Yuval Noah Harari Thinks Life Is Meaningless and Amazing | People I (Mostly) Admire | Episode 84
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- Опубліковано 8 січ 2023
- Yuval Noah Harari has a knack for finding the profound in the obvious. His book Sapiens recounts the history of mankind, discussing recurring themes like famine, plague, and war as well as global events like the agricultural revolution, the Black Death, and the First World War.
In this episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, hosted by Steve Levitt, Harari asks whether Neanderthals had souls and explains why money is fiction, traffic can be mind-blowing, and politicians have a right to say stupid things in private.
This episode was originally published July 22, 2022.
For a full transcript, resources, and more, visit: freak.ws/3S4O7XJ
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I love Yuval. He's the only person in the world I'd want to meet. His books changed my life. And the fact that he really cares about the suffering of animals really touches me, because that's my heartache, too.
see also: Martha Nussbaum
Clearly touched
Cares nothing for the suffering of actual humans tho.
Wow, you need to do more research and you might just find out how meaningless and full of logical contradictions his books are.
😂😂
Our lives are without meaning to the universe (sorry for the reality check to religious believers), but they can be full of meaning to ourselves. Meaning is an individual reality. You cannot "look for" and "find" meaning, because it is not existing externally, predefined, out there somewhere to be found. You *define* your own meaning, whatever appeals to your heart, if you can simply get in touch with your own heart and have enough ability to pursue your sense of meaning.
To see how our lives do not have meaning or value to the universe, one need only to take an honest look at the caprice of life, if your psyche can withstand it, without retreat into magical thinking and denial.
"Define your own.." - just these three words will inevitably turn any order into self-destructive mess..
If the universe creates conditions in which individuals within it can find or live life with meaning, then the universe has meaning.
@@vladdzedik7308 great point, in psychology that is defined as pathological narcissism. The meanings of the stories of those lives are always tragic.
Welcome to depression!!
You need to read theistic vedanta, and assimilate the truth of it.
I think what captivates the readers of Noah is not the mundane line of exciting story-telling, rather the abundance of intellectual sparkles that shine the path of the story that he leads us through. Sheer sparkles of intelligence mesmerises the audiences, the way the stars in the dark night sky do; and Noah's intelligence does it the most.
hello chatgpt?
Amazing interview!
Thanks.I have read his Sapien.very impressive and revealing.want to read it again.The only book which has impressed and influenced me the most. I wish him a healthy,productive and long life.
Amazing interview! Thanks!
Wonderful interview thanks
Great interview! Loved Sapiens!!!
i have really enjoyed the conversation. keep on inspiring us. more fire
I was simply delighted to hear the thoughts ! More so after finding them mostly in conformity of Advaita philosophy.
Thank you for this interest podcast. Tuvalu perspective is often illuminating. Two things though; firstly I believe we do have a purpose - it is to evolve into the best version of ourselves we can be. Secondly I believe we should expect our leaders to be authentic and responsible both privately and publicly.
We certainly don’t want to be entrusting the nuclear codes to inauthentic and irresponsible leaders just putting on a show.
Nurturing these qualities is part of our evolution as a species. Our very existence depends upon it!
Spanish Influenza with origin in Kansas by the way. “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”.
😢⁷8
Even called it "Spanish."
2019 world crime.
Mentiras anglosajonas que se cuidaron mucho de evitar con el COVID. Es muy triste que Harari, con todo el eco que tienen sus palabras, repita esa mentira once and again. Más triste aún es que muchos españoles la denominen así a estas alturas.
Jews don't care
“Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
I have subscribed to your channel because of your book "Freakonomics" and the guests you have. Good job so far. Keep it up.
Welcome aboard!
@@Freakonomics..."comrade".
Thank you❤
In another interview he says that story telling is our superpower. Then he tells us "not to view the universe as a story" that "the universe does not function as a story". But the universe is a story! It's a slow process of evolution. To think our ancestors have evaded war, famine, and disease OR to think that our ancestors sacrificed everything just to raise and protect their children, to try and give them a better life than themselves. This has to be the most romantic and meaningful story that we have. The hero's journey! Not to mention this story takes place on a giant space rock we call Earth which has its own incredible story that takes place within our galaxy. And the Galaxy has its OWN incredible story. All these stories are so deeply intertwined like layers to a song.
I adore Yuval.
I am a professor of economics and now i got a new perspective, after listening this episode.
Help a lot to see this world from different perspective .
Thank you for a great podcast, loved the discussion. You must have Yuval again.
Great interview! I have read all Yuval's books and listened to many of his public speeches. I was pleasantly surprised to hear new thoughts in some of his answers.
Beyond human stories and what science has revealed to us, the cosmos has more mysterious and fascinating secrets and surprises. For me, that's what makes our existence both meaningless and amazing.
I am 65M Indian, highly influenced by Yuval's writings and speeches. Practice meditation too, but limited to 1 hour a day.
I never find it easy, with a consistent wandering mind, body aches all over and an urge to reengage in life activities.
Good tips from Yuval to engage more in my meditative practices.
I know a few righteous Indian politicians making impactful visionary statements and aspiring actions in the present with hope. But I also believe that there is no limit to human stupidity.
When I learned that every atom that makes up my body was made in the explosion of a star and that the same amino acids I need to metabolize are in yummy plants like corn I realized, for the first time in my life, that I belong. Belonging in the Universe is the best realization I ever had.
Excellent interview. Do interesting
Wow, I must read his book now.
Is one of your best interviews. Speechless. Everything that you touch, I not necessarily agree, but made me think deeply in any questions you made. Great podcast. Thanks
this guy is evil! research more!
Yuval's clarity is second to none. I am more and more uplifted and liberated when listening to this beautiful and significant soul. He is much more than a mere sapien!
Flow,&Accent Trade marks of Yuval Noah Harari!
I remember the day I picked up Sapiens from Barnes and Noble, I just could not put it down. I have Homo as well but it is not as profound. He is an enticing speaker as well.
Interesting how his critics say his arguments do not stand up to evidence based analysis, but what they don’t say is how he encourages people to think. Often academics shut thinking down. The real talent Noah has is to expand our thinking and that is worth so much more than the next opaque academic masterpiece! Keep it coming dude! And thanks. 😎
Because the Academics want to be the conversation instead of being apart of a conversation.
@@mosijahi3096I agree with that!
22:40
Story atau cerita yang berputar putar di kepala tidaklah buruk, tapi kita perlu waktu yang tepat pula untuk menggunakannya seperti saat bersosial, berekonomi/berbisnis, bernegosiasi.
Namun saat sendiri kita bisa menggunakan meditasi untuk mencoba melihat realita
Bring back Yuval
"Meditation is a effort to connect to reality by escaping from stories we are so used to" . I always thought it was the other way around...WOW!
Yuval Noah Harari thanks for give so much information about the today situation in Israel. I know that also you have a lot of pain.
Thank you ❤️💫
Hell yeah! Bring him back.
What Mr. Harari says about readers focusing in on what he considered the most banal and widely known things as being, to them, the most significant, fits perfectly with Gore Vidal's take on history in his wonderful novel, Julian. The Roman Emperor is writing his (fictional) memoirs, and almost apologizes to the reader for relating "what everybody already knows" because, in a hundred years or a thousand, will they be known commonly? What is common knowledge to specialists in history or human evolution may be both essential and, to those specialists, seemingly banal. Thank you for your videos.
Those three books by Harari are absolutely unsurpassable. Beware of the fall Yuval.
Amazing!
The absurd man lives without relinquishing any of his certainty... he stares at death with passionate attention and this fascination liberates him.
Novel you should meditate on suffering, and see if you can make your self enjoy it! And write a new book on how you change perseption on suffering thru meditation! Best seller for sure! Iam sure the whole world would need a copy!
The mind couldn't be with reality for even 10s 22:10
Pikiran selalu melayang di
1. Masa lalu
2. Masa depan
3. Seharusnya begini
It's not about "suffering" rather than "meaning". Meaning makes suffering bearable if not irrelevant.
I admire some people globally.Noah is really one of them.
Speak for yourself, my life has meaning and it's actually perfect 🥰 💞 👌
My respect for Noah has really gone up after hearing this podcast. Thank you so much for getting him.
So you didn't respect him so much after you read Sapiens?
Sapiens is a masterpiece, I believe. It really is. Beautifully written, and complete.
Full of jokes. There is a reason why he was unknown before klaus schwab bought 23 million of copies
@@jacobking3211
Stop!
Just stop your nonsense preachings. Believe a zombie, whose supposedly wake up in his 3000 years old coffin, and come back to Earth, as you wish.
But, really…I have no desire, nor intention to spend my time with utterly disgusting lies of a brainwashed dude.
Got it?
Fine.
Sapiens was a 're -hashed , plagiarization of the works of various other ORIGINAL (!) thinkers going back to the time of the Pre - Socratics ! Anyone who
has read widely in Philosophy / History of ideas knows that. Those who have Zero knowledge
think he's a Genius !! Sums up the low level of education today !!
"Faith is beyond our thinking" !
Life is so simple and meaningful.
Seems like inherent optimism bias and terror management theory will always help regardless of ideologies such as antinatalism based on consent and efilism.
@@uvwuvw-ol3fg i am living it happily.
He said question is about "suffering" not meaning. This is exactly what Hinduism says, accurately speaking "sanatan dharma" and Buddhism too. Not sure any other religion talks about same too. Let me know
Suffering is when one clings onto greed and expectations. It was explained by The Buddha. When one let’s go of clinging (not attachment) one’s mind is free. When one let’s go of expectations the hurt isn’t there.
@@llbb1386 duality is suffering, non-duality is liberation
@@priyamgarg9488 yes. Duality is the fluctuation between Happiness and suffering. Sentient beings are not slats happy and not always sad. The state of calm comes when the roots of suffering is identified and addressed 🙏🏽
@@llbb1386 absolutely, identification of suffering/problem itself gives you sense of calmness because innately we want to do right thing, we do want to walk on truth. Once we know, we disintegrate it from ourselves.
The practices of Hindu/Sanatana dharma are too objective and material oriented around asking favors or returns through all conceivable rituals, often bribing. Lately it is hijacked for political purposes exploring communal differences and establishing electroral majority in democracies.
While very few take it for spiritual enlightenment. Though marginalized, but expected to defend it in speeches and debates wherever required.
Meaning is a story (a myth). It is Personal, Proximal, and Temporal. Reality is something else. To understand this is to be free.
Wow, such essential sense he speaks. Must order the book. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
Wisdom my eye !!
But it's all lies!!
read you won't be same person
@@shahrock6969 ua-cam.com/video/APjbroGjtbU/v-deo.html
This little speech is more important than the creation of doubt and philosophical bull
Trust me it is tedious and not worth reading unless it will be your first book you read on this topic. LOL
For those really interested in deepening the subject, read existentialism, authors like Albert Camus and Sastre
I do not think life is meaningless, it depends upon your attitude towards why your existence matters.
...and how much Prozac you take....
@@ceeemm1901 I don’t take any medication except for vitamins and a half antipsychotic for sleeping. I used to smoke weed, and came to the realization that it was a waste of my time and life. I drank too much alcohol and I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t stand the feeling of having my mind dulled by any substances anymore. I like my who I am and I am content with my accomplishments in my life and I would never want to be on drugs again. Figure it out for yourself man.
Mankind stands in Awe, behold...
The book
I feel tho tho blethed to be alive today, when ...the book was written
If the Cosmos is eternal does it have a purpose, and what would that purpose be?
Answer: The Cosmos is eternal and it has no purpose but what you give it.
That is what you think coz you do not know better...
But on our journey through many lifetimes we will eventually find out that life and Creation does have exakt purpose and what that purpose is...
Everything has purpose.
Just because our birdbrained consciousnesses cannot grasp it fully, that does not mean it doesn't exist.
This self-centered view of "I do not understand thus it cannot be" is incredibly telling for a lot of people to walk this earth.
Haven’t heard of him before so really glad to have listened. Great podcast.
People like stories and manya religion and politics is based on it. Life is suffering and a way to overcome it is the purpose... Buddha said 2500 years ago!
He expresses simple things ina simple manner and sounds profound... but to a confused mind simplicity is far fetched.
Disagree with the opinion that life is meaningless, but that’s what life is about: to have dissenting opinions and still be able to live together in a civil society
"The Dawn of Everything: The New History of Humanity" is a far deeper dive than this one. Harari skims the surface.
If you like Harari's, then take the next step.
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is one of the best nonfiction book of all times.
You don’t read much ?
@@anialiandr Enough for my taste and preferences.
I thought " Quotes of Homer Simpson " was more original and
insightful . Have you read it ?
Thank you for this interview! He is absolutely sane, deep thinker and brings out the accountability for human behavior that is real in todays world of often unrealistic expectations.
Please bring him back again soon and others like him. Thank you again for this podcast.
This man is a eugenics enthusiast. At one early Davos great reset conference he & the others were debated whether the human race needed to be be reduced to 200 million or 500 million. He said that with the coming advances, most people would not be needed; and most people could not justify their existence. I assume this “admirer” knows this & agrees. Horrible person. Even Hitler never imagined something like that.
The holocausts of the future will involve more people just because of the population explosion. Also the reasons for them have become more plentiful, remember the third Reich was helped to power by Versailles and affected only one country, just imagine what resource depletion, climate change and population density can do on a global scale.
Smartest guy in the room
Don't know why he went off into completely unscientific weeds about politicians, but I do want to know what my government representatives are really like. Absolutely.
This is so weird. The people who have written sound like they are in love with this guy. 👽
For the meaning (purpose) of life, simply look at molecular self-assembly manifest in active DNA: The meaning of life is to live. Large complex dendritic networks (i.e. brains) get lost in so many questions and uncertainties. Simpler brains of lower life forms simply live.
So if money is trust, who is the more trustworthy, the person who hoards all the money and appoints themselves most trustworthy? Or is it the person who gives the trust away.
“Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless …….
Everything under the sun is meaningless “
Ecclesiastes of Solomon
Yes.! Mr " Genius " Hariri has just
discovered tbat....apparently ??!?
“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes of Solomon 12:13-14
Loved his conversation on Jews ignoring the 10 commandments n AI taking control of human in all walks of life
While it's true there aren't any poems or novels about the Spanish Flu, there is certainly a novel or two out there about COVID-19. I wrote one of the pandemic novels, Love on Lockdown. Perhaps you wrote one of the others.
Create your own meaningful life
Harari wrote his first book on human history because he wanted to write down every word for his lecture for his Israeli audience. All books starts with limited audience in mind. 2:27
Life is empty and meaningless, and it’s empty and meaningless that it’s empty and meaningless. - Werner Erhard, in the 1960s
21:20
Cobalah buang semua cerita yang terus berputar dikepalamu untuk melihat "apa yang terjadi"
(and amazing)
I experienced clinical death in vinmec hospital for 1 + 1/2 day in 2016 and used to be staying in a Cambodian cemetery yard for 2 weeks in 1983 January while was in Vietnamese army against Khme rouge, and conclude that human beings have no soul => there is no ghost at all
Talk about yourself. You may have no soul at all and ghosts are not somethnig anyone can see in specific places.
Life IS! To imagine it otherwise is hubristic.
Harari - The embodiment of materiailsm, a body looking for meaning and failing miserably in the process.
He's a God apparently
You sound like a bot
Jesus said: I am the light of the world whoever follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.
Money isn’t just trust. If no one works or creates, then money is nothing, therefore, money is work and products created. Money is simply a paper of trade. The actual true currency is trade of services and products. The way Noah portrays money isn’t based on reality. If money didn’t exist the trade of ideas, services and products will always exist as long as we do. Deleting the value of money, nations, humanity etc… and concentrating on suffering, manipulates the value of the experience of life. The energy of human life reverberates throughout the universe. Every single person ever born is of huge importance and impacts the fabric of our universe. Be BIG with your ideas and values! You are not a small unimportant speck- YOU ARE THE ENERGY AND CONSCIOUSNESS OF LIFE ITSELF!
Listening this is like finding a bridge between byron Katie's work and Buddhism vs religions.6
GREED - IGNORANCE - ANGER
The Three ROOT CAUSES of
SUFFERING
Would perhaps faith be a better word for money than trust (?)
...mine is the 113th comment... reading down the previous ones, I don't find any specifically directed to the content of the conversation... which is, for me, rather disturbing...
Really enjoyed this! Have him on again! I don't understand why there are so many negative comments...
He’s on the Q-anon groupthink hate-list.
Yes matrix keeps the upper hand
It is meaningless we simply look for purpose.
it's not meaningless
we are born to live and inherit natural ways of living
it's meaningless only to all these taken out from nature living whole life in pain in I human environment 😂😂😂
I always had a feeling that life had no meaning….we are nothing, insignificant,
Life is just a sudden brief eruption….But I have to say I don’t know if it’s liberating or deeply sad
It depends. If you are full of ego and have a highly developed sense of self-worth and self-importance, then it’ll be deeply sad.
It’s a choice
You sound like you are in despair or very confused. There are trillions of reasons why you shouldn't exist, but you do. You are here because of utter randomness. Enjoy yourself.
It’s both
I find it useful to think in terms of purpose as opposed to meaning . My actions, speech and attitudes are amenable to intervention in the direction of promoting less suffering and more happiness in others . This seems deeply purposeful and for me is enough . To strive for some ultimate meaning Even if it was a riddle that could be solved , if the well-being of living creatures isn’t central to this “ meaning “ then for me it would have no utility in ways that matters so would be rendered meaningless .
The book , Altruism was very useful in fostering my alignment towards this purpose.
If life is meaningless one can’t really logically say that it is amazing (or horrible for that matter) but just that he experiences it as amazing or horrible. If life is objectively meaningless (and that by the way would be impossible to prove) it does not make sense to say that it is this or that because, then, it is nothing in and of itself. One could only talk about his experience/ feelings with something that has no objective quality or substance. Face value, to say that it is meaningless and amazing (or anything) is a contradiction. I had to get this out of my system, now I will watch the video
The author's mistake (I mean the author of the Sapiens) is that the Universe doesn't care about us. It does! The point is that there is freedom as the main principle of any process in the Universe. Freedom and evolution (as the manifestation of learning from experience). And these two principles cannot be violated. So, if a natural disaster happens (because it must happen due to the previous development of natural processes) and life disappears as a result of this disaster, life will always get a chance to get started from the very beginning. This possibility to get started is the Universe's care about us. Thus the Universe (or God, if you wish) always tries to make the best choice without violating freedom. And we are today very close to understanding these universal "divine" principles inside us, since we are the brightest and most profound manifestation of them. The question is what processes will gain the victory this time: the destruction (as with the case of a natuaral diaster) or the unification, and if unification, whether it iwll be TRUE unification? Any of these may win because of freedom and evolution.
Thank you for this amazing discussion!😊
Your life is not important to him.
Your life is meaningless to him.
But of course his life is important.
He thinks he can turn people into AI driven automatons. The guy is nuts.
@@Mayhzon- He is an evil degenerate little demon who will burn in hell.
Yuval, how come you do consider so little the existence of Kadosh Baruch Hu. This leaves me speechless.
Yuval is original and surprising. Definitely chat to him again
" ORIGINAL " !?!?....try reading more? Your ignorance is astonishing !!
∆
"Life becomes truly meaningless when one is half conscious & at the same time it's truly amazing & beautiful when one is fully conscious of own self & beyond !"
Thankyou 'God bless ❤️ 🙏
My question is. Who do he say created him. Who gave him life. Who provides the air he breathes. Who holds the stars, sun, and moon in the sky. Believe me and a lot of people. There is a God who created all that is. Blessings my friends.
This person understands The Human Condition less than any person ever has.
Guns Germs and Steel a great book as are all jared diamonds books
meaningless + amazing = meaningfree (it's the emptiness of budda)
meaningful + boring = meaningless
meaningless + boring = where is the player of your life
meaningful + amazing = meta-meaningful... if you're wise, you may not choose the foolish choices.
Falling in love with Nirmala was very easy but frankly speaking it had no meaning Bcoz anything worth having is difficult even love
Lives of successful authors are amazing and ordinary readers meaningless.
End worldwide problems if we eliminate borders
The borders are just abstract concepts. Amazing how the mind keeps us prisoner.