There are perhaps too many notes and quotes I've bookmarked from the book, but one of my favorites was the idea that the source of meaning and authority has relocated from the sky to human feelings. What people saw as the universe teeming with gods and spirits before, people have now come to find within themselves. Being self aware and looking into an interior world has transformed heaven and hell from being "real" places to inner forces within our psyche, forms our brain tends to take up. Reading about shifts in thinking and what could be was amazing, I enjoyed the perspective the author brought, as always, and am comforted that this change in what is real and possible today is something that should be and is acknowledged, because now we know to change our ways of thinking too and not accept that what was meaningful or possible only back in time, is also so today.
mansikwatra's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give it 3.5 actually. I loved the book, but this rating is relative to his other book, Sapiens. While Sapiens felt complete in itself, Homo Deus was a bit all over the place and repetitive at times. But it still presents some great ideas and makes for an eye-opening read. A must-read.
bababookmatt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
gadicohen93's review against another edition
3.0
Elevator music, really — nothing substantial. Maybe because it played in my ears and I could not actively engage. Absolutely there is some pseudoscience here. The number of times Harari discusses “dopamine monitors” or some variation thereof is above-zero, and maybe there is some validity to the idea that future technology will enable us to indulge our maximalist Epicurean urges, but I found the image a bit lazy. Beyond that there were some interesting anecdotes: discussions of how national conscription led to democratic suffrage, or of the debate around how ethics can be explained by facts (eg, the dam in China providing electricity to a billion people but leading to the extinction of a dolphin species). Some food for thought here but maybe the format lended itself to more of a light charcuterie than anything filling.
anoushkaprasad's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.5