India 4, 10, 15, 39, 74, 76, 100, 106, 109, 113, 115, 127, 131, 181, 182, 183, 184, 191, 192, 193, 260, 266, 285–6, 310, 315
Indian Pala Empire 139
individuality: AI and 22, 23, 27; myth of 218–20
Indonesia 10, 14, 26, 102–3, 105
Industrial Revolution 16, 19, 33, 34, 74, 186, 266
inequality see equality
information technology/infotech xii, 1, 6, 7, 16, 17, 21, 33, 48, 66, 80–1, 83, 120–1, 176
inorganic life, creation of xii, 78, 122, 246
Inoue, Nissho 305
Inside Out (movie) 249–51, 267
Instagram 301
Institution of Mechanical Engineers 118
intelligence, consciousness and ix, 68–70, 122, 245–6 see also artificial intelligence (AI)
International Olympic Committee (IOC) 104
Internet 6, 15, 40, 65, 71, 73, 88, 122, 232, 246, 263
intuition 20–1, 47
Iran 90, 94, 106, 107–8, 120, 130–1, 134, 135, 137, 138, 139, 173, 181, 200, 289
Iran-Iraq War (1980) 173
Iraq 5, 13, 94, 106, 159, 165, 172, 173, 174, 175, 177, 178, 210, 219, 288, 295, 296
Islam xi, 13, 15, 17–18, 87, 93–4, 96, 97–8, 101, 106, 107, 126, 127, 133, 137, 161, 168, 169, 177, 181, 183, 184, 186, 191, 196, 199, 248, 289, 295, 296
Islamic fundamentalism 87, 93–4, 97–8, 101, 106, 107, 161, 177, 188, 191, 199, 248, 295, 296
Islamic State 93, 94, 97–8, 101, 106, 107, 177, 188, 191, 199, 248, 295, 296
Isonzo, tenth Battle of the (1917) 160
Israel 15, 42–3, 64–5, 88, 97, 101, 103, 106, 107, 108, 111, 122, 130, 131, 134, 135, 137, 138, 141–2, 160, 163, 173–4, 182, 183–4, 186, 189, 190, 191, 221, 224, 233, 242, 272, 274–5, 277, 290, 294
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) 173
Italy 38, 103, 172, 173, 179, 251, 292, 294, 295
Ivory Coast 103, 188
Japan 13, 54, 107, 119, 120, 135–7, 139, 148, 161, 162, 171, 173, 179–80, 182, 184, 186, 232, 235, 251, 285, 305–6
Jerusalem 15, 57, 165, 183, 239, 274, 279, 298
Jesus 108, 128, 131, 133, 187, 190, 212–13, 237, 283, 284, 289, 291–2, 306
Jewish Enlightenment 194
Jewish Great Revolt (66–70 ad) 239
Jews/Judaism 8, 15, 42–3, 57, 58, 96–7, 131, 132, 134, 137, 138, 142, 182–7, 188, 189–96, 208, 233, 235–6, 239, 272, 273–4, 279, 284, 289–90
jobs: AI and xiii, 8, 18, 19–43, 59–60, 63, 109, 259–68; education and 259–68; immigration and 139, 141, 149, 152
Johnson, Boris 46
Johnson, Lyndon B. 113, 114
Joinville, Jean de 296
Juche 137
Judah 189
judiciary 4, 44
justice xiii, 188–9, 222, 223–30, 270, 277, 288; complex nature of modern world and 223– 8; effort to know and 224; morality of intentions and 225–6; roots of sense of 223
kamikaze 136
Kanad, Acharya 181
Kant, Immanuel 58–9, 60
Karbala, Iraq 288, 289
Kasparov, Garry 29, 31
KGB 48, 299
Khan, Genghis 175, 179
Khomeini, Ayatollah 130, 131, 288
Kidogo (chimpanzee) 187–8
Kim Il-sung 137
Kim Jong-Il 180
Kim Jong-Un 64
Kinsey scale 50
Kiribati, Republic of 119, 120
Kita, Ikki 305
knowledge illusion, the 218–19
Korea 104, 135, 137, 171, 180, 275, 285
Labour Party 45
Laozi 190, 267
Leave campaign 46
Lebanon 173
Leviticus 189
LGBT 135, 200
liberalism/liberal democracy xii, xiv, xv, 3–4, 33, 46, 55, 141, 154–5, 210, 217, 237, 301; AI and 6–9, 17–8, 43, 44–72, 217, 220, 230; alternatives to 5, 11–15, 17; birth of 33; choice and 45–6, 297–300; crisis/loss of faith in x, xi, xiv–xv, 1, 3–18, 44, 45, 46, 55, 141; crises faced by, periodic 9–18; education and 261;elections/referendums and 45–6, 210–11; equality and 74, 76, 80; immigration and 4, 138, 141, 142–3, 144; individual, faith in 44–9, 55, 217, 220, 230, 297–302; liberty and 44–72; meaning of life stories and 297–302; nationalism and 11, 14–15, 112; reinvention of 16–17; secular ethics and 210
Liberation Theology 133
liberty xii, xiii, 3, 4, 10–11, 17, 44–72, 83, 108, 204, 211, 299; AI future development and 68–72; authority shift from humans to AI 43, 44–72, 78, 268; decision-making and 47–61; digital dictatorships and 61–8; free will/feelings, liberal belief in 44–6
Libya 5, 172, 173
life expectancy 41, 107, 109, 260, 264, 265
Life of Brian (film) 186, 220
Lincoln Cathedral 236
Lincoln, Abraham 12
Lion King, The (movie) 270–1, 273, 275–6, 297, 299
Lockerbie bombing, Pan Am flight 103 (1988) 160
Lody (chimpanzee) 187–8
logic bombs 77, 178
Louis IX, King of France 296
Louis XVI, King of France 207
Lucas, George 298
Luhansk People’s Republic 232
machine learning 8, 19, 25, 30, 31, 33, 64, 65, 67, 245, 267, 268
Mahabharata 181
Mahasatipatthana Sutta 303
Mahavira 190
Maimonides 193
Maji Maji Rebellion (1905–7) 239
Mali 229
Manchester Arena bombing (May, 2017) 160
Manchukuo 232
Manchuria 180
Mansoura, Battle of (1250) 296
Markizova, Gelya 237
martyrs 287–9, 295–6
Marx, Karl 94, 130, 131, 133, 209, 210, 213, 246, 248, 262; The Communist Manifesto 262, 273
Marxism 15, 137, 209–10, 213
Marxism-Leninism 12, 137
Mashhad, Iran 289
Mass, Christian ceremony of 283
Matrix, The (movie) 245, 246–8, 249, 255
Maxim gun 178
May, Theresa 114
Maya 186, 193
McIlvenna, Ted 200
meaning xiii–xiv, 269–308; Buddhism and 302–6; stories and 269–83, 291–8, 301–2, 306–8; individual/liberalism and 297–302; rituals and 283–91; romance and 280–1; successful stories 276–7
meat, clean 118–19
media: government control of 12–13; post-truth and 238; terrorism and 166, 167
Meir, Golda 233
Merkel, Angela 95, 96, 97
Mesha Stele 191
Mesopotamia 189
Methodism 200
#MeToo movement xi, 164
Mexican border wall 8
Mexican-American war (1846–48) 172
Mexico 8, 106, 151, 172, 260, 261, 266
Mickiewicz, Adam 307
Middle East 13, 15, 78, 106, 139, 142, 143, 161, 173, 175, 177, 188, 193, 199, 296
Mill, John Stuart 58, 60
Milwaukee County Zoo 187
mind, meditation and 310–18
Mishra, Pankaj 94
Mitsui 305
Moab 191
Modi, Narendra 114, 179
morality see justice
Moses, prophet 186–7, 188–9, 274
movies, AI and 51–2, 69, 245–51, 255, 267, 268
Mubarak, Hosni 63
Muhammad, Prophet 15, 94, 181, 182, 187, 288
Mumbai x, 17
Murph (chimpanzee) 188
music, AI and 25–8
Muslims 13, 55, 62, 63, 93–4, 96, 98, 100, 104, 107, 130–3, 134, 143, 145, 148, 150, 152, 153, 165, 172, 181, 184, 185, 190, 191, 193, 200, 203–4, 208, 230, 233, 235, 271–2, 284, 288, 292, 295, 296, 306
Mussolini, Benito 295
My Lai massacre (1968) 62, 63
Myanmar 306
Nakhangova, Mamlakat 237–8
nanotechnology 76
national liberation movements 10
nationalism xi, 14, 83, 109, 110–26, 132, 160, 176–7, 179, 181, 230, 241, 309;
AI and 120–6; benefits of 111–12; ecological crisis and xi, 115–20, 121, 122–3, 124; Europe and 124–5; fascism and 292–5; ideology, lack of unifying 176–7; liberalism, as alternative to 11–15, 17, 112; nostalgia and 14–15; nuclear weapons and 112–15, 121–2, 123, 124; origins of 110–12; post-truth and 231–3; religion and 137–8, 305, 307; rituals/sacrifice and 286–8, 292–5; story and meaning of 272, 273–5, 276, 277–8, 280, 286–7, 292–5, 306–8; suffering and 306–8; technology and 120–2, 123–4
National Rifle Association (NRA) 291–2
Native American Indians 79, 147, 185, 186, 191
NATO 175, 177, 231
natural selection 58, 93, 94, 122
Nazi Germany 10, 66, 96, 134, 136, 212, 213, 226, 237, 251, 279, 295
Nepal 103
Netanyahu, Benjamin 173, 179, 221
Netflix 52, 55
Netherlands 10, 14, 38, 186
neuroscience 20
New York Times 243
Ngwale, Kinjikitile 239
Nigeria 90, 101, 103, 127, 159, 165
Nile: Basin 113; River 111; Valley 172, 296
9/11 159, 160, 161, 162–3, 166, 168, 195
Nobel Prize 193, 194, 195
North Korea 4, 64, 106, 107–8, 137, 138, 169, 171, 178
Northern Ireland: Troubles 132
nuclear weapons/war 14, 34, 107–8, 112–15, 116, 119, 121, 122, 123, 124, 137, 138, 154, 165, 167–70, 178, 179, 181
Nuda, Yuzu 54
nurses 24, 107
Obama, Barack 4, 12, 15–16, 98, 151, 168
oligarchy 12–13, 15, 76, 176
Olympics: (1016) (Medieval) 103–5; (1980) 103; (1984) 103; (2016) 101–2; (2020) 105; Christian emperors suppress 192
opportunity costs 168
Orthodox Christianity 13, 15, 137, 138, 183, 237, 282, 308
Orwell, George 63, 64; Nineteen Eighty-Four 52, 252
Oscar (chimpanzee) 188
Ottoman Empire 153
Pakistan 102, 153, 159, 200, 286
Palestinians 64–5, 101, 103, 160, 233, 274, 275, 282
Paris terror attacks (November, 2015) 160, 295–6
Parks, Rosa 207, 299
Passover 284
Pasteur, Louis 299
pattern recognition 20
Pearl Harbor attack (1941) 135, 161, 162
Pegu, King of 305
Pentagon 162
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) 178
Peter the Great 175
Phelps, Michael 102
Philippines 127, 161
phosphorus 116
Picasso, Pablo 299
Pixar 249–50
Plato 181, 182
Pokémon Go 92
Poland 15, 103, 137, 142, 169, 177, 186, 231, 279–80, 307–8
polar regions, ice melt in 117
post-truth xiii, 230, 231–45; action in face of 242–4; branding/advertising and 238;
history of 231–3; Homo Sapiens as post-truth species 233–6; knowledge and belief, line between 240–2; nation states and 236–8; scientific literature and 243–4; truth and power, relationship between 241–2; uniting people and 239–40
Pravda 237, 243
Princeton Theological Seminary 57
Protestants 108, 132, 213
Putin, Vladimir 12, 13, 15, 80, 114, 175, 176, 177, 231, 232, 233, 238
Qatar 142
Qin Dynasty 171
Quran 127, 130, 131, 132, 181, 198, 233, 235, 272, 298
racism 60, 137, 141, 142, 146, 147, 150–2, 154, 182, 185, 190, 226
Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli 286
rationality 45, 47, 180, 217–18, 219, 220, 282
Reagan, Ronald 44
refugees x, 117, 123, 140, 141, 142, 144, 147, 148, 155, 205
regulation: AI and 6, 22, 34–5, 61, 77–81, 123; environmental 118, 130, 133, 219, 225
religion xi–xii, xiii, 14, 17, 46, 57, 83, 106, 108, 126, 127–38, 160, 248, 255, 260;
authority and 46–7; community and 89, 91; distortions of ancient traditions and 96–8; economics and 33, 106; future of humanity and 127–8; God/gods and see God and gods; humility and 181–96; identity and 128, 133–7; immigration and 141–3, 144, 153; meaning of life stories and see meaning; meditation and 315–16; monotheism, birth of 190–3; nationalism and 15, 17, 137–8, 309; policy problems (economics) and 128, 130–3; post-truth and 233–7, 239, 241; science and 127–30, 193–5; secularism and see secularism; technical problems (agriculture) and 127–30; unemployment and 42–3 see also under individual religion name
renewable energy 118, 120, 127, 128–30
robots 249, 250; inequality and 76–7; jobs/work and 19, 22, 24, 29–30, 34, 36, 37, 39, 42; as soldiers 61–8, 76–7, 168; war between humans and 70, 246
Rokia 229
Roman Empire 177, 184, 191, 192, 235, 239, 282
Romania 103, 169
Russia 5, 9, 12–13, 15, 64, 76, 100, 101, 105, 113, 114, 119–20, 122, 134, 135, 137, 137, 138, 139, 168–9, 171, 174–7, 179, 182, 231–2, 236, 237, 238, 242, 248, 251, 260, 277, 294, 307, 308 see also Soviet Union
Sabbath, Jewish 188, 189, 290
sacrifice 60–1, 91, 112, 120, 136, 141, 182, 190, 274, 275, 279, 283–91, 302–3, 305, 307, 308
Sanders, Bernie 292
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Harari) 183
Saudi Arabia 102, 120, 131, 134, 135, 137, 139, 148
science fiction 51, 61, 68–9, 70, 244, 245–55; Brave New World 251–5; free will, Inside Out and concept of 249–51; intelligence with consciousness, confusion of 68–9, 246; mind’s inability to free itself from manipulation 245–55; ‘self’, definition of and 255; technology used to manipulate/control human beings, outlines dangers of 246–9; The Matrix 245, 246–8, 249, 255; The Truman Show 246–7, 248, 255, 268
scientific literature 243–4
Scientific Revolution 193, 195
Scotland: independence referendum (2014) 124–5
Second World War (1939–45) 3, 10, 11, 100, 123, 124, 179–80, 184, 293
secularism 42, 127, 130, 143, 183, 194, 195, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203–14, 229–30, 290;
compassion and 205–6; courage and 207–8; definition of 203; equality and 206–7; freedom and 207; secular ideal/ethics of 204–9; Stalin and 209–10, 212
Serbia 175, 275, 276, 282
sexuality: AI and 50; law and 61; liberalism and 299; religion and 200, 300; secularism and 205–6
Shakespeare, William 25, 55–6, 252; Hamlet 297
Shechtman, Dan 194
Shiite Muslims 131, 134, 137, 138, 288–9
Shinto 135–7, 186
Shulhan Arukh (code of Jewish law) 195
Shwedagon Pagoda, Burma 305
Siam 304–5
Sikhs 186, 284
Silicon Valley 39, 76, 85, 178, 217, 299
skin colour 151, 152
slavery 96, 148, 151, 177, 226
Sloman, Steven 218
smart bomb 136
social media 50
solar energy 119, 120
soldiers, AI and 61–8, 76–7, 168
Somme, Battle of the (1 July, 1916) 160
Song Empire, Chinese 104, 259
South Africa 13, 76
South East Asia 100
South Korea 13, 120
Soviet Union 5, 8, 9, 10, 15, 48, 65, 103, 114, 169, 172, 174–5, 176, 209–10, 237–8, 248, 279, 280, 299 see also Russia
Spain 48, 124, 125, 236, 260, 289
Spanish Inquisition 48, 96, 199, 212, 213, 289, 299
speciation (divergence of mankind into biological castes or different species) 76
Spinoza 193
Srebrenica massacre (1995) 62–3
St Paul the Apostle 190
Stalin, Joseph 66, 67, 96, 175, 176, 209–10, 211, 212, 237, 238, 243
Stockfish 8 31
Stone Age 73, 86
, 182, 187, 217, 218, 233
stress 32, 57, 264
strongmen 5, 165
Suez Canal 172
suffering: AI and xii, 49; Buddhism and 303–4; fake news and 242; meditation and 309, 313; nation states and 307–8; reality and 242, 286–7, 306–8; sacrifice and 287, 289; secular ethics and 201, 205–9
Sumerian city states 188
Sunni Muslims 104, 131, 134
superhumans 41, 75, 211–12, 246
surveillance systems 63–5
Sweden 101, 105, 112, 141
Syria 13, 29, 93, 94, 106, 114, 139, 141, 147, 148, 159, 171, 173, 175, 176, 223, 228, 261, 295, 296
Taiwan 100, 102, 104, 135
Taliban 30, 101, 153
Talmud 42, 43, 97, 132, 183, 186, 189, 193, 235
Tasmanians, aboriginal 227
tax 6, 37, 40, 90–1, 105, 118, 130, 205, 286, 291
Tea Party 219, 291
technology 87; animal welfare and 118–19; ecological collapse and 118–19, 122–3; education and 266–8; equality and 72–81; human bodies and 88–9; liberal democracy and 6–9, 16, 17–18; liberty and 44–72; nationalism and 120–4; science fiction and 245–55; threat from future xii–xiii, xiv, 1–81, 123, 176, 178–9, 245–55, 259–68; war and 99–100, 123, 176, 178–9; work and 19–43 see also artificial intelligence (AI) and under individual are of technology
Tel el-Kebir, Battle of (1882) 172
television, AI and 51–2
Temple of Yahweh, Jerusalem 15
Ten Commandments 186, 187, 199, 291
Tencent (technology company) 40, 41, 77
terrorism: AI and 65, 69; etymology 159; fear of xi, xiii, 93, 155, 159–70, 217, 237, 249; media and 166, 167, 170; nuclear weapons 167–70; numbers killed by 23, 159; state reaction to 163–7; strategy of 159–63; suicide/martyrdom 295–6
Tesla 59, 60–1
Thatcher, Margaret 44–5
Theodosian Decrees (391) 192
Theodosius, Roman Emperor 192
Third World War see war
3-D printers 39
Tibet 232
Tiranga (tricolor) (Indian national flag) 285–6
Tojo, General 180
Torah 190, 194
trolley problems 57, 60
Truman Show, The (movie) 246–7, 248, 255, 268
Trump, Donald xi, 5, 8, 9, 11, 14–15, 40, 114, 150–1, 232, 233, 312
truth 12, 54, 215–55; Google and 54; ignorance and 217–22; justice and 223–30;
meditation and see meditation; nationalism and 277–8, 293; post-truth and xiii, 231–45; reality and 306–8; science fiction and 245–55; secular commitment to 204–14; suffering and 308
Tsuyoshi, Inukai 305
Tunisia xi
Turkey 5, 15, 127, 141, 169, 181, 260
Twitter 91, 235, 238
Ukraine 33, 101, 114, 169, 174, 176, 177, 219, 231–2, 238, 242