How Stories Create Shared Reality: Yuval Noah Harari on Trust, Nations and Corporations

In Chapter 2 of Nexus, Yuval Noah Harari examines how stories allow humans to build trust, organise large societies and create shared realities.Mark Fielding and Jeremy Gilbertson discuss why religions, nations, corporations, currencies and political systems depend on collective belief. These institutions aren’t imaginary in the sense of being unimportant. They become powerful because enough people accept the same story and act accordingly.Guest Mustafa Quadri joins the discussion to explore how narratives connect strangers and coordinate behaviour across large groups.In this episode, we discuss:How stories create shared realitiesWhy storytelling helped humans cooperate at scaleWhat Harari means by intersubjective realityWhether nations and corporations are shared mythsHow religions use narratives to build trust and identityWhy brands such as Coca-Cola depend on collective beliefHow Bitcoin derives value from a shared network and narrativeWhy some stories become widely acceptedHow narratives influence behaviour and decision-makingHow stories can unite groups while excluding othersThe central argument is that large societies don’t function through facts alone. They also depend on stories that give institutions meaning, create expectations and persuade strangers to cooperate.This conversation examines how shared narratives become social, political and economic power, and why understanding them matters in an age of digital platforms and artificial intelligence.Please enjoy the show.--TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Disruptors and Curious Minds(01:55) Books And Your Thinking Space(02:25) Dust Jacket Vote(02:51) A Religious Disclaimer(03:34) Mustafa On Why We Need Books(07:53) Can We Get Yuval On The Show?(09:21) Sapiens, Nexus And The Power Of Story(12:00) The Last Supper(13:02) Stories Extend Biological Bonds(16:04) Lawyers, Guns & Money(18:41) Inter-subjective realities(22:13) Plato, The Nobile Lie and The 10 Commandments(28:23) Starting A Nation(34:25) Kung Fu Brotherhood(42:00) Good Stories(45:00) Do You Think Unhappiness Make You Susceptible To Story(50:26) Different Believers--Watch Chapter 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BhXeNQkbkY&ab_channel=WhereEmergingTechnologiesMeetHumanity--Learn more at Thinking on Paper