Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

The Rise of Empires, Money, and the Belief in Imagined Realities So, we left off with humans settling down, farming, and building bigger and bigger societies thanks to the Agricultural Revolution. But the story doesn't end there! Imagine a world where everyone knows everyone else, where everyone does pretty much the same thing. That was life for a long time after the Agricultural Revolution. But then, things got really interesting. Think about it: farming meant more food, and more food meant more people. Villages became towns, towns became cities, and cities became…well, empires! But how do you manage a city with thousands, or even millions, of people? You need rules, you need leaders, you need a system. That's where the importance of shared myths becomes even clearer. Imagine trying to build a giant pyramid like the ones in Egypt. You couldn't do it without a shared belief in the pharaoh's power, the gods, and the importance of the afterlife. These weren't just stories; they were the glue that held society together. They motivated people to work incredibly hard, often for years, on projects that might not even benefit them directly. They believed in something bigger than themselves. The same is true for the Roman Empire. The Romans had a powerful army, advanced engineering, and a complex legal system. But they also had shared myths – stories about their gods, their heroes, and the greatness of Rome itself. These myths helped unite a vast and diverse population under a single banner. But managing large societies requires more than just myths. It also requires a way to exchange goods and services efficiently. This is where money comes in. Before money, people bartered – trading goods directly. If you had chickens and wanted wheat, you had to find someone who had wheat and wanted chickens. It was a slow and inefficient system. Money, however, is a brilliant invention. It's basically a shared belief in something that has no inherent value on its own. A gold coin, for instance, isn't worth anything unless people agree that it's worth something. It's a symbol, a token representing value. This shared belief allows people to easily exchange goods and services, fueling economic growth and further expanding the scale of human cooperation. Think about it – you don't trade your artwork for a loaf of bread directly, you use money as an intermediary. Now, let’s talk about something even more mind-blowing: imagined realities. What is a nation, for example? It's a group of people who believe they share a common identity, even if they've never met each other and may have very little in common beyond a shared belief. This shared belief is often based on myths – stories about a common history, a common language, or a common religion. The same is true for corporations. A corporation is essentially a legal fiction – an entity that exists only in our minds. Yet, it can own property, hire employees, and make billions of dollars. Its power comes from the shared belief in its legitimacy and its purpose. Even money itself is an imagined reality. It only has value because we collectively believe it does. These imagined realities – nations, corporations, money, religions – are incredibly powerful because they allow humans to cooperate on an unprecedented scale. They allow for the creation of complex social structures, intricate economic systems, and vast empires. They enable us to build things that no single individual could ever build alone. Consider the internet. It's a vast network of interconnected computers, a massive system built on shared protocols and standards. It exists only because billions of people believe in it and use it. It's a testament to the power of shared belief and cooperation. Throughout history, the power of shared myths has shaped human societies in profound ways, leading to both incredible achievements and devastating conflicts. Understanding how these myths work is crucial for understanding the human story.