The Imagined Order, What you Need to Know
Everything you see is a figment of your imagination. That’s what Yuval Noah Harari would tell you at least. According to Harari in his book Sapiens, everything created by man is a result of our imagination. We have ideas, but they are not eternal nor binding by any stretch of the imagination. To be honest, with my faith, this portion of the book was somewhat tough to read. In this section he speaks about how every social construct is a result of human imagination. That is not necessarily what I believe, and it is purely the opinion of one man, but there is something to be learned from the general idea behind it.
When Harari is not mocking faith, he also makes a powerful comparison between the code of Hammurabi and the Constitution of the United States of America. Both are strict documents outlining the general rules and guidelines for a society. In the code of Hammurabi, people were not treated as equals. This was an idea invented by man. There is no scientific law stating one person is above another. That being said, the code of Hammurabi created a stable society. Everyone involved accepted the terms of the agreement, and it created peace and stability within the society, even though there were slaves. The converse is also true of the United States Constitution. The Constitution states that all men are created equal. There is no scientific basis for claiming equality between men just the same as there is no basis for claiming we are unequal. I am personally very grateful to live in a modern society built upon this principle instead of the archaic principles of Hammurabi. However, the point is the same, there is no scientific law rating humans nor guaranteeing their liberty. Liberty is a social construct that is the result of human imagination.
Harari finishes the chapter by stating that these imagined orders are not evil. In fact, they are what enables society to exist. Without our belief in capitalism, in money, and every other social construct, society would collapse. These social constructs allowed the Egyptians to build the pyramids, and it will enable us to do many more incredible things in the future.
