Yuval Noah Harari
Who was Yuval Noah Harari?
Israeli historian and bestselling author of 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind' and 'Homo Deus,' which have sold millions of copies worldwide. He is a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Yuval Noah Harari (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Yuval Noah Harari, born in 1976 in Kiryat Ata, Israel, is a medievalist, military historian, and bestselling author known for changing how people think about human history and future possibilities. He is a history professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and based his first book on his lectures. Although his academic background includes medieval and military history, he is widely recognized for making complex historical narratives accessible to general readers.
His breakthrough book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, came out in 2011. It started as a college world history course and discusses the cognitive revolution around 70,000 years ago when Homo sapiens developed language and structured societies. The book looks at how humans became dominant through the Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions, gaining control over their surroundings. This work made Harari a leading figure in popular science writing and sold millions of copies globally.
Building on the success of Sapiens, Harari released Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow in 2016, exploring the potential impacts of biotechnological progress and suggesting humanity might be overtaken by technology in a century. His third major book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, came out in 2018, followed by Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI in 2024. These works consistently cover topics like free will, consciousness, intelligence, happiness, suffering, and storytelling in human development.
In 2019, Harari and his husband, Itzik Yahav, started Sapienship, a social impact company aimed at promoting global responsibility and cooperation. The organization focuses on research, content creation, education, and policy papers dealing with technological challenges and the future world order. Although Harari has enjoyed significant commercial success, some in academic circles criticize his work for broad generalizations and speculative ideas about human history and future paths.
Before Fame
Harari grew up in Kiryat Ata, which influenced how he views human societies and history. He studied medieval and military history at both Jesus College and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This academic background set the stage for his later work in crafting big-picture historical narratives.
His rise to fame started with his teaching at Hebrew University, where his undergraduate world history lectures drew a lot of attention. These lectures, which aimed to cover the full scope of human development, became the basis for his book "Sapiens." His knack for turning complex historical events into easy-to-understand stories set him apart from traditional academic historians and paved the way for his success as a popular science writer.
Key Achievements
- Authored the international bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, selling millions of copies worldwide
- Published the successful sequel trilogy including Homo Deus and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
- Established himself as a leading public intellectual on human history and technological futures
- Founded Sapienship, a social impact company promoting global responsibility and cooperation
- Received honorary doctorate from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in recognition of his contributions to public understanding of history
Did You Know?
- 01.His bestselling book Sapiens originated from lecture notes for an undergraduate course he taught at Hebrew University
- 02.He received an honorary doctorate from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 2020
- 03.Harari practices Vipassana meditation and has completed silent meditation retreats lasting up to 60 days
- 04.He co-founded Sapienship with his husband Itzik Yahav in 2019 to address global cooperation challenges
- 05.Despite writing about technology's future impact, Harari himself maintains a relatively low-tech personal lifestyle
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| honorary doctorate of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel | 2020 | — |