Ideas of Yuval Noah Harari, by Theme

[Israeli, fl. 2014, Lecturer World History, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.]

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1. Philosophy / B. History of Ideas / 5. Later European Thought
20678 The Scientific Revolution was the discovery of our own ignorance
20686 For millenia people didn't know how to convert one type of energy into another
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 4. External Goods / c. Wealth
20692 Money does produce happiness, but only up to a point
24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 1. A People / c. A unified people
20663 If a group is bound by gossip, the natural size is 150 people
24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 2. Population / a. Human population
20677 Since 1500 human population has increased fourteenfold, and consumption far more
20688 People 300m tons; domesticated animals 700m tons; larger wild animals 100m tons
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 1. Purpose of a State
20674 The Nazi aim was to encourage progressive evolution, and avoid degeneration
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 5. Culture
20679 We stabilise societies with dogmas, either of dubious science, or of non-scientific values
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / b. Liberal individualism
20690 The state fostered individualism, to break the power of family and community
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 7. Communitarianism / a. Communitarianism
20689 In 1750 losing your family and community meant death
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 11. Capitalism
20682 The main rule of capitalism is that all other goods depend on economic growth
20681 The sacred command of capitalism is that profits must be used to increase production
20683 The progress of capitalism depends entirely on the new discoveries and gadgets of science
20687 In capitalism the rich invest, and the rest of us go shopping
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 4. Free market
20685 No market is free of political bias, and markets need protection of their freedoms
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 5. Freedom of lifestyle
20693 Freedom may work against us, as individuals can choose to leave, and make fewer commitments
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 1. War / e. Peace
20691 Real peace is the implausibility of war (and not just its absence)
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 4. Taxation
20684 Financing is increasingly through credit rather than taxes; people prefer investing to taxation
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / d. Study of history
20675 The more you know about history, the harder it becomes to explain
20676 History teaches us that the present was not inevitable, and shows us the possibilities
28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 1. Monotheism
20671 In order to explain both order and evil, a single evil creator is best, but no one favours that
29. Religion / A. Polytheistic Religion / 1. Animism
20664 Animism is belief that every part of nature is aware and feeling, and can communicate
29. Religion / A. Polytheistic Religion / 2. Greek Polytheism
20666 Most polytheist recognise one supreme power or law, behind the various gods
20667 Polytheism is open-minded, and rarely persecutes opponents
20665 Mythologies are usual contracts with the gods, exchanging devotion for control of nature
29. Religion / A. Polytheistic Religion / 4. Dualist Religion
20669 Dualist religions see everything as a battleground of good and evil forces
20673 Manichaeans and Gnostics: good made spirit, evil made flesh
20670 Dualist religions say the cosmos is a battleground, so can’t explain its order
29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 1. Monotheistic Religion
20668 Monotheism appeared in Egypt in 1350 BCE, when the god Aten was declared supreme