Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

THE Chinese version of “21 Lessons For the 21st Century,” the latest work of Israeli historian and best-selling author Yuval Noah Harari, was released at the 28th National Book Expo at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District on Friday.

The book is the third installment of Harari’s trilogy, including the globally well-received “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” and “Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow,” in which he writes about the past and the future, respectively.

In “21 Lessons For the 21st Century,” Harari focuses on the here and now, helping us examine some of the world’s most urgent issues, such as terrorism, fake news and immigration, from the perspectives of global politics, science and technology, and individual values.

In Harari’s view, mankind is at a significant turning point in history as technology endows human beings with the ability to reshape life. According to him, finding methods to avoid being manipulated by the few is not only the responsibility of governments, but also of enterprises and individuals.

Wu Jun, winner of the Wenjin Book Award, and Yin Ye, CEO of Chinese biotech firm BGI, were invited to exchange views with readers on some of the essential questions in the book at the release ceremony.

Wu elaborated on the three philosophical questions of where we come from, what we are, and where we are going, by relating them to the trilogy, while Yin argued that the most important thing for human beings is lifespan, and that we must ensure the continuation of life no matter how we summarize the past, understand the present or control the future.

Published by the CITIC Press Group, the Chinese version of the book will be launched on the nationwide market in August.