Want to learn the ideas in Homo Deus better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari here.

Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.

Video Summaries of Homo Deus

We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on Homo Deus, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Yuval Noah Harari.

1-Page Summary of Homo Deus

Overview

Humans have been at the center of this world since they were created. They are the most important species on earth, and their reign began with their inventive talents and consciousness. Religion and philosophy helped humans become even more powerful by placing them in a central role in creation.

With the rapid advancement of science and technology, computers and artificial intelligence, it seems like nothing can stop us. However, we might be digging our own graves with these advancements.

This passage explains how humans rose to power and became the dominant species on Earth. It also describes what threatens our dominance in the future.

You’ll also learn how scientists can make decisions for rats, as well as why liberalism and nationalism are religions.

Big Idea #1: What heights we scale! Humanity’s ambitions change by the day.

Humankind has always strived for progress and innovation. We have reached the moon and developed ways to improve our lives. However, as we advance, we must be careful not to harm ourselves or the environment. For example, in France between 1692 and 1694 there was a famine that killed about 2.5 million people (that’s 15 percent of the population). The Black Death pandemic also killed around 200 million people in Eurasia during 1330s (about 25 percent of its entire population).

There are many problems in the world, but we have mostly overcome hunger and disease. In fact, you’re more likely to die from obesity than starvation. This is because modern medicine has advanced so much that we measure our catastrophes differently now. For example, the Ebola epidemic of 2014 killed about 11,000 people worldwide—a lot less than diabetes (1.5 million deaths). Similarly, war is no longer a given; it’s an exceptional occurrence rather than something everyone fears every day.

Do these changes matter? Well, they mean that as a species we can adjust our goals. We can strive to live longer and be healthier. Even immortality is possible now because of modern medicine which has almost doubled our life expectancy. People are also happier and stronger than before thanks to technology such as ecstasy use that makes them feel good. That’s why some people think it’s possible for us to keep going higher with technology like bionic limbs controlled by the brain instead of the body alone.

Big Idea #2: Humans claimed superiority over animals and proved it through collective cooperation.

Humans are the most successful creatures on earth. However, we need to know where we came from if we want to continue being successful. What made us so powerful?

Humans have been domesticating animals for a long time. In fact, almost all of the world’s large animals are domesticated. The downside is that many animals suffer in captivity because they’re unable to move freely or survive on their own. For example, sows are confined to gestation crates and butchered when they can’t take it anymore. Most people find this acceptable, though; after all, it results in cheap meat for most people.

But what makes us think it’s okay to abuse animals like this?

Some people say that humans are different from other animals because we have a soul. However, there is no proof of such a thing existing, nor can we differentiate ourselves from animals through its existence.

Are animals less conscious than humans? We don’t know if human consciousness is different from animal consciousness. After all, science can’t explain what consciousness is or how it works.

It’s possible that we can approach world domination differently. We’re able to cooperate on a large scale, as evidenced by the last US election. 40 million people showed up and voted on an agreed day, abided by the same rules, and agreed to respect the results.