Yuval Noah Harari on the myths we need to survive

Intelligence Squared

Arts, News, Society & Culture, News Commentary

4.2 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 September 2015

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Myths. We tend to think they’re a thing of the past, fabrications that early humans needed to believe in because their understanding of the world was so meagre. But what if modern civilisation were itself based on a set of myths? This is the big question posed by Professor Yuval Noah Harari, author of 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind', which has become one of the most talked about bestsellers of recent years. In this exclusive appearance for Intelligence Squared, Harari argued that all political orders are based on useful fictions which have allowed groups of humans, from ancient Mesopotamia through to the Roman empire and modern capitalist societies, to cooperate in numbers far beyond the scope of any other species. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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1:07.0	Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Yvonne Noah Harare. Can we begin just with outlining what you see as the framework of the book itself and to me it's all
1:27.2	positive around three key revolutions. Tell us a little bit about each of those. Well, 70,000 years ago, human beings, homo sapiens were basically just insignificant apes in a corner of Africa.
1:41.0	Not very different in their impact on the ecosystem from many other animals.
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