Worklife with Adam Grant cover image

Worklife with Adam Grant

Yuval Noah Harari on what history teaches us about justice and peace

Apr 2, 2024
Yuval Noah Harari, renowned historian and author of the bestseller Sapiens, dives deep into the complex relationship between justice and peace. He shares insights on how storytelling shapes our societal narratives, revealing the intricate conflicts between ideals of justice versus the pursuit of peace. The discussion touches on the impact of AI on communication and highlights the cognitive revolution's role in human evolution. Harari also explores the paradox of power and happiness, suggesting that some discomfort can drive progress.
41:11

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Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Harari emphasizes prioritizing peace over justice when resolving conflicts, stressing the subjective nature of justice and the objective nature of peace.
  • Harari highlights the transformative power of storytelling on societal developments, advocating for changing narratives to inspire peaceful revolutions.

Deep dives

The Role of Fairness and Peace

Yuval Noah Harari discusses the concept of fairness and peace, highlighting how many conflicts in history stem from human attempts to impose their concepts of fairness onto reality. He emphasizes the subjective nature of justice and the objective nature of peace, advocating for prioritizing peace over justice when faced with conflicts. Harari explores three definitions of fairness, namely equality, equity, and need, and emphasizes the importance of understanding whom we include in the community that deserves justice.

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