Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow

Author: Yuval Noah Harari

Rating: ⭐ 1/5

Date Read: 2018/04/05

Pages: 450

This may have been the worst work of purported nonfiction I have ever read. I actually described this book to a colleague by comparing it to a conversation between a group of smart people who each just took a large bump of cocaine. It’s impassioned, but rambling, filled with speculation but lacking any coherent argument. In short, it’s a mess.

Generally, I dislike appeals to authority, but I feel I should preface this by saying that I am an expert in cognitive science, and I’ve been working with data for well over a decade. Unfortunately, the way cognitive science research is presented in this book is not grounded within the scope of the empirical findings. Indeed, I often found myself scratching my head trying to figure out how Harari got from, say, Gazzaniga’s research on split-brain patients to the idea that we’re all going to be ruled by computer-algorithm overlords and rich cyborgs.

The main problem is that Harari writes as if his ideas are grounded in reality, when, in truth, they’re pure fiction. If you’re interested in speculative futurism, go watch Star Trek or read The Expanse. And, if you’re looking for a discussion of the future grounded in current scientific research, do yourself a favor and give this incoherent piece of drivel a hard pass.