Harari (2015) +

Harari, Y.N. (2015). Building Pyramids. Chapter 6 in: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, pp. 98-118. New York: Harper Collins.

Critical Thinking Questions

What does Harari mean by “imagined orders” and “shared myths”?

Imagined orders" and shared myths shape human societies and influence individual desire. Go hand in hand

Imagined Orders

  • societal constructs or systems that exist only in the human imagination (example: religion, nationhood, money, human rights, social hierarchies)

  • provide the framework for large-scale cooperation/harmony among strangers.

  • This necessity of belief in them for sustaining these orders (vulnerable to collapse)

  • Objective

Shared Myths

  • refer to the stories, beliefs, and narratives that people collectively accept within these imagined orders

  • lack inherent, objective truth but serve as social glue.

  • subjective

How does Harari think “natural orders” differ from “imagined orders”?

Natural Orders

  • objective (fact) independent of human beliefs

  • Examples: Physical laws or biological processes

  • Have objective validity and stability.

Imagined Orders

  • human constructs existing in the collective imagination

  • lack inherent objectivity.

  • vulnerable to collapse ( can vanish when people stop believing in them)

  • exist through shared beliefs.

How does Harari think imagined orders are upheld and maintained?

  • Through shared belief systems

  • reinforcement of these concepts within societies over time.

  • Through cultural expressions (architecture, fashion, and etiquette)

  • Dominant mythswithin the imagined order shape individual desires (influencing personal aspirations, goals)

  • upheld through various means: violence, coercion, institutional structures (legal, religious, educational)

  • the elite and security forces, play a crucial role in sustaining imagined orders.

  • Orders serve as effective mechanisms for social cooperation and organization.

Why does Harari believe imagined orders and share myths exist?

  • facilitate collective action, societal cohesion

  • facilitate societal organization (the establishment of norms and hierarchies)

  • guide individual and collective behavior (enable large-scale cooperation)

  • all while lacking objective validity

Why does Harari say that advocates of equality and human rights may be outraged that these principles have no objective validity?

  • Since they defend these principles on the basis that believing in them fosters stability and progress within society, despite lacking inherent truth.

  • outraged by their lack of objective validity

  • Harari suggests that societal collapse might be feared if people realize that these principles are purely imagined constructs.

Can you think of any “shared myths” about sexual orientation? How are these maintained by the “elites”?

  • maintained by influential groups or elites through cultural narratives, religious teachings, societal norms, and institutional practices that reinforce particular beliefsor attitudes about sexual orientation within a given society.

  • these myths might influence perceptions, stigmatization, or acceptance of different sexual orientations among the general population.

  • influential entities impact societal beliefs and acceptance of different sexual orientations (how imagined orders are sustained)