Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1.05k reviews for:
Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
Yuval Noah Harari
4.06 AVERAGE
1.05k reviews for:
Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
Yuval Noah Harari
4.06 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
Sooo much pertinent information relating to the world today. Excellent, but heady topic.
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
informative
medium-paced
To say that this book disappointed me would imply that i had some expectations going in. I did not. Yet, I am still disappointed. Once again, the king of Big History and one of nonfiction’s biggest darlings has come out with a new book. He has covered the past, the future, and the present. Now, he is covering the history information networks for some reason (that reason being the rise of AI). Once again, Harari bestows upon us a masterpiece of misinformation, bad faith arguments, and false dichotomies.
First, Harari uses bad sources for his writing. He quotes books like the Gulag Archipelago which is known for its embellishment and exaggeration of history. What is shocking is the fact that this is a well documented issue with that book. If Harari is willing to use flawed sources that openly, what am I supposed to think of his more obscure sources? It makes it hard to trust anything he says. It is ironic because Harari repeats the famous aphorism about falsehood spreading quickly and truth spreading slowly.
Harari also misrepresents many positions that aren’t his. He sees that there are two typical positions on information which he calls the “naive” position and the “populist” position. Of course, he is neither naive nor a populist because he is an intellectual and we should listen to what he says. His view of information isn’t any less naive than the one he criticizes. He says that information is the connection between things, it is “whatever connects different points into a network”. This is put into contrast with what Harari considers the false notion of information being a representation of reality. He says that DNA does not represent reality because to represent reality means that there is a possibility of not accurately doing so. Since DNA cannot fail (nor succeed) in representing reality and DNA contains information, then information must not be a representation of reality. This is possibly one of the weakest arguments ever because his own example does not even fit his theory. In what way does DNA connect different points into a network? Take any other bit of (nonhuman) information. The fact that the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter is pi is a piece of information. It does not connect different points into a network unless you want to argue that a circle (circumference) is a point and a diameter is another point and they are connected by pi. But then at this rate you reach other issues. Pi itself is a piece of information because it is a number. So is it a point in the network or a link? Of course, Harari does not answer this question or elaborate on his position because he would rather sound smart than actually be smart. His technique is simple and you can use it for yourself if you like:
1. Create a false dichotomy between a false position that no one holds (information is a representation of reality) and your own position (information is what connects points in a network).
2. Disprove the false claim (that no one claims) with ease, showing how intelligent you are. Bonus points if you’re smug while doing it.
3. Since there are only two possible positions (because you said so), and the other position is wrong, you must be right.
4. Become a bestselling author.
Finally, I want to criticize Harari’s principal point from this book. He warns that if AI and other powerful information technology falls into the wrong hands, it could be used to create a totalitarian society. I think that this fear is based in science fiction cliches. As a professional neoliberal (who spoke twice at Davos), Harari worries about a 1984-like future which neoliberals always love worrying about. They are so concerned about a potential totalitarian society that they ignore the institutional decay already around them. He neglects to mention that the nefarious effects of these AIs and other technologies are already there. People are getting dependent on chatGPT and other generative AIs and they don’t even understand their limitations. These technologies are unregulated and have eroded the meaning of truth. Indeed, we are living in a post truth world. The fact that Harari does not see it is concerning, especially as one of the world’s leading intellectuals. But in a way, it isn’t shocking as he is also one of the world’s leading sources of misinformation. Now the question is whether or not this misinformation is intentional or not. I believe that in some sense it is. Harari is clearly trying to promote a neoliberal Silicon Valley aligned agenda (which is also obvious in his previous books). It doesn’t surprise me anymore to read his nonsensical arguments or to see a bad source in his references. What surprises me is the amount of mainstream attention and acclaim he keeps getting. It is almost at the point of conspiracy.
In the end, this book (and Harari’s bibliography) serves a great reminder to always be vigilant. It doesn’t matter if a book is written by a PhD historian that is also a bestselling author. It doesn’t matter if a book is recommended by Obama or Oprah, or whomever. It doesn’t even matter that a fact is written in a book and is supported by a reference. It can still be wrong. The most important thing is to stay aware that there are actors in the world who might deceive us, intentionally or unintentionally, while appearing to be a source of knowledge and wisdom. There is a plague in modern nonfiction and this book is only one of its manifestations. Always double check things and always be critical. As for Nexus, it is not worth your time. If you want a book on AI and its potential risks, read Human Compatible by Russell instead. 2/5
First, Harari uses bad sources for his writing. He quotes books like the Gulag Archipelago which is known for its embellishment and exaggeration of history. What is shocking is the fact that this is a well documented issue with that book. If Harari is willing to use flawed sources that openly, what am I supposed to think of his more obscure sources? It makes it hard to trust anything he says. It is ironic because Harari repeats the famous aphorism about falsehood spreading quickly and truth spreading slowly.
Harari also misrepresents many positions that aren’t his. He sees that there are two typical positions on information which he calls the “naive” position and the “populist” position. Of course, he is neither naive nor a populist because he is an intellectual and we should listen to what he says. His view of information isn’t any less naive than the one he criticizes. He says that information is the connection between things, it is “whatever connects different points into a network”. This is put into contrast with what Harari considers the false notion of information being a representation of reality. He says that DNA does not represent reality because to represent reality means that there is a possibility of not accurately doing so. Since DNA cannot fail (nor succeed) in representing reality and DNA contains information, then information must not be a representation of reality. This is possibly one of the weakest arguments ever because his own example does not even fit his theory. In what way does DNA connect different points into a network? Take any other bit of (nonhuman) information. The fact that the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter is pi is a piece of information. It does not connect different points into a network unless you want to argue that a circle (circumference) is a point and a diameter is another point and they are connected by pi. But then at this rate you reach other issues. Pi itself is a piece of information because it is a number. So is it a point in the network or a link? Of course, Harari does not answer this question or elaborate on his position because he would rather sound smart than actually be smart. His technique is simple and you can use it for yourself if you like:
1. Create a false dichotomy between a false position that no one holds (information is a representation of reality) and your own position (information is what connects points in a network).
2. Disprove the false claim (that no one claims) with ease, showing how intelligent you are. Bonus points if you’re smug while doing it.
3. Since there are only two possible positions (because you said so), and the other position is wrong, you must be right.
4. Become a bestselling author.
Finally, I want to criticize Harari’s principal point from this book. He warns that if AI and other powerful information technology falls into the wrong hands, it could be used to create a totalitarian society. I think that this fear is based in science fiction cliches. As a professional neoliberal (who spoke twice at Davos), Harari worries about a 1984-like future which neoliberals always love worrying about. They are so concerned about a potential totalitarian society that they ignore the institutional decay already around them. He neglects to mention that the nefarious effects of these AIs and other technologies are already there. People are getting dependent on chatGPT and other generative AIs and they don’t even understand their limitations. These technologies are unregulated and have eroded the meaning of truth. Indeed, we are living in a post truth world. The fact that Harari does not see it is concerning, especially as one of the world’s leading intellectuals. But in a way, it isn’t shocking as he is also one of the world’s leading sources of misinformation. Now the question is whether or not this misinformation is intentional or not. I believe that in some sense it is. Harari is clearly trying to promote a neoliberal Silicon Valley aligned agenda (which is also obvious in his previous books). It doesn’t surprise me anymore to read his nonsensical arguments or to see a bad source in his references. What surprises me is the amount of mainstream attention and acclaim he keeps getting. It is almost at the point of conspiracy.
In the end, this book (and Harari’s bibliography) serves a great reminder to always be vigilant. It doesn’t matter if a book is written by a PhD historian that is also a bestselling author. It doesn’t matter if a book is recommended by Obama or Oprah, or whomever. It doesn’t even matter that a fact is written in a book and is supported by a reference. It can still be wrong. The most important thing is to stay aware that there are actors in the world who might deceive us, intentionally or unintentionally, while appearing to be a source of knowledge and wisdom. There is a plague in modern nonfiction and this book is only one of its manifestations. Always double check things and always be critical. As for Nexus, it is not worth your time. If you want a book on AI and its potential risks, read Human Compatible by Russell instead. 2/5
dark
informative
medium-paced
challenging
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced