3/11 (Sat.) Ideas raised by professor Yuval Noah Harari (Host: Julia Ho)

[JuliaHo]

3/11 (Sat.) Ideas raised by professor Yuval Noah Harari (Host: Julia Ho)

Prof. Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (人類大歷史) , Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (人類大命運), and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (21世紀的21堂課). His books have sold 40 Million copies in 65 languages, and he is considered one of the world’s most influential public intellectuals today.

We will be discussing Professor Yuval Noah Harari's ideas in the following discussion questions and you do not need to read his books beforehand to participate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzj7Wg4DAbs
Sapiens 17:08

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ_8n4D ... JytR&t=25s
Advice for today's young children 02:08

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzB4mjd ... JytR&t=13s
Why is data so important? 02:37

The above videos are for your reference. You may turn captions on and change the caption language in English or Chinese, if you like!

https://www.ynharari.com/ official website of Mr. Harari for your reference.



Session 1

1. The author proposes that humans think in stories rather than facts, numbers, or equations; currencies, religions and liberalism are all powerful shared stories. He argues that shared fictions have helped us cooperate and create societies. Do you agree? Do you also agree that religion is the greatest invention created by humans?

2. The author reminds us that we created those shared fictions to serve us, and not we are to serve them; humans are real, but nations are not. However, throughout history, we have made the mistake of serving nations as if they were more real than us. What do you think about this idea?

3. How has the development of religion shaped human history and culture? Why do humans have a tendency to believe in Gods?

4. The author proposes that theologians developed the idea of “free will” to explain why God is right to punish sinners for their bad choices and reward saints for their good choices. What do you think about this idea? To what extent our choices and actions are determined by factors beyond our control? Can we decide what desires we have?

Session 2

1. The author suggests that in the future, the focus will be on immortality, happiness, and God-like powers, as famine, plagues, and war have been controlled to some extent. What are your thoughts on this? What do you predict will be the future focus?

2. The author believes that emotional intelligence, mental balance, and mental resilience are the most important things in education, as children need to reinvent themselves repeatedly in their lives. Do you agree with this statement? Do you continue to learn throughout your life? How do you develop these skills or teach them to children?

3. The author identifies fake news as one of the challenges in the future and suggests paying for reliable information. He wonders why people are willing to pay for high-quality food and cars but not for news. Do you pay for high-quality news? What news sources would you recommend?

4. The author raised that those who control the data control the future of life. Do you agree? Do you believe that in the future, AI can read our mind and understand us better than we know ourselves? If affirmative, shall human beings empower AI to do decisions for us, such as choosing our career or spouse?


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Agenda:
3:45 ~ 4:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
4:00 ~ 4:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
4:10 ~ 4:50pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
4:50 ~ 5:10pm Summarization (20 mins)
5:10 ~ 5:20pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving $ Taking a Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
5:20 ~ 6:00pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
6:00 ~ 6:20pm Summarization (20 mins)
6:20 ~ 6:30pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements

Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 4:00pm – 6:30pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $80)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘

Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for two times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee, or NT$1000 for students.

[mmgg6006]

It's really a tough topic !!

[Kooper]

bring it to top

[Iris Wu]

Amazingly, it has been five years since we read "Sapiens" in the YoYo Reading group:
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=4526

Look at this thread of discussion, how diligent we were!

I forgot I have made the following fun open remarks for our book-reading journey:
************************************* Kick-off announcement on 2/14/2018 *******************

• Dear Passengers:
  
  This is flight# BR2018 (Book Reading 2018). Our itinerary and destination are posted in our most recent group Notes. Please double-check your ticket. If you find you 誤上賊船, it is never too late to excuse yourself, otherwise, welcome on board!
  
  Our first part of the journey will take you to travel through the 13 billion years of the history of Earth. Please just sit tight and relax. If you need to get off the plane during the ride for any reason, you are free to do so anytime. This is not United Airlines, so you will not be “dragged off or beaten to unconsciousness”.
  
  Happy Chinese New Year and Happy Reading!
  Iris

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