There were a lot of points brought up by both Harris and Harari in this ~hour long interview which made me think through a variety of fields, but the points I'd like to mention mainly belong to the categories of philosophy (knowing yourself better) and behavioral science (convenience dependence):
At the very end of the interview, one of the things Harari mentions is the value in 'knowing yourself better'. Contextually, it refers to knowing your own weaknesses more to avoid getting trapped and influenced by the barrage of recommendation systems in your life, which may not always lead you in the best direction. Thinking about how I have been able to practice knowing myself better, Hermann Hesse's name popped into my mind. He was himself influenced by Carl Jung, and placed deep emphasis on the fact that you don't get enlightened, you enlighten yourself. I believe getting to accept your own self and trying to analyze yourself can only help you make more informed decisions today, when everything around you is hell-bent on keeping you distracted 24/7.
Convenience is all destination and no journey: This is a line from a 2018 article about the perils of getting comfortable with 'convenience'. I was reminded of this because of things Harris mentions throughout the interview – centering around the phenomena that a recommendation engine does not truly understand the value of what a person is after when they look at a ukulele video. The author of the article agrees that not all convenience is bad, taking a look at how labour-reducing inventions have shaped human history and allowed many people to undertake a wider variety of pursuits. However, there is something to be said about 'convenience' today not being the means to an end but an endless loop of no-satisfaction. When tech companies claim to come up with new ideas of sempiternal connectivity and making life 'easier' for users, I am heavily skeptical.
