Why fascism is so tempting -- and how your data could power it | Yuval Noah Harari

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4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 6 February 2020

⏱️ 18 minutes

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Summary

In a profound talk about technology and power, author and historian Yuval Noah Harari explains the important difference between fascism and nationalism -- and what the consolidation of our data means for the future of democracy. Appearing as a hologram live from Tel Aviv, Harari warns that the greatest danger that now faces liberal democracy is that the revolution in information technology will make dictatorships more efficient and capable of control. "The enemies of liberal democracy hack our feelings of fear and hate and vanity, and then use these feelings to polarize and destroy," Harari says. "It is the responsibility of all of us to get to know our weaknesses and make sure they don't become weapons." (Followed by a brief conversation with TED curator Chris Anderson)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to a special archive presentation of TED Talks Daily.
0:04.9	This TED Talk features historian and author Yuval Noah Harari.
0:09.6	It's recorded live at TED, 2018.
0:12.7	And to hear more from Yuval, make sure to listen to the TED interview with the head of TED, Chris Anderson.
0:20.2	Hello, everyone.
0:22.8	It's a bit funny because I did write that humans will become digital,
0:28.0	but I didn't think it will happen so fast and that it will happen to me.
0:33.1	But here I am as a digital avatar, and here you are.
0:37.3	So let's start.
0:39.5	And let's start with a question.
0:42.4	How many fascists are there in the audience today?
0:47.1	Well, it's a bit difficult to say because we've forgotten what fascism is.
0:54.0	People now use the term fascist
0:56.4	as a kind of general purpose abuse,
0:59.7	or they confuse fascism with nationalism.
1:04.4	So let's take a few minutes to clarify
1:07.3	what fascism actually is,
1:09.9	and how is it different from nationalism?
1:13.5	The milder forms of nationalism have been among the most benevolent of human creations.
1:20.7	Nations are communities of millions of strangers who don't really know each other.
1:27.1	For example, I don't know the 8 million people who share my Israeli citizenship.
1:33.7	But thanks to nationalism, we can all care about one another and cooperate effectively.
	...

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