Yuval Noah Harari: Audiences, myths and ideas

Yuval Noah Harari is arguably one of Western society's most influential public intellectuals. This paper examines Harari’s work through the lens of cultural sociology with the primary objective of analyzing his positions on various topics. My working hypothesis suggests that Harari employs performative projection and mythological discourse in his analyses, transforming complex phenomena which is often rooted in specific scientific fields, into socially compelling narratives. This procedure is posited as a key to understanding Harari’s extensive audience connection. The paper also analyzes Harari's ideas on Evolution, Nature, Happiness, Humanity, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as reflective of the cultural frameworks encompassing a significant portion of his audience. The analysis connects these ideas to the cultural backgrounds of those who follow Harari as an intellectual figure. Additionally, the paper argues that Harari's analyses are received as credible, not only due to his analytical approach, but because of his ability to group and integrate complex phenomena into cohesive and socially engaging narratives.