Episode 263 – Yuval Noah Harari – How Humans Have Become Gods and What it Means for Our Future

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Yuval Noah Harari

Yuval Noah Harari, author of, ‘Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow’ and ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’

With the international sensation, critical favorite, and New York Times bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari unleashed a global phenomenon. His electrifying debut resonated with notable public figures: the book was lauded by President Obama, Bill Gate, Sebastian Junger, and Mark Zuckerberg.

In this episode we discuss Sapiens, as well as his newest endeavor, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.

In Sapiens, Harari showed us how the human race came to rule the planet. In Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, he offers a spellbinding glimpse of the (near) future. A future in which the zeal to upgrade humans into gods could threaten humanity’s supremacy, meaning, and very existence. And not even rabid science fiction fans will be prepared for Harari’s vivid, original, and endlessly surprising vision of tomorrow.

This is the shape of the new world as Harari envisions it, where the gap between those who get onboard and those left behind will be bigger even than the gap between Sapiens and Neanderthals. This is the next stage of evolution.

Dr. Yuval Harari has a PhD in history from the University of Oxford and now lectures at the Department of History, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specializing in world history. His first book, Sapiens, was translated into over 40 languages and became a bestseller in the US, UK, France, China, Korea, and numerous other countries. For additional information, please visit his website (www.ynharari.com), watch his YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/YuvalNoahHarari), and find him on Facebook.

Episode 220 – George Anastasia – The Demise of the American Mafia

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George Anastasia

George Anastasia, author of, ‘Gotti’s Rules: The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia’

This week, prize-winning reporter and bestselling author George Anastasia offers a shocking and very rare glimpse into the Gotti family, witnessed up-close from former family insider John Alite, John Gotti Jr.’s longtime friend and protector. Until now, no one has given up the kind of personal details about the Gottis.  Anastasia offers never-before-heard information about the murders, drug dealing, and extortion that propelled John J. Gotti to the top of the Gambino crime family and the treachery and deceit that allowed John A. “Junior” Gotti to follow in his father’s footsteps. Told from street level and through the eyes of a wiseguy who saw it all firsthand, the result is a riveting look at a family whose hubris, violence, passion, and greed fueled a bloody rise and devastating fall that is still reverberating through the American underworld today. Anastasia’s newest book is titled, Gotti’s Rules: The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia.

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Episode 216 – John Sedgwick – The Duel that Stunned the Nation

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John Sedgwick

John Sedgwick, author of, ‘War of Two: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Duel that Stunned the Nation’

In the summer of 1804, two of America’s most eminent statesmen squared off, pistols raised, on a bluff along the Hudson River. That two such men would risk not only their lives but the stability of the young country they helped forge is almost beyond comprehension. Yet we know that it happened. The question is why? This week we talk with John Sedgwick, author of War of Two: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Duel that Stunned the Nation, about the long-standing conflict between Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and Vice President Aaron Burr, which eventually ended in Hamilton’s death. We also discuss the impact of Hamilton’s death on the country, why people even dueled in the first place, and how similar our political divides were even back then.

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This episode is brought to you by:

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