For much of the 2,500,000 years different species of humans have roamed the earth we typically liked to operate in small groups of foragers and hunters. Back then, we travelled around known areas in search nutrient rich grain, roots, fruit and meat. We didn’t choose where the fruit grew, or where the meat was raised, and we relied on the tight knit band of allies to support us in feeding ourselves, and our families. The Agricultural Revolution — which brought about the domestication of animal and grain to farm — occurred only roughly 10,000 years ago. Human’s could now farm and store grain and meat over a controlled set of land, rather then venturing far and wide, constantly moving to find food. The consequence of this was a radical explosion in the population. As populations grew and early agricultural technology was developed it became increasingly required to defend your set of crops. After all, your livelihood and the survival of your family rested on the output of your farm, and you could no longer just up and leave like your foraging, hunting ancestors if a group of thieves stole your crops. This — among many other factors — led to the banding of villages, then towns, cities, and empires to support each other in protection, commercial networks and general support.
Remember this: for 2,500,000 years humans operated in small bands of up to a few dozen people. Mass co-operation with millions of people is not in our genetic code. The time between the start of the agricultural revolution and the sprouting of cities and kingdoms was not sufficient (only a few thousand years) in allowing us to develop any biological ability to work in such large networks. The question is how did we overcome this fault? How did we not tear each other to shreds over disputes of land, rights, access to water, who gets what during drought and war, how many peasants I can have to till and sow the land?
Imagined Order
The solutions to these questions is that of what we believe in individually, and as a society. If tomorrow, I decided that I didn’t quite feel like believing in gravity, this wouldn’t have much of an effect. Much like the sun rising at dawn, gravity is considered an objective phenomenon, and exists independently of human consciousness or belief. The subjective are based on the consciousness and beliefs of an individual and does little for the systems of society. As we grow older we disband many beliefs and values that were once unassailable. This, however is not quite the source of mass-network co-operation.
Throughout all of human history, different rules which have governed societies have followed a similar theme. The American Declaration of Independence signed in 1776 continues to serve as the manual with which American’s swear by:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
These rules are embedded with validation from the gods, or from the laws of nature. Equality, freedom and free markets determined by the “Creator” is deemed a human (biological) right for all Americans, but there is nothing biological about it. These values and beliefs only exist in the minds of society, not in their genealogy. Medieval societies were equally devoted to an opposite set of rules which — conveniently — was also provided by the gods. Most western societies believe in the idea of Individualism — the idea that everyone is an individual, and your worth is determined by your own opinion. Many would even consider it a human right. Medieval societies didn’t seem to think so. The idea that you’re worth anything different then what your rung on the hierarchies ladder is worth is absurd. You had to uphold your family name and avoid public ridicule.
This is the power of inter-subjective beliefs. If tomorrow I choose to stop believing in free market economies, LLCs and capitalism, it would have little impact on society. There is nothing natural or biological about a piece of plastic with five dollars written on it, but society has accepted that this is worth five dollars. An inter-subjective system only ceases to exist if there is no one left to believe in it. Money, human rights and the United States of America exist in the shared imagination of billions of people. Imagined order exists in every large network of people. Even if one system is expelled, it is only replaced with another. Without it, how do we know what we own, what are the rules of the game, how we must treat our neighbours and how we contribute to society.
What order do you bow to?
Just Something To Consider
🔗 Sources
Harari, Y. N. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Random House.