Chapter 2: The Colonial Period in the Middle East (An Introduction to Middle East Politics)

The French established protectorates across North Africa but they were not all of the same kind. The Gulf peninsula was ruled by tribally based federations tied together through political and religious affiliations. The most important of these was the house of Saud’s alliance with the figure Ibn ‘Abd el Wahab’. The Saudi/Wahabi alliance would emerge … Read more

Chapter 11: The Data Religion (Homo Deus)

Dataism says that everything consists of data flows and the value of any phenomenon or entity is determined by its contribution to data processing. This is not a new idea. Since Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, scientists have seen organisms as biochemical algorithms. And since the Turing Machine, computer scientists have learned to assemble … Read more

Chapter 10: The Ocean of Consciousness (Homo Deus)

The most interesting place in the world from a religious perspective is Silicon Valley, that’s where the promises of salvation through algorithms and genes are. There are two main techno religions, techno-humanism and data religion. Data religion argues that humans have finished their cosmic task and should now make way for new kinds of entities. … Read more

Chapter 9: The Great Decoupling (Homo Deus)

Liberals promote free markets and democratic elections because they believe that individuals are unique and valuable, who’s free choices are the source of authority. In this century, we will see three practical developments that will nullify this belief. 1. Humans will lose military and economic usefulness. The economic and political system will not value them … Read more

Chapter 8: The Time Bomb in the Laboratory (Homo Deus)

Liberalism is like any other religion; in that it is based on factual statements that aren’t scientifically sound. One belief is that voters and buyers do not make their decisions randomly, liberalism acknowledges the existence of external influences but thinks that people ultimately make up their own minds freely. Free Will is an Illusion But … Read more

Chapter 3: The Human Spark (Homo Deus)

Why do humans think they are superior to animals? Is There a Human Spark? Scientists have not found that humans or animals have souls, but scientists doubt the existence of souls not because of lack of evidence but because the idea of “soul” contradicts fundamental principles of evolution. This is why the theory of evolution … Read more

Chapter 2: The Anthropocene (Homo Deus)

The Garden of Eden In the Garden of Eden myth, humans are punished for their curiosity and wish to gain knowledge. God expels them from paradise. But in the myth about Newton and the apple, nobody berates the scientist for his efforts – just the opposite. Teachers all over the world propagate the story of … Read more