Yuval Noah Harari

Professor Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, which have sold over 20 million copies worldwide, and been translated in 50 languages. Born in Haifa, Israel in 1976, Harari received his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford in 2002, and is currently a lecturer at the Department of History, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
 
Harari originally specialized in world history, medieval history, and military history. His current research focuses on macro-historical questions such as: What is the relationship between history and biology? What is the essential difference between Homo sapiens and other animals? Is there justice in history? Does history have a direction? Did people become happier as history unfolded? What ethical questions do science and technology raise in the 21st century?
 
In 2018 Harari gave a keynote speech on the future of humanity on the Congress Hall stage of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Three months later, he presented the first ever TED talk delivered as a digital avatar. Over the last couple of years Harari has met with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, President Mauricio Macri of Argentina, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, and Mayor Ying Yong of Shanghai. In 2019 Harari sat down for public conversations with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of Austria (on the future of Europe) and with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (on society and the future of artificial intelligence).
 
Harari lectures around the world on the topics explored in his books and articles and has written for publications such as The Guardian, Financial Times, New York Times, The Times, The Economist, and Nature magazine. He also offers his knowledge and time to various organizations and audiences on a voluntary basis.