21 Lessons for the 21st Century

To Harari, the fear of terrorism is overblown. Actors who use terrorism do so because they cannot inflict material damage on their enemy. Thus, weak parties typically adopt this strategy. Despite the small number of people killed by terrorists, especially when compared to car accidents and other wars, terrorist acts instill fear in the public. They also often cause governments to overreact, largely because these acts call into question the legitimacy of the government. A public sphere free of political violence is the basis of a modern state’s legitimacy. Terrorist attacks are political violence; hence, they undermine the state’s legitimacy.

Harari uses the phrase “a small coin in a big empty jar” (168) to illustrate how these “sporadic acts of political violence that kill a dozen people are seen as a deadly threat to the legitimacy and even survival of the state” (168). The image of terrorism as a small coin also helps readers to see Harari’s point that governments, media, and individuals should decrease hysteria around terrorism, especially by putting these acts into perspective. Terrorism should not be at the top of the global agenda when there are other global challenges that have the potential to radically alter our species and create a vast underclass of unempowered individuals.