![]() ![]() Culture is what convinces us that certain things or actions are unnatural, often to serve the needs of a particular group, society, or structure. A truly unnatural behaviour, one that goes against the laws of nature, simply cannot exist, so it would need no prohibition.” Whatever is possible is by definition also natural. But from a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural. “Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. It’s this ability to imagine that separates humans from the rest of animals. We can imagine groups, myths, companies, and all of the real and imaginary struggles that can bring us together and tear us apart. Any large-scale human cooperation – whether a modern state, a medieval church, an ancient city or an archaic tribe – is rooted in common myths that exist only in people’s collective imagination.”Īs humans, we have the unique capacity to imagine. “Large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by believing in common myths. “You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven.” By the end, you will understand the broad strokes of history and be able to contextualize modern concerns and questions.Īccess My Searchable Collection of 100+ Book Notes Key Takeaways The power of the human imagination Harari provides a refreshingly comprehensive, engaging, and scientific account of history. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |