Disillusionment - Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Disillusionment - Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

In the 20th century, ideologies like liberalism, fascism, totalitarianism, and communism existed, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, communism declined, and liberalism became dominant. By 2018, liberalism was seen as the sole victor, ushering in the era symbolized by the phrase "the end of history." However, the subsequent events, such as the "global financial crisis" in 2008 caused by the Lehman Shock and the "ecological collapse" driven by climate change, raised doubts about liberalism. These crises exacerbated "widening inequality" and exposed the limitations of liberalism.

Today, the problem of "widening inequality" is particularly severe. The wealthy continue to accumulate more wealth, and the gap between the rich and the poor has become insurmountable. For example, during the pandemic, founders of giant tech companies like Amazon and Apple increased their wealth. As of 2021, Jeff Bezos of Amazon had amassed a fortune of $177 billion, and Apple's market capitalization exceeded $2 trillion. In contrast, the lower-income classes faced unemployment and economic hardship due to the pandemic, leading to a sharp increase in the wealth gap. With technological innovation and automation advancing, workers are losing their jobs, further deepening economic inequality.

In countries like Bangladesh and India, climate change has had devastating effects on agriculture. In Bangladesh's coastal areas, the Ganges Delta is eroded by seawater, salinizing the land and rendering agriculture impossible. Rural residents are migrating to urban areas, concentrating poverty in cities. In India's rural areas, droughts and changing rainfall patterns have damaged agriculture, forcing many farmers to seek work in cities. In 2019, severe drought in Maharashtra, India, left thousands of farming families facing food shortages and economic distress.

The effects of climate change are particularly harsh on the poor. For example, sea-level rise and droughts have had catastrophic impacts on agriculture in developing countries, triggering food crises and increased migration. In Africa's Sahel region, desertification has rendered agriculture unsustainable, forcing many residents to migrate, exacerbating international refugee problems. Meanwhile, the wealthy have the means to cope with such environmental changes, with Silicon Valley executives purchasing hideaways in places like New Zealand to prepare for societal unrest and climate crises.