Yuval Noah Harari, “Homo Deus,” Chapter 4: The Storyteller

In chapter 4 of Yuval Noah Harari's book Homo Deus, narrative and fiction are discussed. In particular, the impact of stories on human social and organizational skills is discussed in depth. The stories discussed in the book refer not only to mere fiction and fantasy, but also to the fictions that humans share, such as religions, nations, and corporations.

Humans are the only creatures on earth that form social networks, a trait that places them alongside insects. However, insect networks are fixed and follow a strict structure. Human networks, on the other hand, are constantly changing and dynamic. This is the source of man's outstanding organizational strength.

Behind this organizational power lies the sharing of fictions. For example, some people believe that the pyramids of Egypt, the lakes of Fayoum, and other architectural marvels were built by aliens, when in fact they were accomplished by the outstanding organizational power of human beings. Modern high-tech products also achieve high quality not because of superior blueprints, but because of the cooperation of a large group of people. In other words, human social and organizational skills are rooted in the sharing of stories and fictions.

While animals have a dual reality of nature and their own consciousness, humans have an additional third reality: personalities such as God, the state, and corporations. These personalities emerged through the agricultural and industrial revolutions. The agricultural revolution, in particular, enabled man to cooperate on a large scale with 300 or more people, thereby facilitating his evolution as a social animal.

However, during this evolutionary process, humans suffered a lot. People engaged in agriculture often have more ravaged bodies than hunter-gatherers. For example, people in the Jomon period were more likely to die in good health than people today. This is a result of the strain that agriculture places on humans and the overworking of their bodies.

At first glance, agriculture may appear to be man's use of grain as a means of survival, but when considered in reverse, it can be said that grain is spreading throughout the world using man. This perspective also applies to the modern IT revolution and the development of artificial intelligence. The technology originally started as a way for humans to use information, but before long humans have come to be dominated by the technology, and we are now in a situation where humans are providing labor for the spread of AI and information throughout the world.

Thus, the human body and mind have not kept pace with technological developments, and modern diseases such as diabetes and stress are on the rise. As the Sumerians invented writing and the agricultural revolution progressed, bureaucracy developed and humans became merely a part of it. The existence of individual humans is not so important in the execution of algorithms; in fact, it can be sacrificed. Science, too, has become a means of providing the power to realize fictions and is closely intertwined with religion.

Nineteenth-century Chinese peasants and Manchester factory workers worked longer hours than the peasants of old, leaving them physically ravaged and less spiritually satisfied. This has led to a reversal of subjection, in which tools and fictions are reversed and humans are dominated by them. The conflation of fiction and reality, religion and science, has resulted in humans being dominated by their own creations.

To deal with this situation, it is important to consider the spiritual or to explore ways to reduce suffering. We should understand that the things that cause less suffering are fictions and stories, and we should try not to be dominated by them. If people are dominated by stories and fictions, then those stories and fictions should be modified and people should take the initiative.

In conclusion, a clear recognition of fiction, reality, and narrative is very important for the future of human society. By viewing fiction as fiction and distinguishing it from reality, humans can reaffirm the meaning of their existence and build a better future.