For the past 100,000 years, we, the species known as Homo sapiens, have amassed unparalleled power. Yet, despite our extraordinary discoveries, inventions, and conquests, we now find ourselves teetering on the edge of an existential crisis. The world is perilously close to ecological collapse, misinformation runs rampant, and we are hurtling toward the dawn of an era dominated by artificial intelligence—a new informational network that could spell our destruction. With all that we have achieved, why do we persist in self-destructive ways?
Nexus examines the flow of information throughout the course of human history, shedding light on how it has shaped our societies and the world we inhabit. From the primitive Stone Age to the canonization of sacred texts, the early modern witch hunts, the horrors of Stalinism and Nazism, and the rise of contemporary populism, Yuval Noah Harari invites us to explore the complex interplay between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He reflects on how various political systems and societies throughout history have manipulated information to serve their purposes—both benevolent and malignant. Additionally, he confronts the pressing dilemmas we now face as non-human intelligence threatens the very fabric of human existence.
Information, Harari argues, is neither simply the raw material of truth nor merely a weapon. Nexus explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes, offering a poignant rediscovery of our shared humanity.
