The age-old obsession with perfecting humans | Slavoj Zizek & Yuval Noah Harari

Are we living in an age of naivete and cynicism in society? Can we be optimistic about the future? What defines our 'new normal' in the world of identity, politics, and ideology?
All of these questions answered and more in this snippet from a lively discussion between Slavoj Zizek & Yuval Noah Harari. Stay tuned for more clips from this conversation!
This conversation was filmed on July 29, 2022
Subscribe to Yuval’s Channel!
@YuvalNoahHarari
Socials & Website
Twitter: / harari_yuval
Instagram: / yuval_noah_harari
Facebook: / prof.yuval.noah.harari
KZbin: @YuvalNoahHarari
Website: www.ynharari.com/

Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling author of 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind' (2014), 'Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow' (2016), '21 Lessons for the 21st Century' (2018), the series 'Sapiens: A Graphic History' (launched in 2020, co-authored with David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave), and 'Unstoppable Us', Volume 1 (2022).

[@freke80]

Really hope we get to see the entire thing soon. Sounds very interesting. And I'm always a little disappointed when it cuts off. At least it's better than nothing.

[@farrider3339]

Frustration is what you desire. Frustration is what you get. Frustration is what you deserve.

[@clumsydad7158]

it is frightening when one thinks about the senseless flurry with which people rush into things. and yes, there is no vision for the world, except the often unspoken, obvious fact each country/oligarch tries to carve up as much of the world for themselves as possible. the craving for base power is always trumping the higher purposes in the human ideological will ... there are many moments and events of the greater good winning, but in the basic lull and course of affairs, in empty looks, and in empty heads, greed & fear keep storming back.

[@bonitapersona]

Upload the whole thing already. You're just annoying the people who are literally following you. Loving this so far!

[@JCAUDITS]

Looking forward to hearing all about this. Not a video to skip.

[@ArkaGhosh024]

Where is the rest of it? Weird point to end the video.

[@arslongavitabrebis]

The alternatives is quite simple, honesty and kindness. But that’s beyond the capabilities of humanity now days where maquiavelism is the only rule.

[@farrider3339]

Hahahaaa honesty and kindness 😅

[@rashmiji132]

Perfect for what/ perfect for whom? 😮

[@petitgegant9979]

We always have been and will be obsessed about perfecting humans because the smarter, the wiser, the stronger, the healthier, the funnier, the more empathic, the more socially skilled we are, etc. more doors open to us, we can do more things, we become more free and freedom and the happiness it grants was, is and will be all. if within let's say 500 hundred years ahead we have the technology to make anyone who desires it more smarter or stronger or whatever so be it. No reason to be terrified at all. Actually our poor ancestors were the ones who were terrified because they were almost complete devoided of freedom and were at the mercy of everything and everyone. Now everything is at OUR mercy. Too bad we have so little (no wonder having in mind throughout all history nothing nor no one has given to us almost any of it). Now we must work hard to develop it, to obtain it (I dont' know how though). If we don't, without mercy, humanity will self-destruct.

[@homewall744]

Perfecting others has always just been cover for controlling others to do your bidding. Liberty is the perfect human, and those who choose to do good are the best people. There's never a moral good in forcing others to do anything, whether you think it's good or not.

[@salamalwary3292]

you should not interrupt someone answering a question this is really unprofessional to cut the video at this point the guy did not finish explaining what he means

[@kofeesala23]

No vision is better than a dominating and sometimes even deadly vision.

[@星球星星]

想問一個問題 為什麼有些人類 要扮演挑起戰爭者後又當起救世主 我感覺很不舒服

[@axelsandi]

Zizek must he heavily drugged in order to withstand Hararis redundant monologue for so long

[@crism8868]

What's the alternative being offered? I feel Duginism is the big elephant in the room here. Maybe Harari has not heard of it, but Zizek must certainly know who that is.

[@papergaery5257]

Can we have the full episode? This is irritating

[@kyonngowans7091]

Very strange place to end the video

[@DEEPOR7777]

איפה אפשר לראות את כל השיחה ?

[@jillimyjilikers2036]

In hell

[@aWesoMe8888]

Upp The Irons Και Καλή Αντάμωση

[@tiinabenlulu8135]

אולי לדחוס את הכול לסרטון אחד.אני מבין שזה לא כלכלי.אבל לצופים יותר נח ואינטסיבי

[@roseagain2]

Freedom and much smaller government.

[@思想爱好者]

Would you be interested in learning about my Oriental thoughts? I have never bought or read a philosophy book, so I am not a fan of philosophy. I am even less likely to be a Chinese philosopher. I do not disparage Chinese philosophy lovers. But I must tell you that I strive to be a thinker, not a philosopher. I think freedom, democracy, equality, fraternity and kindness are all treasures. I think material wealth is scarce resources, but some spiritual wealth is not scarce resources. Power is not a scarce resource. In an unconscious state, Rousseau had built the power of communism. Capitalists do not occupy the means of production, but occupy the factors of production. Therefore, mankind should not establish public ownership and communal system of the means of production, but must establish public ownership and communal system of the factors of production. Capitalism creates the proletariat, socialism eliminates the proletariat. Once the laborer has the factors of production, the laborer must become the investor and entrepreneur, that is, the so-called capitalist. I think slave owners, landlords, feudal lords and capitalists are evil capitalists. Evil as they are, they are still workers. As labourers, capitalists must demand remuneration for their Labour. So capitalists have to sell their labor. Through a market economy, consumers must buy and occupy the labor of capitalists. Thus, as consumers, all human beings are the capitalist's employers. All human beings naturally become capitalists at the same time. Man is not only a political animal, but also an economic animal. The value of slave owners, landlords, feudal lords and capitalists lies in creating the economic system of socialized mass production. They are not natural persons, but non-" natural persons ". Human beings are both natural and non-natural. Natural and non-natural persons must coexist in harmony.

[@ColSims]

Man cuts off his video when Zizek's about to spit. Lame.

[@Patolino07]

I do not believe Europe had a "vision" once it started. So will we.....We may not have a vision now, but it will come to be.

[@TheOfficialPeerew]

it's getting ridiculous post the vfull video

[@aWesoMe8888]

Well Now.... About That....

[@markopetrovic7376]

Mr. Harrare, you mention that you dont recognize the vision of Putin and Xi... Well, look on lately chinese diplomacy in middle east. It seems that those third countries recognize and see in china and euroasia something that western liberal democracy countries failed to catch or to offer. Ask them for practicall answers. However, i would reformulate your question in a more usefull sense from prospective of common citizen - how can we use this new euroasian vision and accomodate to what degree to europian individualism? In other way to recapitulate, if you don`t understand their prospective due to culturall and value difference, it doesnt mean that prospective is non existant. However, my personal hunch says that you pretend not to understand by stating the absence of prospective, in favour of some third agenda which is boiling in Claus Schwab postmodernistig transhuman kitchen.

[@magicmorris9750]

Cliffhanger

[@x4virom]

Pluriversalism

[@bcam266]

The real question is what is in Slavoj’s mouth

[@chinchilla_462]

Neo-faschism? I really wonder what slavoj is talking about there.

[@mammamel9704]

The only way people will be perfected, is if they accept Yeshua Hamashiac as their saviour, and they will have a perfect body in Heaven.

[@kittykatzcenteno7160]

👋👋 ISRAEL STAY NEUTRAL, STAY SAFE AND CALM. AWAY FROM THE USA, UKRANIAN BLACKMAIL.

[@petitgegant9979]

The alternative to boring liberalism it always has been, is and will be: Funny Conservative. I don't get it why being liberal, wanting to progress and change things it's boring. It's true that it's what Humanity has been done, does and will do forever and ever (we can't help it, we don't know how to do otherwise) but I find it quite interesting actually. On the other side I must admit that conservative are really funny (unless they become right extremists and impose violence on others like fascists of course) because they try by all means at their disposal (which are many and very powerful) to make things never change, they try to stop progress, they try to stop time, some times they even try to go backwards on time and that's simply hilarious because time it's a oneway highway. It only knows to go forward and that's what it does. That being said though Conservative are of utmost importance because they ensure the way to future it's walked at the right speed. Only with wild Liberals and Science ultraspeed progress we would crash our "train" in a tragic accident. In the past women could not vote. That was perfectly logical and fair because they didn't even know how to read, write and they were so busy with the the house chores that they didn't have enough time to know anything about politics. Then a small group of privileged women who knew how to read, write, and had enough time to learn about politics because they got servants who did all the house chores for them, wanted to vote and they organized thmselves to achieve their worthy goal. To achieve their Happiness. Progressists supported them while Conservative were against them. Thanks to both oposing forces finally women got the right to vote BUT only after ensuring lots of women (not only a few rich ones) also knew how to read, write and had enough time to learn something about politics. Only with Progressists millions of uncultured women would had vote without even knowing what they were voting for and that would have been the worst. Progress and progressists won (they always win) but without Conservative everything would have ended badly. Really badly. So, in the end, everyone is needed. Everyone helps and is valuable. Don't disrespect or abuse anyone. Except criminals and violent extremists (right, leftish, religious, etc.) of course. Let them rot in jail. Time, progress, humanity, life, the universe are always expanding. Stopping and resting sometimes though. The next energetic crisis will make us stop and suffer for a few decades but afterwards we will keep going on, and on, and on like we always have done.

[@mikeoffthebox]

Quite a teaser, cutting off Zizek as he was getting into his answer...

[@GeertPypers]

Imagine talking to Slavoj and have his saliva dripping from your face the whole time.

[@rodolfomaggisasso6088]

Between Berlin's Wall fallen, and Financial Crisis of 2008, the world which grew from Bretton Woods agreement ended up, which is, the western Order and Hegemony -that is already, evidently, in decline. Nowadays, all arguments from one wing part of the ideological spectrum, or from its counterpart, seems to fall short and expired, in front of radical challenges of 21th Century, namely, the disruptive impact of AI technology and the Ecological Crisis. The upheavals and social riots observed in countries all over the world from the last decades hitertho, are just one of the symptoms of a civilization in deep crisis. That’s because what Zizek say at the end of this video, doesn’t sound far from what could we expect as a reaction of society against to what is being experimented as as an increasingly unsettled world…but, may that political remedy be worst than the sickness…I really hope the majority of us be conscious on what is at stake in this ongoing crisis, and take a role and a cherent action to be part of the solution that we are in need, which I strongly believe is more ethical, than technical. Great initiative Yuval! Greetings from Chile!

[@cueva_mc]

The video is cut in the middle of an answer

[@aWesoMe8888]

AweSoMë

[@doctoragloria]

Playing to be gods...how well or bad will it end?

[@riverplato]

I have seen 4-5 clips, can you please upload the whole video.

[@kittykatzcenteno7160]

ATT:THE SOUND TRACK IS AWFUL !!!!!! ?

[@erikm2937]

Wait how could they cut off so abruptly? Slavoj was just starting to explain his new vision of (neo)fascism.

[@mememeet4140]

Please just upload the full conversation...

[@enriquevasquez9600]

Two great minds are looking for answers !

[@NyklosKopernikus]

Guns, Germs, Steel, and Ideas.

[@Minimalrevolt-m83]

Really appreciate the importance discourse of human evolution, thanks Yuval and Zizek!

[@1Mrbudgood]

Materialists kvetching about whats on the other side….. you cant see the woods for the trees. The next frontier will be conciousness obviously….

[@NaveedShahzadKhan]

Such a wonderful opening, wish I could hear more about this topic in a more generalized and historical perspective rather than current geo-specic context.

[@vaib1562]

Why would you torture us with not realising the full video?

[@aWesoMe8888]

What Ya Gonna Do????

[@0stre]

I like the simplified definition of fascism very much. The idea of a multipolar world terrifies me. The multipolar world is a brutal world where everyone is striving to acquire nuclear weapons in first place.

[@MagmaleV]

Such a world is not going to last long

[@farrider3339]

​@@MagmaleV We are heading for precisely such a world 🌐, I claim. I wonder if u will agree ~

[@farrider3339]

@Fechiavelli are you sure that this kind of, what u like to call "consciuosness", met the point ? Uttmost destruction of conditions for it's own survival isn't a marker for highly evolved intelligente, if u ask me. And if this attempt fails, the universe will continue its way's. That's fosho ! Be there biologically based intelligence or not. Thinking of being #1 The First might be a typical antroprocentic fallacy. Man tends to view himself as the navel of the universe. Because there was nothing gained (on the evolutionary path), nothing ultimatly is lost. 💫💃🕺💫

[@0stre]

@Fechiavelli We are not as unique as you write (from the perspective of biological life as we know it). Yes, we are aware, but in fact we are ordinary organisms and we are also guided by primal drives (consciously or subconsciously - then such individuals are closer to animals than conscious ones). The life cycle is the same - you are born, you live, you consume, you reproduce, you die. There is no need to masturbate so much with this higher consciousness.

[@perseusrex614]

with a unipolar, there is no counterbalance, choice, or control. The more power centers, the better.

[@SwitzerlandEducation4471]

“I am the girl who spends hours huddled in a corner of a library, trying to find what you love the most about Marlowe, just so I can write you a poem worthy of Shakespeare. I've made books my lovers, hours my enemies and you the only story.” ―

[@following-Jesus]

You are greatly mistaken, you are fulfilling Psalms 2 in rebelling against God. How foolish, you will find the truth, but most likely, it will be to late. Jesus is King!👑

[@quaevolumuscredimuslibenter]

Take your pills 💊

[@following-Jesus]

@@quaevolumuscredimuslibenter 😳

[@larsengstfeld6744]

@@following-Jesus If you don't like pills, noodles are okay too 😉

[@following-Jesus]

@@larsengstfeld6744 😂