I bought a book by Harari called Nexus at the airport. Lately, his public appearances have drifted into something odd, and I initially didn’t want to buy the book, but I got engrossed in the first chapter at the store and ended up getting it. And just like that, the first 100 pages flew by unnoticed.
It presents a very interesting view of the world and thoughts and facts in general. I’ll be taking notes for myself, sharing here, in case you find it interesting too.
For example, his reflections on what information is.
According to Harari, information is not what informs us about things, but rather what forms connections between what is already in the brain, and Harari introduces a succinct description of this — putting things “in formation.” “Horoscopes put lovers in astrological formations, propaganda broadcasts put voters in political formations, and march songs put soldiers in military formations.”
In other words, information allows us to create a new reality where masses of people agree on the value of a concept or create new ways to generate information.
Information sometimes represents reality, and sometimes it doesn’t. But it always connects the dots into a network — this is its fundamental characteristic.
About reality. According to Harari, truth is the accurate representation of certain aspects of reality. Reality is objective, but complex and includes at least multiple points of view.
No information can fully represent reality because any description focuses on certain aspects while ignoring others.
This, by the way, answers the question of what history then studies. Think about it, each event had a huge number of eyes and ears connected to it, not to mention the brains that only complicate the information from the multitude of eyes and ears.
According to his theory, the main function of information is to create connections among people and form networks (religious, social, political, etc.). An example given is the Bible, which, despite numerous errors in describing reality, has united billions of people, creating religious communities.
Harari believes that technologies increase the volume and speed of information, but do not guarantee the growth of truth and wisdom.
In the second chapter, he writes about the importance of stories and about the balance between truth and order.
According to Harari, it is stories that allowed early humans to cooperate through “man-story” chains, not just through personal connections, as is still the case with monkeys, for example. It’s a complex thought, but the examples explain it: the Catholic Church (1.4 billion people united by the Bible), global trade (stories about currencies, brands, corporations, etc.).
Brands are stories that associate a product or persona with certain values or emotions. Example: Coca-Cola is associated with joy and youth, despite issues like obesity or pollution.
Harari introduces a new term — intersubjective reality as an extension of objective (rocks, mountains, asteroids) and subjective (emotions, pain, pleasure). The thing is, stories may not be (and often aren’t) truthful. But they create a reality that people begin to believe in. Religion thrives on this. Obviously, nothing is known about Jesus as a historical figure, but as an intersubjective reality, he is known to billions.
He introduces a “formula” for the balance of truth (laws of nature, incontrovertible facts, etc.) and order (political, economic, cultural). For survival, informational networks must maintain it. He asserts that often order is easier to maintain through fictions and myths than through truth. For example, the obviously “truthful” Darwinian theory of evolution undermines religious myths, which causes resistance.
Prioritizing order over truth can lead to powerful, but dangerous networks (for example, Nazi Germany). Accordingly, truth is compensated by different types of fiction: religious dogmas, national myths, legends, ideologies.
About fictions: Harari asserts that all human political systems are based on fictions, which help maintain social order. Recognizing fiction as a human-made construct simplifies its change, but complicates its acceptance, as people might ask: “Why should I follow this if it’s just a human invention?”
From the interesting examples — the U.S. Constitution, which begins with the words that it was created by people. This approach allows for its amendment. For example, it allowed the abolition of slavery with the 13th Amendment 100 years later. But the Ten Commandments, for example, begin with the words that their origin is divine. This excludes the possibility of changes, as any revision is perceived as blasphemy. For instance, in the Ten Commandments, slavery is recognized as the norm (the 10th Commandment only prohibits envying a neighbor’s slaves, but not the institution of slavery itself).
Russian tsars, for example, claimed they ruled by the will of God. Muslim caliphs relied on the Quran as the supreme source of law. Chinese emperors proclaimed themselves “sons of heaven”.
He writes that truth is necessary for progress, but it must be combined with fictions that unite people and that successful societies are those that use truth for adaptation and progress, but at the same time maintain order through inspiring and uniting fictions.
Should I share more of this? I’m already several chapters ahead, and it gets even more interesting there.
(there’s more — click on the tag)
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 