Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, a writer, and a popular 'public intellectual'. He rose to fame with Sapiens (2014), his popular science book that sought to outline a 'History of Humankind' and followed this up with a more future-focused sequel, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016). More recently, he's been converting his insights into a format targeted at younger people with Unstoppable Us: How Humans Took Over the World (2022). In general, Harari is a go-to public intellectual for people looking for big ideas, thoughts on global events, and how we might avoid catastrophe. He has been a consistent figure on the interview and public lecture circuit and, with his secular message, seems an ideal candidate for Gurometeratical analysis.
Harari also has some alter egos. He is a high-ranking villain in the globalist pantheon for InfoWars-style conspiracy theorists, with plans that involve us all eating bugs and uploading our consciousness to the Matrix. Alternatively, for (some) historians and philosophers, he is a shallow pretender, peddling inaccurate summaries of complex histories and tricky philosophical insights. For others, he is a neoliberal avatar offering apologetics for exploitative capitalist and multinational bodies.
So, who is right? Is he a bug-obsessed villain plotting to steal our precious human souls or a mild-mannered academic promoting the values of meditation, historical research, and moderation?
Join Matt and Chris in this episode to find out and learn other important things, such as what vampires should spend their time doing, whether money is 'real', and how to respond respectfully to critical feedback.
Links
Interview with Liam Bright on Scientific Orthodoxy, Reform Efforts & DTG's Philosophy
Interview with Virginia Heffernan on Edge, the dangers of Scientism, & Culture Wars
Robert Wright: A Cosmic Journey Across the Bob-o-verse
Interview: Debunking (Antivaxx) Funk with Dr Dan Wilson
Special: Joe Rogan 'Sorry, not Sorry'
*Patreon Preview* Malone & McCullough: Gurometer Ratings
Robert Malone & Peter McCullough: A litany of untruths
*Patreon Preview* Decoding Academia #2: False Positive Psychology
Joe Rogan: Just an average Joe?
Special: Guru Right to Reply with Chris Williamson
Decoding Academia: Matt on his ENTIRE research career *Patreon Sample*
Brené Brown: Matt and Chris courageously embrace their vulnerability
Decoding Academia: Chris on Religion & Ritual *Patreon Sample*
Interview with Annie Kelly on Vaccines, Conspiracies, & Misinformation
Special: Interview with Sam Harris on Gurus, Tribalism & the Culture War
Mikhaila Peterson: The Marvelous World of Meat
Interview with Stuart Neil on SARS CoV-2
Special Episode: Interview with Stuart Ritchie on Hunter Gatherers in the 21st Century, covid skeptics, and bad science
Jordan Hall: Sensemaking, or the superficial pitter-patter on the neocortex?
Special Episode: Welcome to Weinstein World with special guest David Pizarro
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