Yuval Noah Harari on protecting the right to be stupid

Harari on protecting the right to be stupid | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Bestselling author and historian Yuval Noah Harari makes the case for mental self-care in an age where our minds are bombarded with an unprecedented influx of information. In a wide-ranging interview with Ian Bremmer, filmed before a live audience at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Harari stresses the importance of a healthy ‘'information diet.'

"Our minds were shaped back in the Stone Age," Harari says. Smartphones and social media, designed by the today’s smartest minds, are engineered to 'hack our brains and manipulate our emotions. Harari warns, "Anybody who thinks they are strong enough to resist it is just fooling themselves."

As a public intellectual, Harari is acutely aware of the weight of his words. "We need to build a wall between the mind and the mouth," he tells Bremmer. "I also think that we need a part of preserving privacy is to preserve the right for stupidity."

Watch full episode: Yuval Noah Harari explains why the world isn't fair (but could be)

Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week online and on US public television. Check local listings.

More from GZERO Media

Dall-E

In a new report for CSIS, Kateryna Bondar seeks to dispel myths about the AI-enabled battlefield in Ukraine’s war against Russia, separating on-the-ground realities from visions of science fiction. Bondar spoke to GZERO’s Scott Nover about Ukraine’s capabilities, its reliance on foreign powers, ethical considerations about autonomous systems, and what’s next for AI in warfare.

Liang Wenfeng, founder of startup DeepSeek, delivers a speech at the 10th China Private Equity Golden Bull Awards in 2019 in Shanghai, China.

VCG/VCG via Reuters

DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng has shrugged off hungry requests to invest in the Chinese artificial intelligence startup, according to a Monday report in the Wall Street Journal.

The DeepSeek logo is displayed on three cell phones in front of a computer screen showing the Chinese national flag.
Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Reuters

Chinese officials on Thursday announced a new state fund to invest in cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

What is President Donald Trump’s strategy on China? On the one hand, he slapped additional 10% tariffs on Chinese goods and is considering$1 million fees on Chinese-built vessels entering US ports.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., talks with reporters in Russell building after a senate vote on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Sipa USA)

House Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to pass a budget bill with only Republican support on Wednesday, sending Senate Democrats an imminent predicament: Either approve a spending bill created solely by the GOP or trigger a shutdown standoff – a strategy they have consistently criticized in the past.