About
Founders and mission
Sapienship was co-founded by Yuval Noah Harari and Itzik Yahav in 2019. Our mission is to clarify the global conversation, focus attention on the most important challenges, and support the quest for solutions.
Founders and mission
Sapienship was co-founded by Yuval Noah Harari and Itzik Yahav in 2019. Our mission is to clarify the global conversation, focus attention on the most important challenges, and support the quest for solutions.
The challenges we focus on
Technological Disruption
Who will take responsibility for the impact of AI, infotech and bio-engineering?
Sapienship wants to join forces with you to:
- Highlight all the possible consequences of technological advancement
- Raise awareness of the need to manage, regulate and control our data in a way that serves the greater good
- Explore possible models for taking responsibility for the impact of AI and
bio-engineering
Ecological Collapse
When will global leaders take the actions that are so urgently needed in order to protect our environment?
Sapienship wants to join forces with you to:
- Highlight the possible consequences of ecological degradation
- Raise awareness of the urgent need to take top-down action at the highest levels, to limit climate change and ecological damage
- Explore ways of prompting political leaders and industry to take responsibility for our living environment
Global War
How can we stop the arms race and place controls on the proliferation and deployment of weapons of mass destruction?
Sapienship wants to join forces with you to:
- Highlight the extent of the destruction that a global war would trigger
- Raise awareness of the need to avert a global arms race
- Explore ways of influencing those responsible for the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
Our values
CARE ABOUT SUFFERING
Problems are never abstract. All problems are ultimately about particular beings suffering. Therefore when dealing with global problems we should not get entangled in mere abstractions, but should instead keep in touch with real experiences.
SLOW DOWN
Many of the world’s problems – from ecological degradation to individual stress – result from the accelerating pace of life. The search for solutions should not involve further acceleration.
LEARN TO DISTINGUISH REALITY FROM ILLUSION
If we cannot see reality clearly, we are likely to come up with bad solutions, or waste our energy on the wrong problems.
ENABLE EVERYONE TO TAKE PART IN THE CONVERSATION
All people in all countries should take part in the conversation about humanity’s global problems, and the search for solutions should take into account diverse viewpoints and interests.
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE BALL
Focus on the main global problems facing humanity.
STAY OPEN TO CRITICISM
Nobody is free from ignorance, bias and error. It is therefore important to examine criticism carefully instead of rushing to dismiss it.
Our team
Itzik Yahav
Itzik Yahav
Itzik is the co-founder and head of YNH’s global initiatives. He was the initial agent and personal manager who spread the books worldwide, and has been Yuval’s spouse since 2001. His background is in art and production.
Cares about: The environment; animal welfare; managing disruptive technology.
Wonders: What should we teach our children to prepare them for the future?
Naama Avital
Naama Avital
Naama comes from a background of management in social and business enterprises, focusing on innovation and educational technology.
Cares about: Human liberties; nature; spreading knowledge.
Wonders: What will future historians write about us?
Naama Wartenburg
Naama Wartenburg
Naama’s background is in comms, marketing and brand reputation management within the third sector and PR industry. She studied literature and visual communication, and spent most of her working life in the UK.
Cares about: New urbanism; community development; art and design.
Wonders: What would a world without private cars look like?
Shay Abel
Shay Abel
Shay is a CPA and lawyer. Prior to joining the team he served as the CFO of a publicly traded company, focused on real estate investment.
Cares about: Polarization of society; the focus of public discourse.
Wonders: How can we recognize fake news and prevent its blind acceptance?
Michael Zur
Michael Zur
Michael comes from a background of management and operations in international sporting events, both in Israel and around the world.
Cares about: Climate change; social justice; governmental transparency.
Wonders: Why are women paid less than men for the same work?
Daniel Taylor
Daniel Taylor
Daniel has a professional background in law and business development.
Cares about: Environmental degradation; creeping totalitarianism; technological dystopia.
Wonders: Is this freedom?
Jason Rhys Parry
Jason Rhys Parry
Jason is an academic with a PhD in comparative literature. Before joining Sapienship, he taught at universities in the USA. He has published essays in multiple fields, including philosophy, architectural theory, and ecology.
Cares about: The future of design; biodiversity; the politics of AI.
Wonders: How can we ensure prosperity for everyone while respecting planetary boundaries?
Guangyu Bellenssa Chen
Guangyu Bellenssa Chen
Guangyu (Bellenssa) comes from a background of performing arts, intercultural communication, and marketing. She is a children’s book writer and translator, as well as a children’s theater curator.
Cares about: The land mine crisis; women’s equal rights
Wonders: Are we creating a better world for our children?
Nadav Neuman
Nadav Neuman
Nadav comes from a background in media and journalism, and the history and philosophy of ideas. He is a poet and writer, focusing on the different aspects of spirituality.
Cares about: Spreading strange and thought-provoking ideas; animal welfare; cognitive liberty; arts and literature
Wonders: How can we shift the global focus from the gaining of wealth and power to reducing suffering?
Ariel Retik
Ariel Retik
Ariel has a background working in public engagement with science and research, publishing, and international academic collaboration. He studied biology, and the history and philosophy of science.
Cares about: My dog; nature; rising extremism; digital surveillance.
Wonders: What will future humans think is weird about our society?
Hanna Shapiro
Hanna Shapiro
Hanna studied design in Paris, and has been creating visual worlds for the past decade. In her work she likes to focus on storytelling, typography and interesting combinations.
Cares about: People; the rise of extremism; earth-friendly glitter.
Wonders: To what degree can visualisation replace text?
Jim Clarke
Jim Clarke
Jim is a former national newspaper journalist with a PhD in English literature from Trinity College Dublin, who has worked as an academic in Britain, Ireland, Belarus and Turkey. He is the author of a crime thriller, and three academic monographs, primarily about dystopia and religion.
Cares about: The challenge of infinite growth on a finite planet; educating young people to be resilient enough to deal with constant change; how to demilitarise and prevent wars.
Wonders: Has the future already happened?
Ray Brandon
Ray Brandon
Ray studied political science before turning to history in the late 1990s. He has worked in journalism and co-published two collections of articles by colleagues. A resident of Berlin, he has also lived and worked in Ukraine, Poland, and Austria.
Cares about: democracy, liberalism, the gap between reality and perception
Wonders: Whether humankind still has time to both master its technology and maintain
its humanity
Dor Shilton
Dor Shilton
Dor is a PhD candidate at Tel Aviv University, specializing in human cultural evolution. His interests include music, ritual, social organization and the history and philosophy of
anthropology.
Cares about: liberal arts, liberal democracies.
Wonders: will we make it?
Dima Basov
Dima Basov
Dima is an operations expert with a decade of extensive experience in marketing and project management. He is consistently enthusiastic about tackling challenging problem-solving tasks; always remaining dedicated to both personal and professional growth.
Cares about: technology, liberalism, social justice and equality
Wonders: How can technology contribute to environmental sustainability?
Danelle Datnow
Danelle Datnow
Danelle studied Business Management in Cape Town, South Africa, and has worked extensively as an office manager / personal assistant in South Africa and London. She is highly organized, efficient, and adapts easily to industry-specific requirements to apply best practices.
Cares about: animal welfare, climate change, and education for all
Wonders: Are we really doing the best we can?
Emily Crane
Emily Crane
With a background in filmmaking and music, Emily brings stories to life through video, sound, and social media. When she’s not editing and recording, she’s collecting hobbies, whether it’s playing the piano, crocheting, or training for her next marathon. A lover of films and their scores, she’s fascinated by how sound shapes emotions and enhances storytelling.
Cares about: The impact of media, sound, and editing in storytelling. (Oh, and her cat Larry!)
Wonders: How can we use digital storytelling to inspire action and empathy?