Homo Deus - Yuval Noah Harari

Having read Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens a few years back and absolutely loving it, I was worried that the sequel Homo Deus would fall short of expectations. I was completely wrong - this book not only lived up to but also exceeded the first. The book explores the future of mankind, and where humanity could progress to if we continue on the path we are currently on. It looks back at the history of humanity, much of what is discussed in Sapiens, in order to understand where we could advance to in the next few decades and centuries.

Harari is not afraid to be blunt - he explores important topics such as religion, war, disease, sexuality and humanity's desire to usurp the role of God. At the top of the food chain, we have harnessed nature and overcome contagion - but Harari asks, what gives us more right to life than animals whom we hunt, eat and whose habitats we destroy? He discusses the prevalent role of technology and social media, how our Facebook account potentially knows more about us than we know about ourselves due to the complex algorithms which help it to understand nuances in our likes and preferences, and how the internet could possibly detect disease and forthcoming epidemics just by accessing our search history.

This is such an insightful and eye-opening read, which asks some big questions which I'm sure will keep me thinking long after finishing this book. It challenges you both academically, morally and ethically and forces you to consider the possibility of the 'superhuman' - the next generation of mankind, and what this could mean for our planet. A brilliant book which will teach you a lot about others, but more about yourself.