Opinions from historians
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Yuval Noah Harari, Israeli historian and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
If you really care about people in your country and you want to protect them from climate change, dangerous technologies, etc. you must cooperate [globally].
Yuval Noah Harari, Israeli historian and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
American isolationism, British isolationism and the disruption and disintegration of a rule-based international system could ignite even more dangerous nuclear arms race between many more countries. If Germany no longer can trust the USA and Britain to back to Germany in case of confrontation with the Russians, then the Germans will say: hey, we now need nuclear weapons of our own. We can no longe... See More
Thomas Frank,
disagrees
Surrogacy
When money is exchanged for pregnancy, some believe, surrogacy comes close to organ-selling, or even baby-selling.
Yuval Noah Harari, Israeli historian and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
I try to change the public conversation and focus the debate on what I think are the most important challenges: nuclear war, the ecological crisis and the dangers of disruptive technology, especially AI and bioengineering. They focus on things like terrorism, immigration or the structure of the EU trade agreements, which are important, we do need to think about it and take care of it, but this ... See More
Yuval Noah Harari, Israeli historian and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
In the 19th century, a few countries industrialized first and then conquered the whole world. It can happen again with AI. At present, China and the US are leading the AI arms race and if we aren't careful, we will see a new wave of kind of data colonialism that many countries become just data colonies. If you have enough data you don't need to send soldiers. Just imagine what the situation... See More
Yuval Noah Harari, Israeli historian and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Most people tend to overestimate human beings. In order to replace most humans, the AI won't have to do very spectacular things. Most of the things the political and economic system needs from human beings are actually quite simple. We earlier talked about driving a taxi or diagnosing a disease. This is something that AI will soon be able to do better than humans even without consciousness, even w... See More
Joel Mokyr,
I don’t see an easy way of solving it [mass unemployment]. It’s an inevitable consequence of technological progress.
Yuval Noah Harari, Israeli historian and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
disagrees
Basic Income
Paying people not to work will only increase inequality and rancor. [...] If universal basic income is aimed to improve the objective conditions of the average person in 2050, it has a fair chance of succeeding. But if it is aimed to make people subjectively more satisfied with their lot in order to prevent social discontent, it is likely to fail.
Michael Copps, Democrat, former FCC commissioner
agrees
Net neutrality
[Without net neutrality] our civic dialogue—the news and information upon which a successful self-governing society depends upon—would be further eroded. Telecom and media consolidation [will be] wreaked havoc with investigative journalism and [will have] turned political campaigns into a crass reality show and our “news” into bottom-feeding infotainment. I don’t believe democracy can survive on s...
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Bruce Bartlett,
agrees
Carbon Tax
Trump infrastructure and tax plans should include flood control and a carbon tax.
Barbara Ehrenreich, Author of Nickel and Dimed
agrees
Basic Income
[Martin Ford's] solution is blindingly obvious: As both conservatives and liberals have proposed over the years, we need to institute a guaranteed annual minimum income
Lord Robert Skidelsky, Economist
agrees
Basic Income
An unconditional basic income would make part-time work a possibility for many who now have to work full-time at minimum wages; it would also start to give all workers the same choice as to how much to work, and under what conditions, as is now possessed by owners of substantial capital.
Ralph Nader, Consumer advocate, author and former presidential candidate
agrees
Basic Income
Basic income would get rid of chronic capitalism
Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies at Oxford University
disagrees
Brexit
Faced with rising superpowers like China... as well as old ones like Russia, clearly 500 million people have a lot more clout than just us… [leaving] would make Europe much weaker… Vladimir Putin would be laughing all the way to the rest of the Ukraine.
Maj Gen Julian Thompson, Military historian and former Royal Marines officer
agrees
Brexit
Today, membership of the EU weakens our national defence in very dangerous times.
Chris Grayling, Leader of the House of Common, Member of Parliament for Epsom and Ewell
agrees
Brexit
I do not believe that we can currently within the EU protect our national interest. Increasingly we are simply passing laws that have been introduced in Brussels which we often disagree with which are seldom in our national interest.
Boris Johnson,
agrees
Brexit
A vote to Remain will be taken in Brussels as a green light for more federalism, and for the erosion of democracy.
Charles Bean, Professor of Economics, London School of Economics
disagrees
Brexit
Brexit - actual or expected - may encourage some businesses to postpone (or even cancel) planned investment
William Hague, Former UK Foreign Secretary, Leader of the House of Commons and MP for Richmond
disagrees
Brexit
Britain voting to leave the European Union could spark the end of the United Kingdom. It would give Scottish nationalists impetus for a second independence referendum.
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